All articles by Jennifer Paterson – Page 108

  • Article

    MetLife Assurance: Employers take primary responsibility for de-risking pension schemes

    2012-05-03T10:09:35Z

    Employers have become more engaged with the management of defined benefit (DB) pension schemes and increasingly take primary responsibility for de-risking, according to research by MetLife Assurance.The research found that 61% of respondents with turnover of more than £1 million accept primary responsibility in partnership with trustees or sole responsibility ...

  • Article

    EXCLUSIVE: Northern Rail increases employee engagement year-on-year

    2012-05-02T09:45:00Z

    Northern Rail has increased employee engagement year-on-year, according to the results of its latest engagement survey.The train company has been conducting the survey among its 4,800 employees since 2009. It measures five engagement areas: reward, work environment, training and development, and line-of-sight (an awareness of business objectives and performance management).†In ...

  • Article

    HMRC to rewrite RDR guidelines

    2012-05-02T09:30:51Z

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is to rewrite its retail distribution review (RDR) consultancy charging guidelines, reports Employee Benefits’ sister publication, Money Marketing.Under the retail distribution review (RDR), after 1 January 2013, all independent financial advisers and employee benefits consultants will be remunerated on a fees rather than a commission ...

  • Article

    British Nutrition Foundation launches online health and wellbeing training for employees

    2012-05-02T09:06:09Z

    The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) has launched the first module in a series of online training packages, which can be incorporated into an organisation’s health and wellbeing programme for staff.The module, ‘Introduction to healthy eating and nutrition’, can also be used as a standalone course and takes up to four ...

  • Article

    40% of retirees would work past age 65

    2012-05-01T09:42:00Z

    Two in five (40%) employees planning to retire this year would be happy to work past 65 if they had the chance, according to research by Prudential.The Class of 2012 survey, which looked at the finances and expectations of those planning to retire in 2012, found that 48% of men ...

  • Article

    Zipcar launches salary sacrifice scheme

    2012-05-01T00:00:01Z

    Zipcar has launched a salary sacrifice arrangement for employers to offer to staff.The car-sharing organisation offers access to a range of low-carbon cars on a pay-as-you-go basis, for anything from one hour to a week at a time.The salary sacrifice scheme allows employees to sacrifice a specified amount of their ...

  • Article

    Majority of respondents do not know how their DC pension is invested

    2012-05-01T00:00:01Z

    Nearly nine out of 10 (88%) UK adults invested in defined contribution (DC) pension schemes cannot name, or do not know, all of the funds their pension contributions are invested in, according to research by Standard Life.Its DC investments research, which surveyed 2,035 adults, also found that three-quarters (74%) of ...

  • Article

    Many business drivers would not switch to electric cars

    2012-05-01T00:00:01Z

    More than half (68%) of drivers would not change their existing company car for an electric car, according to research by ALD Automotive.The research, which surveyed 1,000 employee drivers, found the main reasons for this include: a lack of suitable models on offer (60%) and a lack of charging points ...

  • Article

    Vauxhall signs four-year pay deal and flexible working arrangement

    2012-05-01T00:00:01Z

    Vauxhall has signed a four-year labour agreement for the 2,200 employees at its Ellesmere Port manufacturing plant in Chesire.The agreement includes a wage arrangement, which runs from 2013 to 2017. For the first two years of the arrangement, there will see a pay freeze, while the latter two years will ...

  • Article

    Towers Watson launches defined contribution pension app

    2012-05-01T00:00:01Z

    Track My Pension, which is available to all UK workplace pension schemes administered by Towers Watson, allows employees to view their current fund value, projected benefits, latest transactions, and the performance of their funds.The app is available on iPhones and iPads. A version for Android smartphones will be launched as ...

  • Article

    West Lothian Council adds electric car to fleet

    2012-05-01T00:00:01Z

    West Lothian Council has added an electric car to its 300-car fleet in a five-year deal with Automotive Leasing, the public sector division of fleet management organisation LeasePlan.Cairngorms National Park and Highland Council, both in Scotland, have also ordered electric cars through the fleet management firm for delivery later this ...

  • Article

    30% of respondents do not communicate pensions to staff

    2012-05-01T00:00:01Z

    Almost a third (30%) of respondents do not communicate with employees about their pensions, according to research by Aviva.The first Aviva Working lives report surveyed 2,004 private sector employees and 210 employers in the first quarter of 2012.A quarter (24%) of employers surveyed leave it to the pension provider or ...

  • Article

    Third of employers to increase benefits spend in 2012

    2012-05-01T00:00:01Z

    More than a third of employers plan to increase their spend on employee benefits in 2012, according to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).The CIPD/Benefex reward management survey 2012 also found that only 18% of respondents provide total reward statements (TRS) to staff and 20% offer ...

  • Article

    Ford employees to be balloted for industrial action over pensions and pay

    2012-04-30T10:48:07Z

    Ford employees will be balloted for industrial action over changes to their pensions and pay rates.The changes include the closure of the final salary pension scheme to new joiners and lower rates of pay for new joiners.The union Unite has been attempting to reach a deal on behalf of the ...

  • Article

    EXCLUSIVE: Nomura develops parental transitions programme

    2012-04-30T09:10:00Z

    Investment bank Nomura has developed a parental transitions programme that puts all its benefits for working parents in one place, and has brought in a range of perks targeted at new parents.The new benefits include career-coaching sessions for expectant parents before leave, once they have returned to the workplace, and ...

  • Article

    EXCLUSIVE: JP Morgan uses NI savings to relaunch flexible benefits scheme

    2012-04-30T09:05:00Z

    JP Morgan has used its employer national insurance (NI) savings from offering some benefits via salary sacrifice to fund the rebranding and relaunch of its flexible benefits plan.The financial services firm has operated an unchanged flex plan for five years. But access to its benefits was previously split across various ...

  • Article

    EXCLUSIVE: GKN focuses on employee wellbeing

    2012-04-30T09:00:00Z

    GKN is to add a variety of health and wellbeing benefits to its flexible benefits scheme for this year’s enrolment window.The global engineering firm, which has 6,000 UK staff, is introducing modular wellness programmes tailored for each of its 14 sites. It will also have wellness champions, walking clubs and ...

  • Article

    European employers move to outsource flexible benefits

    2012-04-30T08:50:00Z

    ?Many European employers have outsourced their flexible benefits plan over the past three years, according to research by Mercer.Its European employee choice in benefits survey 2012, which polled 560 respondents across 12 European countries, found that where respondents operated a comprehensive flex programme, only 16% managed it exclusively in-house, a ...

  • Article

    Whitbread recruits John Farrell

    2012-04-30T08:00:00Z

    ?Whitbread has appointed John Farrell reward manager – benefits and incentives.Over 30 years in the benefits and reward industry, his previous positions include: reward and performance management manager at Lebara Mobile; compensation and benefits manager at SThree; HR operations consultant at Thomson Reuters; senior compensation specialist at Network Rail; senior ...

  • Article

    EXCLUSIVE: Unilever offers health screenings to staff

    2012-04-30T08:00:00Z

    ?Unilever is offering its 7,000 staff in the UK and Ireland voluntary health screenings through its Fit Business scheme, which integrates medical and occupational health initiatives.The screenings, provided by Screenetics, will be rolled out to 26 sites over eight months. They include blood pressure, height, weight, hip/waist ratio, and blood ...