All articles by Jessica Bird – Page 32
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AnalysisIn numbers: Pension scam fears, risks and reporting among those over the age of 55
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ArticleWomen and Equalities Committee says government is failing to enforce age discrimination laws
Discrimination is the root cause of the fact that more than one million individuals in the UK aged 50-plus are not working, despite being willing to do so, according to a report published today (17 July 2018) by The Women and Equalities Committee.The report on older people and employment also ...
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ArticlePreliminary hearing takes place in National Gallery employment status case
A preliminary hearing regarding an employment status case against The National Gallery will be heard today (16 July 2018), at The London Central Employment Tribunal.The case concerns 27 artists and art lecturers, who are arguing that they should be recognised as either employees or workers.The claimants contend that they were ...
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ArticleCourt of Appeal rules that carers on 'sleep-in' shifts are not entitled to minimum wage
The Court of Appeal has today (13 July 2018) ruled that carers working 'sleep-in' shifts are to be characterised as available to work, rather than actively working, and are therefore not entitled to the national minimum wage.The judgment refers to Royal Mencap Society v Claire Tomlinson-Blake and John Shannon v ...
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ArticleOnly 22% of pension members actively choose their investments
Only 22% of pension members actively choose their own investments, despite the fact that doing so can dramatically boost investment returns, according to research by financial services organisation Hargreaves Lansdown.The research, released on 12 July 2018, analysed the activity of 58,000 workplace pension members. It also revealed that only 16% ...
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ArticleFort Vale Engineering focuses on employee fitness with on-site gym
Global engineering organisation Fort Vale Engineering has introduced a new on-site gym at its UK headquarters, available exclusively to the 400 employees based in Burnley, Lancashire.The organisation opened the facility in March 2018, as part of an ongoing corporate wellbeing strategy, which includes placing a strong focus on physical and ...
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Article30% admit that financial worries are their biggest concern
Financial worries are rife among UK employees, with 30% admitting this is their greatest concern. However, most employers believe that workers are more worried about work-life balance (44%) or workload (33%), according to research by financial wellbeing provider Neyber.The DNA of Financial Wellbeing, Book One, published by Neyber in July ...
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ArticleRentokil Initial Pension Trustee Limited fined £25,000 by The Pensions Regulator
Rentokil Initial Pension Trustee Limited has been fined £25,000 by The Pensions Regulator (TPR), for failing to complete two valuations for its defined benefit (DB) pension scheme, which has approximately 140 members.This is part of TPR's 'clearer, quicker, tougher' approach, initiated in April 2017, which has seen it issue nine ...
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ArticleLeigh Day announces first 1,000 equal pay claims against Tesco
Following the announcement of legal action in February 2018, law firm Leigh Day has now lodged 1,000 equal pay claims against supermarket chain Tesco, and reports that it expects that number to rise because it has received thousands more enquiries.Approximately 75% of the claimants are female.The legal action, which may ...
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AnalysisIn numbers: Summer holiday childcare costs and provisions in the UK
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ArticleAXA, Croydon Council and DWP recognised for equality and inclusion at ENEI Awards
AXA, Croydon Council (pictured), and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) were just some of the winners commended at the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (ENEI) Awards.The awards, which took place on 10 July 2018 at the Law Society, recognised organisations with a commitment to good practice, above ...
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Case StudiesImperial College London's Active Bystander Training promotes diversity and inclusion
A training programme is helping Imperial College London employees address issues around bullying, harassment and discrimination, as well as promoting diversity and inclusion.The university scooped the Organisational Development and Culture Change Award at the 2018 Universities Human Resources (UHR) Awards for Excellence in HR in May, recognising the impressive work ...
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AnalysisHow can a benefits strategy foster and celebrate cultural diversity?
Need to know:Diversity of experience, opinion and background can have a significant effect on profitability, and diverse organisations are more likely to foster employee engagement.Mentoring and sponsorship can help to ensure that individuals are able to progress, despite potential barriers due to ethnicity.Open communication, among employees and between staff and ...
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OpinionAdesuwa Ajayi: Workplace diversity and the power of community-led platforms
Diversity conversations are taking centre stage in and out of the workplace, but when all the panel discussions are done and employees are fed what feels like yet another advertisement it is no surprise that many still feel invisible.Amid both external and internal pressures, organisations often turn their focus to ...
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ArticleFCA launches consultation on measures to protect consumers' pension pots
Some drawdown customers could receive an estimated 37% more retirement income per year by investing in a mix of assets rather than cash, according to the final report of the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) Retirement Outcomes Review.The report, published on 28 June 2018, is accompanied by the launch of a ...
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ArticleGovernment response to Work and Pensions Committee report published
The government notes that there is a need to empower pension savers to make sensible decisions at retirement, and will look to work with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to develop stronger nudges to encourage people to seek out personalised guidance.This comes as part of a response, outlined today (22 ...
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Article85% of members from small employers are staying in their pension
Consistent with other populations, automatic enrolment opt-out rates among employees of small and micro employers are low, with 85% of members remaining in their pensions, according to a report by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).The report, Automatic enrolment: quantitative research with small and micro employers, which was published ...
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ArticleLeeds Building Society doubles paid volunteering time for staff
Employees of Leeds Building Society can now take up to 14 hours of paid leave per year to volunteer for good causes, effective immediately, as part of an expansion of the organisation's volunteering programme.Previously, the programme allowed staff seven hours of paid leave per year to spend working in their ...
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ArticleAmazon UK launches transgender toolkit to support employees
Amazon UK's 27,000 full-time employees are now able to access a range of transgender resources, offering best practice guidance aiming to boost diversity, inclusion and support within the organisation.The Transgender Guidelines and Toolkit was created with the help of the online retailer's workforce across the country, as well as its ...
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OpinionDr Daniel Bailey: The impact of office life on employee health
Office life is often not good for our health. This is because our blood sugar levels, cholesterol and blood pressure can increase when sitting for extended periods, due to very limited muscle contractions, which help to control risk markers that lead to certain conditions.When sitting for long periods each day, ...