All articles by Jennifer Paterson – Page 123
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Article
Unilever staff to strike again over final salary pension scheme closure
Unilever employees are set to strike again as part of the continued fight to save their final salary pension scheme.The action follows on from strike action that took place in December.The global food and households giant plans to replace the scheme with a career average scheme.Leaders of unions Unite, GMB ...
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Article
Towers Watson expands defined contribution pensions team
Towers Watson has expanded its defined contribution (DC) team with the appointment of Richard Sweetman as head of DC pension consulting, and Rob Walker and Michael Varma as senior DC consultants.Sweetman will be responsible for the delivery of DC consulting for the Edinburgh, Leeds and Manchester offices. He has been ...
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Article
National insurance motor mileage reclaim case to be heard by Court of Appeal
The Upper Tribunal has granted permission to Grant Thornton UK to take a national insurance contribution (NIC) reclaim case to the Court of Appeal.The case, on behalf of apprenticeships and workplace-based training supplier Total People, relates to a NIC refund claim based on the difference between HM Revenue and Customs’ ...
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Article
Pilkington secures longevity arrangement for pension scheme
Glass manufacturer Pilkington has put in place a longevity insurance arrangement for its superannuation pension scheme.The arrangement, implemented by provider Legal and General, will insure the scheme against the risk of 11,500 pensioners living longer than expected, with around £1 billion in associated liabilities.Tom Ground, head of business development at ...
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Article
David Cameron signals crackdown on executive pay
Prime minister David Cameron has pledged to tackle large payouts for executives dismissed because of poor performance in an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr on 8 January, Cameron promised “clearer transparency, in terms of the publication of proper pay reports and binding shareholder votes”.He also hinted that legislation around ...
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Article
EXCLUSIVE: Law firm D Young awards staff two bonuses
All 150 employees at law firm D Young received two bonuses in 2011. Handed out in June and November, the payments were 10% higher, on average, than those awarded in 2010.Jennifer Mead, HR manager at D Young, said: “We are really pleased to have hit the targets to pay bonuses ...
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Article
EXCLUSIVE: Renishaw rewards staff with gift cards
Healthcare manufacturer Renishaw rewarded each of its 1,800 UK staff with a £30 Love2shop gift card for Christmas.The pre-loaded card can be used at high-street shops such as Argos, BHS, Boots, Comet, Debenhams and HMV. Hannah Hind, personnel administrator, said: “Our board is committed to rewarding the hard work and ...
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Article
EXCLUSIVE: Capita rolls out health screenings
?Medical reporting firm Capita Health and Wellbeing, part of the Capita Group, has rolled out a fully-paid health screening programme for its 800 staff as part of a wider initiative to engage employees in their health and wellness.Health screenings, provided by Screenetics, have been taken up by 144 employees to ...
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Article
EXCLUSIVE: Bromford Group engages staff in discount scheme
A segmented communications campaign has seen more than half of housing developer Bromford Group’s 1,000 staff engage in a new discount scheme.The scheme, launched with Asperity Employee Benefits in October, achieved 59% take-up.Communications were multi-channel and focused on field-based and remote-working staff, who make up 59% of the workforce, and ...
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Article
EXCLUSIVE: Busy Bees Benefits offers will writing service
Busy Bees Benefits has introduced a will-writing service in response to demand from employers.The service, delivered through law firm Keelys, includes lasting powers of attorney, nursing home fee protection, transfers of property, and tax planning.John Woodward, managing director at Busy Bees, said: “The service will offer employees the opportunity to ...
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Article
EXCLUSIVE: Asos relaunches giving scheme with 'winter wonderland' theme
Online retailer Asos has increased take-up of payroll giving by 30% after using a ‘winter wonderland’ theme to relaunch its scheme.The event, held at the firm’s London office on 1 December, saw the office cafe decked out with candy canes and gingerbread houses.Staff were invited to build a gingerbread house ...
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Article
EXCLUSIVE: Railway networks pool free travel for employees
London Overground has negotiated a reciprocal deal with Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry Trains and Arriva Trains Wales to allow staff to travel for free on each other’s networks.London Overground Rail Operations’ parent company, Deutsche Bahn, is an owner of the other organisations. The travel perk, launched on 1 January, will allow ...
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Article
Interview with Darren Hockaday, HR director at London Overground Rail Operations
Darren Hockaday, HR director at London Overground Rail Operations, is busy preparing employees for their vital role in keeping transport running smoothly during the OlympicsLondon Overground Rail Operations and its HR director, Darren Hockaday, face a number of challenges to stay on track in 2012, including the pressures put on ...
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Case Studies
Case study: McDonald's staff to serve at Olympic Park
McDonald’s Restaurants is the official restaurant of London 2012 and the presenting partner of its Games Makers volunteer programme.The restaurant chain will have four restaurants in the Olympic Park, staffed by 1,900 employees. To determine which of its 85,000 UK staff will work at the park, McDonald’s held its Olympic ...
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Article
EXCLUSIVE: Hobbs re-launches voluntary benefits scheme following employee feedback
Hobbs has updated and re-launched its voluntary benefits scheme following an employee feedback survey.The clothing retailer, which has 1,200 employees and 130 stores in the UK, followed the survey with focus groups to find out which benefits staff were most interested in.Sarah Jackson, HR assistant at Hobbs, said: “The reason ...
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Case Studies
Case study: London Overground on track with Olympic benefits
London Overground Railway Operations, run on behalf of Transport for London, will be heavily affected by the Olympic and Paralympic Games because it runs trains into Stratford.Darren Hockaday, HR director at London Overground, says: “We know there could be 800,000 extra people in London during the Olympics, and 80% of ...
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Analysis
Olympics can kick-start new benefits
If you read nothing else, read this:Employers can motivate and engage employees by aligning benefits and reward strategies with London 2012.They can implement a business plan that allows staff to take holiday or work flexibly.Putting in an office TV or allowing staff to stream events live on their computers is ...
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Case Studies
Case study: Cisco ring-fences engagement around Olympics
Cisco, the official network infrastructure provider for London 2012, has created an employee engagement programme that covers four areas – fun, pride, health and wellbeing, and global awareness – known as the Olympic Rings.The four rings will comprise 12 initiatives, which are open to Cisco’s 2,500 staff in the UK ...
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Article
62% of employers are unaware of RDR
Only 38% of employers are aware of the retail distribution review (RDR), coming at the end of 2012, which will change the way financial advisers are paid.The Close Brothers’ Employee benefits solution research found that 78% of respondents said their organisation’s financial adviser will be affected by the changes, while ...
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Article
Legal and General: A third of group income protection claims are for mental health issues
One-third (31%) of the group income protection (GIP) claims received by Legal and General since 2000 were for mental health issues.Its figures have found that the proportion of mental health claims is increasing, up by 6% since 2005, from 25% to 31%.In the finance and insurance sectors, 44% of claims ...