I would encourage as many of you as possible to fill in the online survey. The more employers that complete the survey, the clearer the picture we will all have of what is happening with auto-enrolment.
From what we know already, auto-enrolment seems to be rolling out very smoothly. Employee opt-out rates are lower than expected, employers seem to be doing more with their auto-enrolment communications than was originally anticipated and some organisations have even looked at their benefits more holistically (See Cover story).
I find myself a bit of a cheerleader for the whole concept of auto-enrolment, so I do not take it too well when people point out all the problems and ignore the success stories.
Of course we know that the contribution levels, for both employers and employees, are not high enough, but with the right will and persuasion, we will get there. Not least because plenty of employers, so far, have taken it upon themselves to do more than the bare minimum. Hopefully, this will influence others to do the same. It’s amazing what peer pressure can do.
Looking forward, it will be medium-sized and smaller employers getting their teeth into auto-enrolment. To help these organisations, Employee Benefits will be running a stream of sessions dedicated to auto-enrolment for SMEs at Employee Benefits Live on 25-26 September. There will also be plenty of exhibitors showcasing their solutions to help smaller employers, so tell your peers in smaller organisations to come along.
Here at Employee Benefits, we are already receiving news of exciting exhibitor launches across a range of benefits products that will take place at Employee Benefits Live. Also, we are lining up some very special speakers, with a number of interesting surprises on the list to inspire you.
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Debi O’Donovan, Editor
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