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 Family Investments got us all very hot under the collar as it seemed to believe that only mothers take on responsibility for childcare costs. Bet a few dads out there would disagree!
See: Mums work four months to cover childcare costs
Two pieces of research, one from Aon Hewitt and the other from the Association of Consulting Actuaries, show that, despite all messages to the contrary, employers and employees are freezing or reducing contributions.
Depending on which research you read, auto-enrolment is either the cause or the solution to this sorry state of affairs.
See: Pensions contributions are flatlining
See: Employers to reduce DC contributions
But never fear, the January issue of Employee Benefits magazine will hit the post boxes of subscribers on Monday 7 January – with all articles coming online on this website on the same day.
Those, I can assure you, are bubbling with new ideas to inspire all in benefits.
Have a good weekend all
Debi O’Donovan, Editor, Employee Benefits
Twitter: @DebiODonovan