All articles by Debi O'Donovan – Page 14
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Masterclasses will put HR directors right
HR directors are specially catered for this year, with three HR director masterclasses taking place on day two of the conference, 26 September.Tim Taylor, head of group reward at TUI Travel, will lead a masterclass focusing on the impact of the abolition of the default retirement age. The session will ...
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New at Employee Benefits Live 2012
Drop-in clinicsEach day delegates can drop into our legal clinic for a short one-to-one session with experts including Jane Samsworth of Hogan Lovells, Alison Cribbs of Sackers and a lawyer from CMS Cameron McKenna. To book a legal session, visit http://www.employeebenefitslive.co.uk/en/visitor-zone/legalclinics.aspxThe tax clinic will be staffed by tax advisers Shawn ...
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Huntsman aims for full flexible benefits
EXCLUSIVE: Huntsman, the global chemicals manufacturer, is treating the flexible benefits programme it launched in January as a three-year pilot.Speaking at Employee Benefits Live Asia in Singapore in August, Hans Han, head of compensation and benefits Asia Pacific at Huntsman, explained that employee communication and feedback was ongoing.Huntsman, which employs ...
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Debi O’Donovan: First impressions of benefits in Asia
On 1-2 August 2012 I took part in Employee Benefits’ first ever Asian venture, Employee Benefits Live Asia, in Singapore.This two-day conference exploring benefit and reward strategies across the Asian region, primarily focused on Singapore (current hotspot for the growth of flexible benefits) and its neighbour Malaysia. However speakers also ...
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Niall de Lacy: How can employers use the Olympics to boost staff engagement?
The benefits of being a global partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games go far beyond association with the National Olympic Committee, world-class athletes and the opportunities this presents to drive a business forward. Employers can become part of the Olympic movement, which gives the chance to take ...
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Beverly King: How can employers use the Olympics to boost staff engagement
At Panasonic, we have been keen to inspire and bring a buzz to the workplace. It’s not just a short sprint, but more of a gala, with a big run-up, impressive leap and spectacular finish.We held various activities for staff ahead of the opening ceremony, including a pin badge competition, ...
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Debi O'Donovan: Better disclosure is needed on pension charges
There are plenty of ways that employers can offer benefits for free. But many are not making the most of this opportunity. Our Employee Benefits/YouGov Research 2012 showed human resources managers do not rate discounts on their own organisation’s products very highly. But the same research reveals that offering these ...
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Debi O'Donovan: Staff engagement with pensions is essential
Pensions auto-enrolment could be the worst employee engagement disaster in recent years. Those of you who know me will realise I am not inclined to tabloid-style, shock-horror scare stories, so let me explain my thinking.We have gone through several years of below-inflation pay increases, if not pay freezes, which are ...
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Nigel Aston: Are default funds the best option for the majority of staff?
Default funds the best option for the majority of staff, but a decade of educating members has not decreased the 80% relying on a fiduciary of some sort choosing on their behalf. People have more interesting things to do than learn the difference between gilts and equities. It should not ...
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Debi O'Donovan editor of Employee Benefits: A historic time to take stock and look ahead
When Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952, employee benefits were pretty thin on the ground for the vast majority of her subjects. But the intervening 60 years have brought in a raft of perks and major changes in the workplace. Our cover story shows how government policy has, ...
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Today’s graduates can expect to work as long as the Queen
As the UK prepares to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this weekend, Punter Southall’s Ross Matthews, says that graduates starting their first job can expect to be healthy enough to rack up their own 60 years in the workplace.Ross, the actuarial consultancy’s head of longevity research, said: “The last few ...
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Professional service staff are dirtiest at home
Anyone envious of the slick offices many employees in the professional services enjoy, might take comfort from the fact that away from work these professionals can be mucky pups.Research from carpet cleaners, Rug Doctor, has revealed that 48% of professional services employees claim they do not have time to do ...
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Barclays Corporate and Employer Solutions launches corporate wealth advisory team
Barclays Corporate and Employer Solutions (C&ES) has launched a corporate wealth advisory team to complement its existing employee benefit consulting team.The corporate wealth advisory team will support entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to manage the risks related to their most valuable employees as their businesses grow.The team, which ...
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Employee Benefits wins second Excellence in HR Journalism award
if (window.adgroupid == undefined) { window.adgroupid = Math.round(Math.random() * 1000); } if (window.alias == undefined) {var alias = 'Def'; } document.write('');Debbie Lovewell, deputy editor of Employee Benefits, won 'Employee Benefits and Pensions Journalist of the Year' at the Towers Watson Excellence in HR Journalism Awards 2012.This is the second year ...
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Higher charges produce better pension fund returns
Paying higher charges for pension investment funds produces a better return for pension scheme members, according to research by DCisions, the consumer insight firm.The risk-adjusted performance of investment funds, grouped by fee level, indicates that lower-priced products, most of which were pure equity trackers, delivered a poorer risk/return balance than ...
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JLT Investment Solutions launches growth fund
JLT Investment Solutions has launched a growth fund.The JLT Growth Fund will have an objective to outperform cash plus 4% after fees and with less volatility than equities.It can be used as a default fund for defined contribution (DC) pension schemes and will also be available via group personal pension ...
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Debi O'Donovan, editor of Employee Benefits: Changing times call for a different philosophy
Major economic challenges and shifts in workplaces usually go hand in hand. As we entered the economic downturn a few years ago, most of us were aware that whatever state we were in when we eventually emerged from tough times, the world of work would look very different.Several years on, ...
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Debi O'Donovan: It's time for a raise in share scheme limits
At last month’s Employee Benefits Pensions and Workplace Savings Summit, several employers called for a review on the limits around approved employee share schemes. Hopefully, their appeals will fall on open ears as the government launches an internal review into employee share ownership that will report in the summer and ...
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Budget 2012: Clamp down on pensions contributions via flexible benefits paid to spouses or family
The government will legislate in the Finance Bill 2013 to ensure that arrangements where an employer pays a pension contribution into a registered pension scheme for an employee’s spouse or family member as part of their employee’s flexible remuneration package cannot be used to obtain tax and NIC advantages for ...
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Budget 2012: Changes to qualifying recognised overseas pension schemes (Qrops)
The government will introduce changes in primary legislation (in the Finance Bill 2013) to strengthen reporting requirements and powers of exclusion relating to qualifying recognised overseas pension schemes (Qrops).They support the changes in secondary legislation published for consultation on 6 December 2011.The government also announced that where the country or ...