All articles by Kate Donovan – Page 10
-
Article
Novell employees increase pension contributions
Employees in Novell UK's group personal pension (GPP) have increased their pension contribution rates following a pensions communication drive by the software company.†Back in May, the company, which employs 160 in the UK replaced its four GPPs which were run by three different providers with a single GPP.It then embarked ...
-
Analysis
Gender equality still years away
Gender equality is still generations away with significant gaps remaining in areas such as pensions savings, pay and flexible working.Completing the Revolution, the final report from the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) before it is absorbed into the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights on 1 October, has identified a ...
-
Article
Royal Mail claims leaked pension changes are outdated
Royal Mail has claimed that a leaked document proposing plans to increase the retirement age and make cuts to its defined benefit pension scheme is out of date.The document, leaked to the Mirror, detailed various proposals, including the closure of the final salary pension scheme to new members from next ...
-
Article
Procurement International acquires OC Tanner's incentives division
Procurement International has acquired OC Tanner's incentive fulfillment and distribution business.OC Tanner will continue to offer a merchandise distribution service from its warehouse facility in Essex, however, this will now be more targeted to providing a range of product lines that meet the needs of its corporate reward and recognition ...
-
Article
London Borough of Ealing pension scheme appoints new transition manager
The London Borough of Ealing pension scheme has appointed BNY Global Transition Management as transition manager for assets totalling £550m.The London Borough of Ealing pension scheme replaced two balanced mandates with three specialist mandates for both equity and fixed income following a review of all managers.Nigel Watson, head of strategic ...
-
Article
Staff need more guidance on AVC investment options
Members of pension scheme that offer additional voluntary contributions (AVCs) may not be receiving enough guidance to ensure they understand the investment options available to them.According to Hewitt Associates' 2007 AVC survey, a third of the AVC schemes surveyed automatically allocate members to a default fund rather than requiring them ...
-
Article
Corus signs learning agreement to improve staff skills
Corus has signed a learning agreement with unions to establish a framework for increasing its employees' skills.The agreement, which has been signed between the steel producer and unions Community and the Amicus section of Unite will establish a framework for increasing employees' skills levels through workplace learning.Bob Guildford, director of ...
-
Article
Taking holiday increases stress
Taking holiday from work can drive up employees' stress levels, with more than half working extra hours in the run up to their annual leave.Among owner managers, one in seven (14%) said they could work an extra 16 or more hours - the equivalent of about two working days - ...
-
Article
Staff lack benefits understanding
More than three-quarters (76%) of employees do not understand their benefits package, least of all dental perks, income protection, childcare vouchers and critical illness cover.More than 70% of respondents to the Oval Insurance ReWard Employee Benefits Survey carried out by YouGov, meanwhile, said they do not understand how creative benefits ...
-
Article
Norwich Union boosts payroll giving take-up
Norwich Union has increased the number of its employees registered in its payroll giving scheme by 32% since May.A week-long campaign across Norwich Union offices in the UK in May resulted in 413 new donors, supporting 500 charities. The total number of employees involved has now risen from 1,287 to ...
-
Article
HSBC to create employee climate champions
HSBC is to create 2,500 employee climate champions as part of its five-year climate partnership.The bank’s employees will play a key role in the HSBC’s five-year, US$100m partnership created in response to worldwide climate change.Online learning facilities, which will educate staff about climate change, are currently under development and will ...
-
Article
InterContinental Hotels UK appoints Hewitt Associates as investment advisers
The InterContinental Hotels UK Pension Trust has appointed Hewitt Associates as investment advisers to its pension scheme.The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) operates over 3,700 hotels wordlwide, including 227 in the UK, where it has a £280m pension fund with over 4,000 lives, split between defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution ...
-
Article
Gazelle Travel launches healthcare cash plan
Gazelle Travel has introduced a healthcare cash plan for its 18 Bradford-based employees.The Yorkshire corporate flight and travel centre's 18 staff members based at Bradford are now covered by a plan provided by Sovereign Health Care, which aims to help employers recruit and retain staff and manage absence.The plan provides ...
-
Analysis
Pensions and employment simplification on Brown's agenda
Gordon Brown's new agenda for the Labour Party will include an employment simplification bill and a pensions bill.The prime minister has reiterated intentions to proceed with the government's plans to create a pensions bill which will provide low-cost personal accounts with mandatory contributions from employers. As a result, employers will ...
-
Article
JLT Benefit Solution acquires Portland Pensions
JLT Benefits Solutions has acquired Portland Pensions.The third party pensions administrator, which employs approximately 70 people and has offices in Bristol and Redditch, will be fully integrated in to JLT's administration division.Duncan Howarth, managing director at JLT, said: "This move brings benefits for all involved, we look forward to supporting ...
-
Article
Marks & Spencer criticised for bonus inequality
Marks & Spencer has been criticised by a private investor for paying executives large bonuses while those given to shop floor staff have been regarded as disappointing.Speaking at the retailer's annual general meeting yesterday, Anthony Lytham, said: "Everything so far is good and I'm pleased with the bonus that you've ...
-
Article
Vodafone UK acquires Flexphone
Vodafone UK has acquired Flexphone.Flexphone, which provides the tax-efficient mobile phone perk Mobile Salary Saver, will continue to operate from its base in Ealing, retain its current staff, exist as a separate subsidiary and be managed by current managing director Russell Horton.Flexphone has been an business partner of Vodafone since ...
-
Article
New pensions trust to reduce cost of deferred money purchase pensions
Spinnaker Master Trust is launching a UK pension trust to decrease the cost and complexities of deferred money purchase pensions.The product, for deferred money purchase members only, has an annual management charges of just 0.25% for members. It also eliminates annual charges or takes on the fees for employers with ...
-
Article
Babcock shipyard staff to ballot on strike over pensions
Employees at Babcock International's shipyard at Rosyth will hold a strike ballot tomorrow over planned pension changes.Some 1,200 workers at Rosyth Royal Dockyard will ballot on industrial action. Last month work at the yard stopped when the workforce walked out because Babcock management intended to impose a 4.5% increase in ...
-
Article
City lawyer brings age discrimination case before tribunal
A former senior City lawyer has brought an age discrimination claim against his former partners in an employment tribunal, which starts today.In the first case involving a senior City employee to go to trial since age discrimination legislation came into effect last October, former insolvency partner Peter Bloxham, has made ...