All articles by Jennifer Paterson – Page 35
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Network Rail launches eyecare scheme
Network Rail has introduced an eyecare scheme for its 35,000 employees.The employer is providing Premium Club vouchers, provided by Specsavers Corporate Eyecare, which offer discounts on glasses for staff and two members of their family.This is alongside eye examinations and glasses for employees to meet the legal obligations of health ...
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Global retirement age will be 67 by 2050
Most countries will have a retirement age for both men and women of at least 67 years by 2050, according to research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).The report, Pensions at a glance 2013, found that this represents an increase from current levels of around 3.5 years ...
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Employers unaware of shares for rights scheme
More than three-quarters (80%) of respondents have never heard of the government’s employee shareholder scheme, according to research by law firm, Irwin Mitchell.The research, which surveyed 500 UK employers, found that, out of the 20% of respondents that said they were aware of the scheme, only 1% said they were ...
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Employers align auto-enrolment with flexible benefits enrolment
For example, law firm Mills and Reeve was able to align its auto-enrolment staging date, which was 1 November, with its annual flex enrolment window, which opened on 1 October.The employer already had an 85% take-up in its group personal pension (GPP) plan, and the remaining 15% of staff who ...
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Edwards Group and IGas Energy awarded for share schemes
Edwards Group, IGas Energy and Pearson are among the winners of the Employee Share Ownership (Esop) Centre Awards 2013.The awards, which were presented earlier in November, recognise examples of excellence in the provision of all-employee share schemes.Edwards Group, a manufacturer of vacuum pumps and abatement technology, was awarded ‘Best employee ...
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Zero-hours workers are happy with work-life balance
Employees on zero-hour contracts are more likely to be happy with their work-life balance than other workers, according to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).Its research, Zero-hour contracts: myth and reality, which surveyed more than 1,000 employees, was published in collaboration with law firm Lewis Silkin ...
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Jelf Employee Benefits to launch international division
Jelf Employee Benefits is to extend its international proposition with the launch of Jelf International.The aims of the standalone international division is to emphasise the extent of the full consultancy and holistic service now available, respond to existing employer demand for a broadening of products and underline the importance of ...
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Use of asset-backed contributions on the rise in small pensions
The use of asset-backed contributions (ABCs) to fund smaller pension scheme deficits is on the rise, according to research by business advisory firm Deloitte.Its research, Pension funding solutions: the evolving ABC market, found that 80% of ABCs in 2013 were used to fund deficits of less than £100 million, up ...
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Employee Benefits Awards offer coverage for employee brand
Guy Hayward, chief executive officer of Goodman Masson, explains what it means to win an Employee Benefits award.The recruitment organisation won ‘Best reward strategy aligned to business strategy’ at the Employee Benefits Awards 2013. It had integrated its inclusive reward strategy into its business culture to create a package to ...
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Local government pension scheme is in crisis
The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is in crisis, according to a report by the Centre for Policy Studies.Local government pension scheme: opportunity knocks, authored by pensions analyst Michael Johnson (pictured), found that these pension schemes are so under-funded, they are consuming their assets to meet pensions in payment.Using evidence ...
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18% have not had a pay rise in three years
Almost one-fifth (18%) of respondents have not had a pay rise for three years or more, according to research by MetLife UK.Its research, which surveyed 2,870 working adults, found that respondents over the age of 45 are the most likely to suffer pay freezes.While the research found that 18% of ...
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Strikes point to employer caution over pay rises
Staff from Royal Mail Group called off strike action after the newly privatised organisation agreed to improve its pay and reward offer.Post Office employees, who had not received a pay rise since April 2011, called off a planned strike over pay after receiving a letter from the organisation’s chief executive ...
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Case StudiesNCFE focuses on flexibility in benefits package
The transfer will have a direct impact on the benefits taken up by staff at the organisation, which was formerly known as the Northern Council for Further Education.Michelle Sharman, HR manager at NCFE, says: “We are a growing organisation, which brings its own challenges. We are moving from a city ...
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AnalysisFacts and figures on pension schemes
What employers are doing around pensionsTesco pension deficit rose to £2.4 billion.Barbon Insurance took steps to boost pension saving.BMW consulted on DB pension closure.Siemens UK boosted pensions take-up to 98%.Read the digital edition of the Pensions supplement 2013
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AnalysisCurrent state of play for workplace pension charges
If you read nothing else, read this…The Department for Work and Pensions’ consultation on pension charges includes the introduction of a 0.75% cap on charges, a ban on active-member discounts and an extension of the ban on consultancy charging to include all DC pensions, rather than just auto-enrolment schemes.Charges should ...
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Raphael Healthcare launches smoking cessation plan
EXCLUSIVE: Raphael Healthcare has launched an initiative to support employees who wish to give up smoking.The initiative, called New Leaf, was introduced in September and communicated via newsletters, team briefs and staff forums.Esther Josiah, HR manager at Raphael Healthcare, says: “Employees attend a meeting with a practice nurse who provides ...
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Scottish Widows partners Gallagher Employee Benefits for auto-enrolment support
Scottish Widows has partnered Gallagher Employee Benefits to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through auto-enrolment legislation.Gallagher Employee Benefits has developed a service, called GroupSure, which provides access to a range of employee benefits, including a workplace pension. It offers simplified administration aimed at SMEs.A key focus of the service ...
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NCR enters defined benefits pensions buy-in
The NCR Pension Plan has entered into a pension insurance buy-in with Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC).The transaction aims to secure benefits for members of the technology organisation’s defined benefit (DB) pension scheme by transferring around £670 million of assets.The NCR Pension Plan covers approximately 5,600 members who were formerly, or ...
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Mishcon de Reya appoints Ben Southworth
Mishcon de Reya has appointed Ben Southworth compensation and benefits manager.He has moved to the organisation from General Dynamics UK, where he held a variety of roles since 2003, including: HR manager, compensation and benefits senior analyst, compensation and benefits adviser and senior HR administrator.Vanessa Dewhurst, director of HR at ...
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Effective employee value propositions engage staff
Global organisations that use an employee value proposition (EVP) most effectively are five times more likely to report that their employees are highly engaged, according to research by Towers Watson.Its Change and communication ROI survey, which questioned 207 large and mid-sized organisations in Asia, Europe and North America, found that ...