Paul Brown, senior consultant at Towers Watson, calls on employers to make the most of flexible benefits as the economic challenges continue
With the euro crisis continuing to hit the headlines and the UK economy threatening to slide back into recession, there seems no end to the economic gloom. Unless employees are being paid guaranteed bonuses for their ‘Olympic’ efforts this summer, their reward is likely to be little changed from last year and the prospects for pay reviews in the short term look equally poor. The picture worsens when you consider an employee’s disposable income, with the increased tax burden and relatively high inflation further eroding people’s capacity to spend. So now, more than ever, it is important to realise the full potential of employee benefits to engage staff and offer them value.
To help counter the effects of low pay awards, organisations and their employees can gain value from benefits in various ways. Salary sacrifice can deliver income tax and national insurance savings and, at a time of increased payroll taxes, these savings can be even greater. There is also greater value to the employee from the better terms and discounts available when selecting employer-provided group benefits rather than individual arrangements.
You might expect participation in flexible benefits to fall during a period of low pay inflation, but Towers Watson’s experience shows that, for most employers, take-up of benefits is consistent with previous years or, indeed, continues to rise. In part, this is because many staff see traditional flexible benefits such as pension, childcare vouchers, healthcare plans and critical illness insurance as essentials that are provided most efficiently through their employer’s benefits. It is still common within a mature flex plan to see more than half of employees making active choices each year as long as the plan is designed to keep pace with their needs and expectations.
It is also important to continue communicating benefits because this investment is directly related to take-up rates and wider employee engagement levels. To get the highest employee appreciation and so the greatest perceived value from benefit plans, it is important to promote them and provide appropriate education tools. So when employers look to review their plans in 2012, they need to consider the employee experience as well as the list of benefits available. Exploiting new technologies, such as social media and viral messaging, can give new life to a traditional benefit communication campaign.
At a more strategic level, organisations are starting to position their benefit plans for future growth. For some, this means rationalising multiple sets of benefit entitlements, consolidating providers or introducing flexible benefits to help accommodate future acquisitions. For others, it is a segmentation exercise to address particular employee hotspots, such as retaining experienced workers, attracting particular skillsets or planning to fill future career paths when there could be a shortage of experienced graduates in a few years’ time.
Finally, employers face a challenge to keep up with legislation changes. There is a great deal of focus right now on automatic enrolment to pensions, with the new legislation beginning to take effect later this year. Most of the demands the pension reforms bring are on record-keeping and tracking each employee’s status. Naturally, a benefits administration system will have a role to play in monitoring and tracking eligibility, communicating the necessary pension plan details and even performing any transactions, such as opt-outs or contribution choices.
†
Read more flexible benefits research
The father and son is together pleased
The Shu jade is clear ten thousand through the years, some day noon, the text of the town of Qin Huai Xiao rises teahouse door before hang up lanterns and festoons, the firecrackers together blare, owner, Qin Yue E, is holding to do a wedding for son.Come a congratulant friend to dedicate wedding present, sit quietly after exchanging greeting.Host, Qin Yue E, receives maid last dishes to go with wine.At this time, the door outside walks into a man.It is this person to wear a circle to get full-length gown, wear one square and blue towel.Sees he enter house, don’t dedicate wedding present nor say pleased words, just beaming with smiles, is sought a seat by place in the door to sit down, part and the guests jokes.Simultaneously conjecture host, Qin Yue E, .The wedding banquet started, the guests played mora to go to make, not very noisy.Month E is also favour inside favour outside, full face happy expression.You are this playboy-everyone’s in high mood for drinks, suddenly listen to the voice that the E in month gets angry.Follow reputation to go to, the face of E that sees a month has been already risen is red, condemned of man but beaming with smiles, cordial but independent.That man ever since that time entered a house, the vision had never left Qin Yue E, even if is an also not intentional drink wine.When the month E passes by nearby, he still several times stretches feet to the Ban.Public place under, make the E blush with shame of month heart palpitates.Originally happy event, also endured, this time again almost trip over the E in month, how not call life spirit?See this man wear to pour to also pay attention to, is the complexion kind and genial, seem to know that the book reaches the person of reason and how can does this etc. matter?Is this person exactly who?He isn’t other people, exactly lately- taken a post nine article officialdom Li Wen rise.The happy event of E house that meets by coincidence a month, this is also no wonder, the key was the placard of the month E front of door to Ugg Boots Ireland draw a this person attention.Hence he finds out to the person, then enters house, finally saw the bitter hard bitterness of oneself looking for Qin the month E for 18 years.Is pleased not from forbid, can not dare to recklessly and mutually recognize again.Hence with feet mutually Ban, want to draw the attention of the E in month.Month E, you see I is who-Li Wen rise to excitedly say.Listen to this words, Qin Yue E just carefully conjecture to attract attention a front, this man.The sudden tears,such as spring, flow out, you are the E voice of childe Lee Yao-month to shiver ground to ask a way.Burst upon this drama turns of one act, all present guests are dizzy.They you see me, I see you, don’t know that this is what is the row.This matter still have to speak of from 19 year agos.That is the early spring seasonal changes, wife and children Qin, elder sister, Qin Yue E, , is accompanied by the servant girl to visit spring, carelessly the rain water beats wet dress Shan.Because the spring is cold chilly, Ms. Qin was subjected to cold.Again is rise hot again is a cough, burn of looking angry and embarrassed.Servant girl’s harding put is good.This act was risen by scholar Li Wen who live a neighborhood in the house to see, he quickly carried to come to soup to allow Ms. Qin to drink bottom.Changed dress Shan after, sent back the house to the E in month again.The month E is matchless touched.From that time on the in the mind hides to have his shadow.However Li Wen rise to be born poor, to this Ms. everyone which dare to have improper of think?The month E body is like willow, the noodles is like peach blossom, the eye wave contains feeling, and the lips Chi contains joss-stick and livings a sweet and charming appearance.Thus fine woman, how can not make Li Wen rise to move again?Teenage of girls, this young man young girl afraid in mind remember mutually, 2 people then also had association.Because feelings heats and finally arrives to disappear on the first if separate the situation of three seasons.Hence separate three five grounds of appointments of differings behind family’s back.The second year Double Ninth Festival, master Qin and madams go to and go on pilgrimage in temple.Don’t think in evening the rains and winds hand over to add, master Qin and madam have to stay overnight a mountain temple.The two young men certainly can’t pass up a so good opportunity.On that afternoon, Li Wen rises secretly come and month E secret rendezvous.The cent didn’t think of rains and winds and had to at Qin Jia to stay overnight in evening.The Gu male few female gets along one room, such as stem the firewood is very hot fire, which can control of?This just had the matter of sexual intercourse.When proper Li Wen rose big sweat to sprinkle Li, the strong wind uncovered the window of Gui Ge, the indoor immediately Yin cold pole.Li Wen rises to quickly get up to close a window, the cold breeze towards him to rush toward noodles since then and keep a jelly he a strength ground cringe.Is last the bed come, childe Lee shrinks together, soon unexpectedly unconscious.How was this ?How to thoroughly kill a person?Month E which through must live this, early frighten facial expression deadly pale.Her knowing was she to cause trouble.How can lie a male corpse on the Gui bed?If spread to go, did that Qin’s house return ill success to doom?Qin Yue E at the moment is that the infinite scare is helpless and regretfuleply.But the affair has boots.ulticards.ca already taken place and return can how do?She has to call to servant girl and cover up corpse the wheat grass at the back of the hospital first Duo inside, then do to account an argument.Can the second day, that grass Duo inside unexpectedly nobody.Secretly, month once the E and servant girl connected to seek several days, is the shadow that disappears childe Lee.Return an ability how do, consider as what matter son don’t also take place.The month E led an anxious life in the middle of being sad and fearing.On the first, the month E suddenly vomited while being taken a meal, painful of impending.Master Qin should only was a young lady to get sick, the favour parties person pleased come to card shark.But diagnosis of the result make master Qin and madam very shocked-the month E Be getting more pregnant!The so big news as soon as spreads and immediately blasted open a pot in the region.Master Qin always wants a face very much, after finding out beginning and end, one Nu under chase a daughter Nian family.Month E from small grow up in the parents’ center of palm of hand, which is made a day of it of offense?Although it is said is a woman, but like studying to write, so know more what the matter should do and should not do.Just have no confidence good oneself this time, lost face for parents, hurt Qin Jia’s family tradition.Be expeled family at present, alone and helpless Ling Ding like this, I still how can does the noodles live in in this world?Thought of these, Ms. Qin sobs, if not that the servant girl advises to looking at, afraid be early not in the human life at the moment.Day with each passing day past, the belly of the month E is also with each passing day big to get up.This is childe Lee’s bone blood, I must find out him-month E and servant girl Be living an arduous divagation life and finding out childe Lee’s whereabouts.After few months, they arrived at the town of Qin Huai Xiao and soon borned a boy.For the sake of the existence, the month E sold to along with take of all gold bracelet jade decoration, do to have tea and drinks business on the town of Qin Huai Xiao.Is the text in nowadays to rise teahouse-this name good, if childe Lee seeing will definitely come in of, the month E thinks.Say that Li Wen rises to wake up from the obfuscation and discovers that oneself lies in the wheat grass Duo son again, really shocked not small.Know oneself brought calamity for Qin Jia, master Qin wasn’t kind give up.Hence all through the night run to uncle’s house of Chiang-Nan.When he knows that when the E in month is pregnant his kid, and is expeled family by master Qin Li Wen rises heart to pretty much regret, he feels too sorry month E.Hence the bitterness bitterness looks for, his decision wants to find out his/her own beloved month E, 18 in the last yearses have never stopped.But big world, want that finding out one individual is really very difficult.Lean against oneself to have a little culture, and the uncle’s person’s vein, Li Wen rose to also mix an officer to do obeisance nine articles at present.Can have been remembering fondly month E because of him, up to now still the single is one person.Just today be made by the county next adjust the town of Qin Huai Xiao in order to differ, then met oneself 18 in the last years bitterness the bitterness want to seek of person, still in the situation like this, Li Wen rises to feel that this is pleased to decline from the sky.When guest’s peopleKnew true facts, all happily escort to come over, go for this old husband and wife to congratulate a gift.See Qin Yue E again, let she toward thinking the person whom the Mu thinks to be for more than 10 years stand before she’s eyes at the moment, she is too agitated to to repress, really don’t know is cry like or smile like.This not is dream?She by hand choked himself/herself, this was clear is true of ah.Here the wedding dinner of son, how also became me and childe Lee’s wedding dinner?Thought of here, the month E feels face ascend hot hot.At the moment, store outside another door set alight Pa in the Mao of firecracker voice, this orotund companion wears a text to rise the laughter in the teahouse and once in a very long while resounds in the sky of the town of Qin Huai Xiao.