All articles by Jennifer Paterson – Page 8
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ArticleHealth Management to run Health and Work Service
The government has appointed occupational health provider Health Management to deliver its new Health and Work Service after a five-month tendering exercise.The Health and Work Service, which is to be launched in late 2014 with a phased roll out until the end of May 2015, aims to help employees on ...
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ArticleGovernment sets out plans for guidance guarantee
The government has announced that its guaranteed guidance on pensions choice will be provided by independent organisations rather than pension providers.The changes, which were announced in the Budget in March and will come into effect from April 2015, follow the government’s consultation on how best to deliver the changes to ...
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ArticleNorton Rose Fulbright extends policies for working parents
EXCLUSIVE: Norton Rose Fulbright has extended its parental policies for its 1,100 UK-based employees.The law firm has simplified its parental policies and made sure they are consistent for all of its lawyers and service staff. All female employees are now entitled to 28 weeks maternity leave at full pay.Sacha de ...
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ArticleTelegraph Media Group engages pension members
Nearly two-thirds (60%) of Telegraph Media Group’s pension members said they would not have contributed additional voluntary contributions (AVCs) to their pension if it had not been for personalised communications about the option.In February 2014, the newspaper group sent out a personalised newsletter to the 1,000 members of its trust-based ...
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AnalysisWhere does responsibility for default pension investments lie?
If you read nothing else, read this …The primary responsibility for a defined contribution pension default fund strategy lies with the sponsoring employer.Employer responsibility is particularly important for contract-based schemes even though the employer role is implied.A board of trustees will have responsibility for the default investment in trust-based schemes.Employees ...
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ArticleFamily-friendly policies more likely where employers consult unions
Family-friendly and equal opportunity policies are more likely to be adopted by organisations that consult or negotiate with unions, according to a report by Warwick Business School and Cass Business School.The Unions, joint regulation and workplace equality policy and practice in Britain paper, which surveyed 2,295 UK workplaces, was published ...
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VideoVIDEO: Sarah Purnell: Changing workplace demographic needs more choice
The key to designing a benefits package for a changing workplace demographic is to give employees choice, said Sarah Purnell, head of UK reward and benefits at Tesco in an interview with Debbie Lovewell-Tuck, deputy editor of Employee Benefits.She said: “It’s a mixture of the package itself and giving people ...
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ArticleGrandparents take sick leave to care for grandchildren
Some 14% of respondents have taken time off work through annual or sick leave, reduced their working hours or given up a job to provide childcare for their grandchildren, according to research by Grandparents Plus, Save the Children, and The Family and Childcare Trust.The Time to care: generation generosity under ...
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VideoBritish Sugar focuses on total reward
“Pay is very important and it has to be on an acceptable level, but there are so many other things that are also important to people,” says Verhoek. “I always look at total reward in four sections: variable pay, the benefits, learning and development opportunities, and what we offer as ...
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ArticleDAC Beachcroft launches financial education
DAC Beachcroft has launched a financial education programme for its 2,000 UK employees.The law firm introduced the programme to provide a more consistent and continual approach to promoting its benefits package, which includes a flexible benefits scheme with an annual enrolment window.Sarah Young, head of HR at DAC Beachcroft, said: ...
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ArticleCost is main barrier to PMI provision
More than two-thirds (42%) of respondents said the main barrier to offering private medical insurance (PMI) to employees is that the organisation cannot afford it, according to research by Bupa.Its research, which surveyed more than 1,000 senior decision-makers, found that 28% of respondents that do not offer private healthcare to ...
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Barclays and IBM awarded for work-life balance
Barclays, IBM and Marks and Spencer were awarded for their equality and inclusion policies at the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (ENEI) Awards 2014.The awards acknowledge and celebrate employers with a commitment to good practice above and beyond legal compliance, and innovative approaches that will inspire other employers.Barclays was ...
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ArticleBookatable.com sees no opt out post auto-enrolment
EXCLUSIVE: Bookatable.com has seen no eligible employees opt out of its group personal pension (GPP) since they were auto-enrolled. Prior to its staging date on 1 July, 45 of the online restaurant reservation organisation’s 130 employees were members of its pension scheme.All eligible staff are now in the scheme, which ...
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ArticleArgos staff to strike over work-life balance
Around 1,000 Argos employees based at five distribution centres are to strike for 24 hours on Friday 4 July in a dispute over terms and conditions, including changes to working hours that could have an adverse impact on their work-life balance.The changes to terms and conditions are part of a ...
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ArticleGovernment appoints Ros Altmann champion for older workers
The government has appointed Dr Ros Altmann its new business champion for older workers.Altmann, who is a former director-general of Saga and an independent expert on later life issues, will be tasked with making the case for older workers within the business community and challenging outdated perceptions.The appointment follows the ...
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VideoVIDEO: Neal Blackshire: Align recognition plans with business priorities
Employers must align their recognition schemes with their business priorities, said Neal Blackshire, reward manager at McDonald’s Restaurants in an interview with Clare Bettelley, associate editor at Employee Benefits.He said: ”Make sure it’s simple, clear and easy to understand what someone might get recognised for and what they will receive.”He ...
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VIDEO: Jackie Buttery: Create a benefits agenda for a diverse workforce
She said: “The challenge is getting the right initiatives first and keeping momentum over the long term, beyond the launch phase and into further years of development.”The biggest challenge facing HR and benefits professionals is creating a sustainable benefits agenda that resonates with a diverse workforce, said Jackie Buttery, head ...
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ArticleNS&I and HMRC to administer tax-free childcare scheme
The government has confirmed that National Savings and Investments (NS&I) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will work together to provide the new tax-free childcare scheme.Its Tax-free childcare: the government’s response to the consultation on childcare account provision follows the consultation launched in May 2014 on options to deliver the ...
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VideoVIDEO: Adam Brooke: Eldercare support is a key issue for employers
Eldercare support is a key issue for employers, said Adam Brooke, employee benefits and wellness manager at JP Morgan in an interview with Clare Bettelley, associate editor at Employee Benefits.“We are heavily looking at that at the moment, whether that’s support in the home for days when there isn’t support ...
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ArticlePSHPC launches absence management service
EXCLUSIVE: Punter Southall Health and Protection Consulting (PSHPC) has launched an absence management service.Healthsmart integrates occupational health, absence management and employee benefits, to help employers get employees back to work as quickly as possible, improve productivity and cut costs.The service, which has been launched to complement the government’s incoming Health ...