All articles by Debbie Lovewell-Tuck – Page 59
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Article
Gissings Advisory Services rebrands as Enrich
Gissings Advisory Services has been rebranded as Enrich following an £18m management buyout last year. Its 400 clients have been notified of its change of name.Following the rebranding, the company now aims to become more focused on reward issues, rather than predominantly concentrating on benefits. It currently consults on a ...
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Article
Employer profile: N Brown Group
For many, shopping is often regarded as a national pastime. Indeed, despite the credit crunch biting and many high street retailers reporting a fall in sales, British online shopping is booming, while the country’s mail order market has returned to growth.This bodes well for JD Williams, the home shopping subsidiary ...
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Article
GP Noble suspended from trustee service by Pensions Regulator
The Pensions Regulator has suspended independent trustee firm GP Noble from acting as trustee for a number of pension schemes.In a statement the regulator said: "The Pensions Regulator decided that it was appropriate to suspend GP Noble, and replace [it] as independent trustee, from a number of schemes. This was ...
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Article
Employers bring executive pensions in line with those of workforce
Employers are increasingly levelling out pensions provision to all sections of their workforce.According to the Executive retirement benefits survey by Xafinity Consulting, only 29% of the organisation surveyed now offer a higher level or different type of retirement benefit to executive directors or senior executives, a fall of 15% on ...
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Case Studies
Employer profile: Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education
A novel approach to staff wellbeing has helped the Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education slash sickness absence, says Debbie LovewellFew people will ever encounter an employer that encourages them to drive a car while blindfolded, relying only on a colleague for directions. But for staff at the Grimsby ...
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Article
DB pensions would benefit from less regulation
Increasing pressure and regulation on UK employers could reduce the lifespan of remaining defined benefit (DB) pension schemes.Factors such as excessive regulation, increased longevity and capital market instability have all placed additional pressure on employers that currently offer a DB pension.Richard Lambert, director general at the Confederation of British Industry ...
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Article
Employee Benefits Summit 2008: Personal accounts set to be administrative nightmare
The government’s planned system of personal accounts is set to be an administrative nightmare for employers.Some 89% of delegates surveyed at the Employee Benefits Summit in Jerez, Spain, said that they expected this to be the case.Employers are likely to face administrative problems in relation to the contributions they will ...
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Article
Employee Benefits Summit 2008: Government backs service to help employers tackle absence
Employers could receive support from the government to help get employees back to work and reduce absence levels when its response to Dame Carol Black’s review is published later this year.†Speaking in a panel debate on ‘Delivering a wellbeing strategy to support the strategic development of the business’, Will Cavendish, ...
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Article
Interview with Justin Wray, head of pensions administration and governance at the Pensions Regulator
Pensions seem to be the subject of almost continuous legislative and regulatory change. It is little wonder, therefore, that employers, trustees and scheme members often find it hard to keep pace with this constant treadmill of activity. Yet the current economic slowdown and the government's plans for a national pensions ...
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Analysis
Reduce long term staff absence rates
Absence is often thought to make the heart grow fonder. For employers counting the financial cost of a valued employee's long-term absence, this will almost certainly be true. Most will be keen to help individuals return to work quickly, as the longer they are away, the longer it is likely ...
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Article
Minimum wage to rise
The national minimum wage will rise to £5.73 in October, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced.It is currently set at £5.52. The minimum wage for 18 to 21-year olds, meanwhile will rise to £4.77 from £4.60, and the rate for 16 to 17-year olds will increase to £3.53 from £3.40.John ...
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Article
Interview with Gillian Hibberd, corporate director of people and policy at Buckinghamshire County Council
Gillian Hibberd, corporate director (people and policy) at Buckinghamshire County Council, believes HR needs to take steps to promote its value to an organisationHuman resources was not the first choice of careers for Gillian Hibberd, corporate director (people and policy) at Buckinghamshire County Council. When deciding what to do with ...
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Case Studies
Employer profile: Coors Brewers
Coors Brewers uses employee feedback to revamp perks as it works to evolve the company’s culture, says Debbie LovewellThe public would be forgiven for thinking that alcohol consumption is on the rise amid a flurry of newspaper headlines about teenage binge drinkers and excessive wine consumption among the middle classes. ...
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Article
Think global, act local on benefits
HR practitioners who want to roll out an international benefits strategy may end up having to tailor it to local culture, legislation and tax rules, says Debbie LovewellJust as the euro was introduced into circulation in 2002 to provide Europe with a single cross-border currency, so a number of employers ...
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Article
McDonald's offers staff discounts on laptops and mobile phones
McDonald's has introduced discounts on Fujitsu-Siemens wireless-enabled laptops and O2 mobile phones for its 67,000-strong workforce.Staff will be able to sign up for discounted line rental and pay-as-you-go mobile phones six times a year, and have until the end of January to take advantage of discounts of up to 24% ...
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Analysis
Get a little bit more from group income protection
In a push to increase take up, group income protection schemes are commonly being bundled with additional healthcare cover, but Debbie Lovewell questions whether the extras really add valueEmployers have historically focused on cost when buying group income protection as there has been little differentiation between providers' various product offerings. ...
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Article
Pre-Budget report: Government clamps down on pensions tax avoidance
Employers will no longer be able to circumvent tax rules for large contributions to an occupational pension scheme by routing them through another company, under measures announced in the pre-Budget report.Organisations which make contributions to a registered pension scheme generally receive relief for this against their taxable profits. This is ...
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Article
Pre-Budget report: Consultation launched on benefits-in-kind tax
The government is to launch a consultation on how best to collect tax on benefits in kind and expenses through payroll in November, which would remove the need for a separate end-of-year process.This will include a consultation on removing the £8,500 a year threshold at which most benefits in kind ...
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Case Studies
Employer Profile: Vodafone
Vodafone operates in the cut-throat telecoms sector and as it broadens its range of services, it needs more flexibility around perks, says Debbie LovewellThe mobile phone industry is a hotbed of competition. Consumers now face an almost daily barrage of information on cost-saving deals or the latest handsets as retailers ...