Employers who claim to know exactly what they are doing when it comes to complying to the pension reforms, including auto-enrolment, are not telling the truth, said Stuart Reid, head of employer duties at Bluefin.
Addressing delegates attending his session on preparing for auto-enrolment at Employee Benefits Connect 2012, taking place at the Westminster Park Plaza Hotel, Reid said:† “Anyone who possibly thinks that they know exactly what they are doing, and I include consultants and providers in this, are lying. It is always shifting.”
Reid advised employers to start work on auto-enrolment between 12 and 18 months ahead of their staging date.
Organisations unaware of their staging dates can find out by inputting payroll data into a tool on The Pensions Regulator’s website.
In addition Reid said that it was key for employers to properly review their workforce ahead of auto-enrolment, identifying all eligible jobholders.
He warned HR professionals to pay particular attention to contract and agency workers, who may or may not be hit by the employer’s duties in relation to the legislation.
In most cases employees based in the UK but working for an organisation’s parent firm (based abroad) will not be affected by the legislation.
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