All articles by Jennifer Paterson – Page 116

  • Article

    Employers unprepared for real-time information reporting

    2012-03-06T11:06:00Z

    Two-thirds of respondents have not started to plan for the implementation of real-time information (RTI) payroll reporting, according to research by KPMG.The research found that almost a fifth (18%) of respondents were not aware of the upcoming RTI deadlines and the likely impact of the change.Under RTI, employers will need ...

  • Article

    Unum to focus on employer-paid products

    2012-03-06T10:59:27Z

    Income protection provider Unum has withdrawn from the sale of individual income protection products to focus on the employer-paid benefits market.It is retaining its employer-paid executive income protection product, offering it alongside its other group income protection products.Marco Forato, chief marketing officer at Unum, said: “We believe the workplace is ...

  • Article

    Eli Lilly adds corporate Isa to flexible benefits

    2012-03-05T09:55:00Z

    EXCLUSIVE: Eli Lilly is to introduce a corporate individual savings account (Isa) to its flexible benefits plan to help its 1,500 UK staff take advantage of tax-efficient ways to save.The corporate Isa, provided by Legal and General, will be launched in April to coincide with the new tax year. It ...

  • Article

    The Pensions Regulator updates guidance on pensions salary sacrifice and flex

    2012-03-05T09:45:00Z

    Employers that offer pensions through salary sacrifice or as part of a flexible benefits plan must know how to manage these in the light of auto-enrolment.Last month, The Pensions Regulator (TPR) issued updated guidance on the issue. This said that an employee who is automatically enrolled into a pension scheme ...

  • Article

    Managers have significant impact on employee engagement

    2012-03-05T00:00:00Z

    The vast majority (94%) of respondents to The managers’ role in engagement research, conducted by Grass Roots, agreed that line managers have a significant impact on employee engagement.The research, which polled 75 international employers, also found that the most common barriers preventing managers from engaging employees were lack of support ...

  • Analysis

    Dairy Crest focuses on total reward

    2012-03-05T00:00:00Z

    Case study: Flexible working appreciatedSteven Phillips has been supporting applications team leader in Dairy Crest’s business systems department since February 2010. He has been with the company since August 2000, and worked previously as a business analyst.In his current role, Phillips has responsibility for the operational management of a wide ...

  • Analysis

    Can some perks have unintended consequences for staff?

    2012-03-05T00:00:00Z

    If you read nothing else, read this… Perks such as workplace sleeping pods or access to treats can be seen as both motivational and unhealthy for staff. To have the desired impact, these offerings must fit the culture of the organisation and the sector in which it operates. Benefits will ...

  • Case Studies

    Case study: Law firm D Young maintains work-life balance

    2012-03-05T00:00:00Z

    D Young recognises the importance of work-life balance. For this reason, it does not provide workplace sleeping pods for staff. Jennifer Mead, HR manager at the law firm, says: "Even though we are a law firm, we would not encourage people to sleep at work. We would rather they go ...

  • Case Studies

    Case study: Deloitte's onsite perks add up

    2012-03-05T00:00:00Z

    Deloitte’s London campus has a variety of onsite facilities for staff, including a gym, a health suite with doctors and dentists, a beauty therapist, a masseuse, a physiotherapist and a variety of restaurants and coffee bars.Stevan Rolls, UK head of HR at Deloitte, says: “That package is the kind of ...

  • Article

    GlaxoSmithKline increases voluntary benefits take-up to 94%

    2012-03-05T00:00:00Z

    EXCLUSIVE: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has increased take-up of its voluntary benefits scheme to 94% by providing continuous communications to its 13,000 UK staff.The pharmaceutical firm’s employees can sign up to receive news alerts, which flag up offers on either a daily or weekly basis. For its next round of communications, GSK ...

  • Article

    EXCLUSIVE: Adactus Housing Group sees 60% take-up of voluntary benefits

    2012-03-05T00:00:00Z

    Adactus Housing Group has achieved a 60% take-up of its voluntary benefits scheme since its launch through the use of tailored and continuous communications.The independent housing group introduced a new employee discounts scheme and recognition programme, which it integrated with its bikes-for-work scheme in November 2011, under a single site ...

  • Article

    EXCLUSIVE: Virgin Media sees 270 staff take up bikes-for-work scheme

    2012-03-05T00:00:00Z

    Virgin Media has seen 700 employees register their interest and 270 employees take up its bikes-for-work scheme since it was launched in November 2011.The benefit had been requested by staff through employee surveys, which showed that bikes for work were the most popular choice among potential new benefits.The Ride2Work scheme ...

  • Article

    DWP report: Take-up for Fit for Work service lower than expected

    2012-03-02T11:04:37Z

    Take-up for the Fit for Work service has been lower than expected, according to a report published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).The Evaluation of the fit for work service pilots – first year report, published on 1 March 2012, found that, by the end of March 2011, ...

  • Article

    Helm Godfrey launches HR consultancy

    2012-03-02T10:59:01Z

    Employee benefits adviser Helm Godfrey has launched an HR consultancy, aimed at providing tailored services to suit different sizes of organisations.The consultancy will be led by Elizabeth Cook, who has worked for multinational organisations in various HR roles.The key areas of focus for the consultancy are: Organisational design: Formalising organisation ...

  • Article

    Cigna enhances benefits for mental illness and depression treatment

    2012-03-01T10:48:14Z

    Provider Cigna has extended its healthcare offering to treat mental illness and depression, with an extended psychiatric benefit, online computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and an alternative detox and rehabilitation programme.The psychiatric benefit will offer a full refund on outpatient psychiatric care and up to £15,000 for inpatient and day ...

  • Article

    The Pensions Regulator publishes its approach to auto-enrolment

    2012-03-01T10:42:59Z

    The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published its approach to maximising employer compliance with auto-enrolment duties and supporting the pensions industry to deliver defined contribution (DC) schemes with the characteristics necessary for good outcomes. TPR’s strategy, Delivering successful automatic enrolment: The Pensions Regulator’s approach to the regulation of employers and schemes, ...

  • Article

    Jelf launches online health and wellbeing service

    2012-03-01T00:00:01Z

    Jelf Employee Benefits has partnered Health Assured to launch a health and wellbeing service that includes an interactive online assessment, employee assistance programme and absence management system.The service, Jelf Protect, provides support if staff or their family members are diagnosed with a serious health condition, a long-term disability or are ...

  • Article

    Expacare introduces international PMI for small employers

    2012-03-01T00:00:01Z

    Expacare has launched an international private medical insurance (PMI) product for small employers.The scheme, called Choices, is designed for organisations with between five and 29 employees.It is a fixed, core plan to which additional optional benefits can be added, allowing employees to tailor the plan to their needs.The core plan ...

  • Case Studies

    EB Summit: CSC grounds corporate wrap in financial education

    2012-03-01T00:00:01Z

    CSC focused on financial education as the basis for its corporate wrap when it was launched two years ago.Speaking in a panel debate entitled ‘Holistic approaches to workplace saving – new era or false dawn?’ at the Employee Benefits Pensions and Workplace Savings Summit 2012 on 9 March, Jenny Davidson, ...

  • Article

    Low take-up of salary sacrifice car schemes

    2012-03-01T00:00:01Z

    Cars provided under a salary sacrifice scheme accounted for 5.5% of the combined fleet, according to research by ACFO.The ACFO salary sacrifice survey, which polled organisations collectively operating almost 27,000 company cars, found that 1,464 were being operated via a salary sacrifice arrangement.A fifth (20%) of respondents already have a ...