All articles by Jennifer Paterson – Page 176

  • Article

    Unum appoints Pitman Trustees to new group risk product

    2010-07-27T09:18:40Z

    Unum has appointed Pitmans Trustees as the independent trustee to its new master trust group life product.The financial protection provider introduced a range of enhancements to its group life proposition earlier in July. One of the key changes was the creation of its master trust, which allows employers that offer ...

  • Article

    Public sector staff most satisfied with holiday provision

    2010-07-27T09:15:57Z

    Public sector employees are the most happy with the amount of holiday they receive from their employer. According to IFF Research's Attitudes to Work, more than two-thirds (68%) of public sector employees are very satisfied with how much holiday they have compared with 42% in the private sector.†The findings also ...

  • Article

    Public sector pay freezes rise

    2010-07-26T09:57:57Z

    The proportion of public sector staff reporting pay freezes has jumped from 30% to 51% over the last three months according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).Its quarterly Employee Outlook survey Summer 2010 edition, which surveyed 2,000 employees, showed that 51% of of public sector respondents said ...

  • Article

    The Pensions Regulator’s experiences increase in casework

    2010-07-23T09:42:40Z

    The past year saw an increase in the The Pensions Regulator’s (TPR) casework, with more than 30 anti-avoidance cases being investigated at the end of March 2010.TPR’s annual report and accounts also outline a year of thematic campaigns to educate the pensions community, which focused on the risks affecting defined ...

  • Article

    Universities' pension reforms approved by scheme trustees

    2010-07-23T08:57:30Z

    The trustees for the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) have approved the employers’ proposals for scheme reforms.The decision comes two weeks after the Joint Negotiating Committee of the USS, which is the principal final salary pension scheme for university and higher education employees, confirmed the proposals would be recommended to the ...

  • Article

    Aegon signs deal with wrap technology provider

    2010-07-21T09:28:23Z

    Aegon UK has signed a deal with GBST, a provider of wrap technology systems, to help it deliver at-retirement and workplace savings services.The agreement will see the implementation of GBST’s Composer and ComposerWeb systems, which offer providers online reporting and transactions, office administration and investment dealing.Andy Marchant, marketing director at ...

  • Article

    Hewitt Associates to acquire US-based EnnisKnupp

    2010-07-21T08:41:15Z

    Hewitt Associates has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire EnnisKnupp, a US-based provider of investment advisory services.The news comes just one week after Hewitt announced it would merge with the global consultancy arm of Aon Corporation in a transaction worth $2.9 billion.Russ Fradin, chairman and chief executive officer of ...

  • Article

    One-fifth of staff have no financial protection if they cannot work

    2010-07-20T09:23:26Z

    One fifth (21%) of UK employees have no financial back-up plan in place in the event that something unpredictable happens, according to new research from Unum.The research shows that almost half of UK workers have been off work for more than a week due to illness or injury at some ...

  • Article

    Marley appoints Mercer to consult on pension schemes

    2010-07-20T09:13:00Z

    Marley has appointed Mercer to provide actuarial and consulting services for its defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) pension schemes.The plumbing and drainage organisation has more than 8,000 members in the two schemes with combined fund values in excess of £500m.Read more articles on pension schemes

  • Article

    UK ranks highly on flexible working and work-life balance

    2010-07-16T10:20:50Z

    British employers are among the top in Europe on flexible working and work-life balance.The UK has scored a ‘B’ grade when it comes to flexible working and work-life balance, according to the Family and Parenting Institute (FPI).The charity’s Family-Friendly Report Card showed British employers are top among European nations in ...

  • Article

    PeopleValue upgrades staff discount and voluntary benefits scheme

    2010-07-16T10:13:36Z

    PeopleValue has upgraded its Advantage staff discounts and employee benefits scheme, which is used by organisations like Corus, Rank and Hogg Robinson.Advantage provides employees with both online and offline access to more than 4,600 discounts and cash back offers on a range of products and services, from every day shopping ...

  • Article

    Government launches consultation on scrapping requirement to annuitise

    2010-07-16T10:04:17Z

    The government has launched an eight-week consultation on abolishing the requirement for people to purchase an annuity by age 75.The consultation follows the announcement in the emergency Budget on 22 June that these rules will end from April 2011.It sets out proposals that will allow individuals with defined contribution (DC) ...

  • Article

    Pay increases in renewable energy sector

    2010-07-15T09:18:18Z

    Organisations in the renewable energy sector are raising pay in order to hold on to key talent, which is a sharp contrast to the pay freezes still in place at most UK organisations.According to a study by Hay Group, which polled 25 HR professionals at 20 major renewables organisations, 73% ...

  • Article

    NorthgateArinso Reward Solutions appoints Andrew Morris

    2010-07-15T09:15:02Z

    NorthgateArinso Reward Solutions has appointed Andrew Morris as business development director.In his new role, Morris will be continuing the growth of the division which supplies specialised reward software.Morris has 20 years' experience in the employee benefits industry. Most recently, he was managing director at Aegon Benefit Solutions, focusing on corporate ...

  • Article

    The Pensions Regulator revises guidance on pension transfer incentives

    2010-07-14T09:26:06Z

    The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has issued revised guidance on pension transfer incentives to ensure trustees are actively involved in managing the risk associated with such exercises.The incentives, outlined in the guidance published for consultation, include enhanced transfer values (ETVs), which are typically offered by employers who want to encourage staff ...

  • Article

    Mercer appoints John Anderson as head of UK health and benefits

    2010-07-14T08:57:28Z

    Mercer has appointed John Anderson as head of its UK health and benefits business.Anderson joins the consultancy from Axa PPP Healthcare where he spent 20 years, most recently as director of new business development. His previous positions with the healthcare provider included leadership roles for the SME [small and medium-sized ...

  • Article

    Projectlink Motivation launches online benefits platform

    2010-07-13T23:00:00Z

    Projectlink Motivation has launched an online employee benefits platform called The Reward Shop.The Reward Shop offers special offers, discounts and cashback from over 2,000 UK retailers and is powered by cashback website Quidco.It includes eight shopping categories for employees to select from: high street, fashion, entertainment, finance and insurance, mobiles, ...

  • Article

    Friends Provident research: 27% of employers provide long-term sick pay

    2010-07-13T09:52:32Z

    Only 27% of employers provide sick pay if employees were unable to work for six months, according to research from Friends Provident..Its Welfare Reform research also found that, were they to be off work long term due to sickness, nearly one fifth (16%) of respondents would not be able to ...

  • Article

    Nearly 10% of staff do not understand everything on their payslips

    2010-07-13T09:43:54Z

    Nearly one in ten (9%) employees do not understand everything on their payslip, according to research from the Institute of Payroll Professionals (IPP).The IPP highlights the importance of workers reading their payslip every time they are paid to check whether all the information is correct, including national insurance (NI) contributions, ...

  • Article

    BT appoints Mercer to manage executive arm of its pension scheme

    2010-07-13T09:10:25Z

    BT has appointed Mercer as a strategic partner to the executive arm of its pension scheme.Mercer will work with BT Pension Scheme Management on the selection of managers, mandate construction across a range of equity and fixed income portfolios, and implementation for certain assets.The relationship was initiated with a delegated ...