All articles by Jennifer Paterson – Page 90
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The Entertainer celebrates year of payroll giving
EXCLUSIVE: The Entertainer has spent the last three months celebrating the one-year anniversary of its payroll-giving scheme.The celebration campaign included a party at head office, at which charities gave presentations to staff, and a national cake-baking competition, at which winners received cash prizes to donate to their charity of choice.The ...
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Council pensions should fund UK housing
Local council pension funds should be used to pay for house-building projects to kick-start the housing market, according to a report by The Future Homes Commission.Building homes and communities Britain needs is the result of a commission that was set up in September 2011 by the Royal Institute of British ...
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Reforms reduce public sector pension benefits
The government’s proposed reforms for public sector pension schemes will reduce the average value of the schemes’ benefits by more than a third, according to research by independent charity the Pensions Policy Institute.The research, The implications of the Coalition government’s reforms for members of the public service pension schemes, looked ...
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HeiaHeia launches workplace exercise product
HeiaHeia has launched an online product, which employers can offer to staff to promote exercise and healthy activities.The online product, which was first introduced in Finland, has been used in Scandanavia by employers, such as Ericsson, PepsiCo and GE Healthcare Finland. It has now been rolled out in the UK.Employers ...
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UK employees worried about financial future
More than half (52%) of UK respondents are worried about their financial future and the ability to retire with a sufficient income, according to research by global professional services firm Towers Watson.The third part of its Global workforce study, a survey of 32,000 employees worldwide, including 2,600 UK workers, also ...
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Cigna UKHB launches EAP
Cigna UKHB has launched an employee assistance programme (EAP) to complement its occupational health, medical and dental plans.The EAP provides support for line managers and employees through:An in-house team of telephone counsellors and case managers that deliver a range of support and advisory services.A 24/7 access via free phone, SMS ...
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Deloitte tackles workplace mental health among staff
Business advisory firm Deloitte has unveiled a black dog statue at is London offices. The statue is a symbol of the firm’s commitment to the Black Dog campaign run by Sane, the mental health charity, to support the mental health and wellbeing of staff.Deloitte has been working with Sane since ...
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Gender gap in pensions savings hits new high
The gap between the amount men and women are saving for retirement has grown to a record high, according to research by Scottish Widows.The eighth annual Scottish Widows Women and pensions report, which surveyed 5,200 UK adults, found that the gender gap in retirement savings has increased by more than ...
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Kingfisher to bring forward staging dates
NAPF: Kingfisher will auto-enrol its nearly 40,000 employees across six organisations into a money purchase pension scheme on 1 April 2013.Based on the number of employees in each part of its business, parent company Kingfisher would have been enrolling staff between January 2013 and July 2014. Its businesses include B&Q, ...
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Consultation launched on employee-owner scheme
The government has launched a consultation that sets out its plans for a new employment status, called employee-owner.The move follows Chancellor George Osborne’s proposal on 8 October that employee-owners would be able to own shares in their company worth between £2,000 and £50,000, which will not be subject to capital ...
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DB pensions need alternative de-risking strategies
It will be around 2040 before UK private sector defined benefit (DB) pension schemes can fully de-risk unless they consider alternative strategies, according to research by Towers Watson.The research is based on the projected availability of low-risk assets, with the supply of index-linked gilts (ILGs) considered the most important constraint ...
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Royal Opera House to close DB pension
The Royal Opera House is to close its defined benefit (DB) pension scheme to future accrual in the run-up to its auto-enrolment staging date of September 2013.A consultation with the scheme’s 200 members about the closure will be open until 7 December 2012. The Royal Opera House then intends to ...
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Most EAP users recover after counselling
Nearly three-quarters (70%) of respondents who have used an employee assistance programme (EAP) have recovered or improved following the counselling, according to research by the UK Employee Assistance Professionals Association (UK EAPA).Its research, Benchmarking key service quality indicators in UK employee assistance programme counselling, which was undertaken in partnership with ...
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Overhaul planned for MPs’ pay and pensions
MPs could be subject to performance-related pay and be offered membership to career average pension schemes as part of a complete review of their salaries and pensions being undertaken by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA).Reviewing MPs’ pay and pensions: a consultation is the first step in determining a new ...
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HR4UK launches online HR system
HR4UK has launched an online HR and employment law system.The Employment Handbook and HR System, which includes information about changes to employment legislation and links to employee benefits, can be accessed through an employer’s intranet site.Peter Abraham, founder and director at HR4UK, said: “Complying with the different laws and procedures ...
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Wickes launches gift vouchers
DIY retailer Wickes has launched a gift voucher, which employers can add to their voluntary benefits scheme or recognition programme.The Wickes for Business gift vouchers come in denominations of £5, £10, £20 and £50, are redeemable at more than 200 stores nationwide, and can be spent on more than 14,000 ...
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Owner-employee contract a bad idea
The majority (63%) of respondents think the government’s proposal for owner-employee schemes is a bad idea, according to a poll by YouGov.The employee-owner schemes, which were announced by Chancellor George Osborne on 8 October, would require employees to give up employment rights, such as wrongful dismissal, the right to redundancy ...
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Healthy plans for Laing & Buisson staff
EXCLUSIVE: Laing and Buisson, which provides data on private hospitals, care homes, nurseries and health insurances, has launched two plans to keep its employees healthy.The first is a healthy snack programme which gives the organisation’s 20 staff with access to a daily bowl of free fruit in a new chill-out ...
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TPR publishes evidence on DB pension funding regime
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published evidence of how some of the flexibilities in the defined benefit (DB) pension-funding regime have been used by pension schemes and employers.In producing its DB scheme funding statement Pension scheme funding in the current economic environment earlier in 2012, TPR considered how best to ...
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Smith & Williamson launches auto-enrolment tool
Smith and Williamson has launched an online auto-enrolment tool, which uses basic information about an employer’s pension scheme.It enables the accountancy and investment management firm to assess what an employer needs to do, and by when, in order to comply with the new legislation.Paul Maher, head of financial services at ...