All articles by Debi O'Donovan – Page 12
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DOD’s blog: my week in benefits
This week has seen a raft of government announcements affecting benefits and pay, as well as guidance from the likes of the Financial Services Authority and Office of Fair Trading.There are more such tomes in the pipeline (oh joy!) affecting everything from pensions, share schemes and incentives to the long-term ...
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New flat rate state pension is announced
This afternoon the government announced plans to introduce a new flat-rate state pension.The new state pension will come into effect from 2017 as part of a reform package to be announced to Parliament today.At today’s prices it will be worth around £144 a week and will only be paid to ...
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DOD’s blog: my week in benefits
Why are we waiting – it’s getting aggravating (as we used to say at school).Two years on from the pensions green paper there is still no sign of regulations to bring in a flat-rate state pension (proposed at £140 a week).Until we have a flat rate, those at the bottom ...
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Debi O'Donovan: Prepare to meet 2013 challenges
Happy New Year! If, like myself, you used the break to take stock of the direction your life is taking, then perhaps you have been considering your career.Not long ago, I was chatting to a couple of consultants from a leading reward recruitment consultancy. They told me how they have ...
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DOD’s blog: my week in benefits
The Employee Benefits team was back in the office in force this week, although to be honest we have been more fuzzy than fizzing at this early stage of the year.The same can be said for the news stories that have popped up in our inboxes so far.However, one from ...
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Tim Taylor: The importance of pensions for HR
Tim Taylor, head of reward at Tui Travel, talks to Debi O’Donovan, editor of Employee Benefits, about the importance of pensions as an engagement tool and why HR should not shy away from pensions.Taylor advises HR managers to get on top of the issue of pension plans’ default investment funds ...
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Survey: Does HR care about default funds?
The next big scandal could be the lack of knowledge and interest that benefits and human resources teams have in the pension investment choices offered to staff.Increasingly, employees are expected to choose their own funds when they join a workplace pension. Most opt for the ‘default fund’ and the assumption ...
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TUPE regulations to be reviewed
Autumn Statement 2012: The government will shortly launch a consultation on TUPE regulations. The proposals will removeunnecessary burdens on business.
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VIDEO: Louise Beardmore: The role of HR in employee engagement
Louise Beardmore, head of organisational development and HR operations at United Utilities, and senior member of the Employee Engagement Task Force, talks to Debi O’Donovan, editor of Employee Benefits, about the role of HR in employee engagement.
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Debi O'Donovan: Older staff will need some benefits TLC
Turns out that keeping such folk at work for longer is often good for both them and their colleagues, as long as their work is fulfilling and not drudgery.Cognitive neuroscientist and business improvement strategist Dr Lynda Shaw points out that staying in employment can help you age more healthily because ...
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A Dutch treat for cyclists
After Bradley Wiggens’ cycling accident this week, cyclists may be more than usually aware of dangers on the road.Employees cycling to work could look with envy across the channel to their Dutch counterparts who may be in line to benefit from heated cycle lanes in winter.A recent report by the ...
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VIDEO: Nita Clarke: Why UK PLC should take staff engagement seriously
Nita Clarke, co-chair of the Employee Engagement Task Force and Engaged for Success, explains how UK businesses could be losing up to £60 billion in productivity due to lack of staff engagement.
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David MacLeod and Nita Clarke: Importance of employee engagement
David MacLeod and Nita Clark, co-chairs of the Employee Engagement Task Force, delivered the keynote session at Employee Benefits Live on 26 September 2012.On Monday 26 November, the Employee Engagement Task Force will officially launch the next phase of its plans to increase the engagement of UK employees.View the video ...
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VIDEO: Joanne Segars: Pension charges are HR issue
The HR community has an important role to play in putting pressure on pensions providers and advisers to push down charges and create better value, according to Joanne Segars, chief executive of the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF).It is essential that HR managers look at pensions charges when selecting ...
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Video: Shawn Healy: Benefits tax issues
Shawn Healy, tax director at accountants BDO, was one of the tax experts on hand for delegates to speak to at Employee Benefits Live 2012.In this video, he shares some of the key concerns about salary sacrifice raised during his free one-to-one sessions.
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VIDEO: Louise Beardmore: How HR can drive business
Louise Beardmore’s highly-rated presentation at Employee Benefits Live 2012 left delegates inspired and informed.View the 20-minute video of her presentation: Driving the engagement agenda despite current budgetary contraints.Beardmore’s key lessons include how the HR and reward function engages line managers so that they can translate and enable the stategies HR ...
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JLT Growth Fund available for use in GPPs
JLT has made its growth fund available to members of group personal pension (GPP) plans.Aegon is the first pension provider to offer this option for employers to include in their GPP investment selection.The JLT Growth Fund was launched in May 2012 for individuals wanting a diversified growth fund.Paul Armitage, head ...
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VIDEO: Jenny Davidson: Using flex to deliver auto-enrolment
Jenny Davidson, head of reward at CSC Computer Sciences, discusses why her organisation is using its flexible benefits platform to deliver pensions auto-enrolment to staff.
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Alexandra Kitching: Three components of a quality DC pension
Alexandra Kitching, Pension Quality Mark (PQM) manager at the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF), discusses the three most important components of a good quality defined contribution (DC) pension scheme.
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Debi O'Donovan: Auto-enrolment has put pensions centre stage
And the word on the street (or at least at the National Association of Pensions Funds’ annual conference last month) is that although we know that such low savings rates (starting at an initial 1% contribution each for employee and employer) will not necessarily give people the retirement they need, ...