All articles by Debbie Lovewell-Tuck – Page 56

  • Article

    Sodexo launches online voluntary benefits scheme

    2009-08-19T10:07:47Z

    Sodexo has launched an online voluntary benefits product for employers to offer to staff.TheBene£itsWebsite provides benefits and services in categories such as car, health, home, money, travel, shopping, lifestyle and legal matters. Some of the brands and retailers offered through the scheme include Halfords, Vision Express, APH, Fitness First, The ...

  • Article

    Lorica Online partners with P&MM

    2009-08-14T09:42:31Z

    Lorica Online, the new flexible benefits division of Lorica Consulting, has partnered with P&MM to offer a range of voluntary lifestyle benefits through Lorica's online benefits portal Cube.P&MM's lifestyle benefits scheme offers a range of discounts that staff cannot access on the high street on products and services, such as ...

  • Article

    Consultation on the gender pay gap launched

    2009-08-12T13:33:08Z

    The Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched a consultation on how private and voluntary sector employers with at least 250 staff can measure and report on their gender pay gap.Women working full-time currently earn 17.1% less per hour on average than men, with the gap failing to improve in ...

  • Article

    Healix Group extends risk screening tool into New Zealand

    2009-08-03T06:20:07Z

    Medical risk assessment firm, Healix Group, has expanded into New Zealand with the implementation of its risk screening tool by New Zealand assistance products company, First Assistance.The partnership enables First Assistance to build the tool into travel insurance sales platforms developed for its own clients, improving the efficiency of its ...

  • Article

    Pensions research: Pensions legislation

    2009-08-01T10:31:52Z

    Employers are slowly getting ready for the 2012 reforms, says Debbie LovewellThe Pensions Act 2008 will introduce pensions reforms in October 2012 that include autoenrolment to a qualifying occupational pension plan or personal accounts, and the phasing-in of compulsory employer and staff contributions. The government appears to be slowly convincing ...

  • Article

    Pensions research: Attitudes to pensions

    2009-08-01T09:34:28Z

    Employers still place a high value on pensions, but many concede they should be doing more to boost staff take-up, says Debbie LovewellOver the years, workplace pension schemes have not fallen out of favour with employers, despite the (often complex) challenges they pose for many organisations. This is borne out ...

  • Article

    Editor’s comment

    2009-08-01T09:27:27Z

    Operating a pension plan can be like gardening. Schemes and plants both require a lot of nurturing to flourish. And, in some cases, both may fail to grow, if the wrong type of care and attention is lavished on them. But employers can take steps to help staff boost their ...

  • Article

    Active Health Partners launches absence risk barometer

    2009-08-01T00:00:01Z

    Active Health Partners (AHP) has launched an absence risk barometer to help employers quantify the risk of absence to business operations in their organisation.The guide creates a simple risk estimate (SRE) for reasons of absence. This produces a risk profile for specific sectors, companies and departments, allowing employers to implement ...

  • Article

    Staff get ready for Hug Your Boss Day on 21 August

    2009-07-31T10:27:08Z

    Managers may find they experience a sudden surge in popularity later this month on National Hug Your Boss day.Online job board Tiptopjob is encouraging staff to throw caution to the wind, and get up close and personal with their boss on 21 August in a bid to boost workplace motivation ...

  • Article

    FSA fines HSBC Actuaries and Consultants £875,000 for losing data

    2009-07-23T10:38:54Z

    The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has fined HSBC Actuaries and Consultants £875,000 for losing personal information of 1,917 pension scheme members.Their details were contained on an unencrypted floppy disk, which was lost in the post in April 2007. The confidential information included members' addresses, dates of birth and national insurance ...

  • Article

    Maintaining staff health and wellbeing through the downturn

    2009-07-06T14:32:15Z

    With the recession putting workforces under strain, health and wellbeing benefits pay their way by keeping staff fit, says Debbie LovewellWhen the going gets tough, people cope in different ways. As the recession tightens its grip, many may be tempted to reach for a glass of wine or a bar ...

  • Analysis

    Protecting expatriate pay value as exchange rates fluctuate

    2009-07-06T14:30:00Z

    Fluctuations in currency exchange rates can reduce the value of expatriate employees’ pay so what steps can employers take to protect them - and should they? Debbie Lovewell reportsIf you read nothing else, read this…- Exchange rate fluctuations have seen the pound fall against other major currencies, such as the ...

  • Article

    Renault launches pensions salary sacrifice

    2009-07-06T11:10:00Z

    Renault has introduced a pensions salary sacrifice arrangement for its trust-based defined contribution (DC) scheme.The move is intended to help bring cost savings to the business. Marina Polyakova, HR business manager, said: “Employees will get a little bit more money in their pay cheque and, as an organisation, we will ...

  • Article

    London Lite holds awards ceremony for vendors

    2009-06-19T10:18:20Z

    Free London newspaper the London Lite has held an awards ceremony to recognise the work of its distributors.Its annual London Lite Merchandiser Awards, which are in their second year, awarded vendors in categories such as Merchandiser of the Year, Best Product Presentation, Most Environmentally-Conscious Merchandiser and Team Leader of the ...

  • Article

    Samworth Brothers appoints Barnett Waddingham for pension services

    2009-06-19T09:25:00Z

    Chilled food producer Samworth Brothers has appointed Barnett Waddingham to provide actuarial and pension administration services to its defined benefit (DB) scheme.The company, which produces chilled food under the Ginsters brand as well as supermarket own brands, operates an open DB scheme, which has over 5,000 members.Craig Stansfield, partner at ...

  • Article

    Employee Benefits Summit 2009: Employers overcome myths surrounding pensions reform

    2009-06-04T16:16:22Z

    Leading reward professionals have a good understanding of the new pension obligations placed on employers that will come into effect in October 2012.In an interactive poll that took place in the opening keynote conference session of the Employee Benefits Summit in Monte Carlo, 20% of delegates said they were very ...

  • Article

    Employee Benefits Summit 2009: RBS invests in reward to aid recovery

    2009-06-04T12:57:51Z

    Continuing to invest in employee reward is just as important during difficult times to help businesses recover, although they may come under public scrutiny for doing so, said Jim Cowan, senior consultant, remuneration and benefits at Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).Speaking in an open forum at the Employee Benefits Summit ...

  • Article

    Employee Benefits Summit 2009: Benefits globalisation requires flexibility

    2009-06-04T12:46:08Z

    Global benefits strategies must be flexible enough to reflect local cultures, said Debra Corey, senior director compensation and benefits for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at Quintiles at the Employee Benefits Summit in Monte Carlo.This can result in the provision of some unusual benefits. In India, for example, employers ...

  • Article

    Research: strategies to deal with employee stress

    2009-06-01T14:17:00Z

    The recession has raised staff stress levels, but almost two-thirds of employers do not have a strategy to deal with the problem, says Debbie LovewellStress remains a common problem for many employers, often boosting sickness absence rates. Even if employees do remain at work, stress can lead to reduced staff ...

  • Article

    Research: impact of health and wellbeing benefits on sickness absence

    2009-06-01T14:14:32Z

    Holidays, work-life balance and flexible working have risen in importance as factors that reduce sickness absence, says Debbie LovewellPreventative perks to boost employees’ overall health and wellbeing continue to be seen as key weapons to control sickness absence levels.But the types of benefits employers believe help to reduce absence have ...