All articles by Kate Donovan – Page 6
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HR functions restructure to become more strategic
More than half (53%) of organisations have restructured their HR function in the past year, with the aim of becoming more strategic being the most common reason for the move.In total more than 80% of organisations have restructured their HR function in the last five years, according to The Changing ...
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Norwich Union launches telephone system to record absence
Norwich Union Healthcare has launched a telephone based absence management system that employers can use to record staff absence and help get employees back to work as soon as possible.Norwich Union's new Absence Solutions provides employers with a choice of modules from which they can select to produce a tailored ...
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Article
HMRC revises its policy on VAT around home computers
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has issued a brief revising its policy on the treatment of VAT for computers made available by employers to staff to use at home.Following the withdrawal of Home Computer Initiative (HCI) in April 2006 which allowed employers to loan computer equipment to employees tax free, ...
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Article
Play for performance
Duncan Brown, human resource services, PricewaterhouseCoopers: With the rugby union world cup having got underway in France last weekend, marking over ten years of the game as a professional sport, I was interested to read about the different payment structures that the various countries taking part now have in place. ...
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PM rejects unions demands for public sector pay
Prime Minister (PM) Gordon Brown has said that he will not succumb to union leader demands for higher public sector pay or an end to staged pay settlements just as civil service union announces ballot of 280,000 members for potential strike action over pay.During his first speech as PM to ...
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Article
Flexible working opportunities are key when choosing new job
Half of UK employees say that flexible working opportunities will be an important factor when choosing their next job.However, results from the Beyond Boundaries survey by the Orange Future Enterprise Coalition, also showed that in many organisations where flexible working has been introduced, people are working longer hours for less ...
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Musculoskeletal disorders affect twice as many people as stress
Employers have been urged to support employees with occupational health benefits to combat musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) which affect twice as many people as stress and account for 9.5m lost working days a year.The Work Foundation's Fit for Work: Musculoskeletal Disorders and Labour Market Participation report argues that early intervention and ...
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Article
Southdown Housing Asscoiation launches cycle-to-work scheme
The Southdown Housing Association is launching a cycle-to-work scheme to help with employee’s travel after an office move.The bikes are available to approximately 301 full-time employees and 380 part-time employees on a salary sacrifice basis of monthly payments.Janet Casserley, HR services manager, said: “We’ve just moved offices and it seemed ...
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Article
Pensions gap between bosses and staff widens
Executive pensions are averaging £300,000 more than last year and the gap between the size of their pensions and those of other staff has widened.The average executive can retire at 60 on a final salary pension worth more than £3m, an amount which has risen by £300,000 in a year, ...
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Article
Axa UK acquires employee wellbeing provider ICAS
Axa UK has acquired ICAS International Holdings, global provider of employee support and wellbeing services.Through buying 100% of the share capital of ICAS International Holdings, private medical insurer Axa PPP Healthcare hopes to strengthen its presence in the employee support and wellbeing market.ICAS, which also provides absence management, stress management ...
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Article
As pay gap widens EOC calls for a modern approach to equal pay
As new statistics revealing a widening pay gap between men and women are published, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has called on the government to adopt a modern approach to equal pay legislation.The EOC appealed to the government to speed up its measures to close the pay gap, just as ...
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Brighton & Hove City Council introduces bikes-for-work
Brighton & Hove City Council has introduced a cycle-to-work scheme for its 9,000 employees.Working on a salary sacrifice basis, the scheme gives each employee opportunity to receive tax and national insurance relief on the portion of their salary that they put towards the bike.Helen Marshall, travel plan officer, said: "We ...
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Article
Watson Wyatt appoints Boyfield as benefits senior consultant
Watson Wyatt had appointed Richard Boyfield as a senior consultant in its Manchester-based benefits team.Boyfield has worked in employee benefits consulting for 10 years and joins from Mercer Human Resource Consulting. He has helped employers through legislative changes; benefit strategy design, UK and international accounting, scheme wind-ups and merger and ...
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Analysis
Getting staff to give that vital extra bit is key to business success
Engagement expert David MacLeod believes that a competitive advantage can be gained by inspiring the workforce to give that "vital bit extra", explains Kate DonovanThe fashionable line-up at this summer's network of Live Earth concerts, which included The Pussy Cat Dolls, Razorlight and the Black Eyed Peas, not only attracted ...
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Interest rates for sharesave schemes increase
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has increased the interest rates payable on sharesave or save-as-you-earn (SAYE) schemes.Employees that sign up to sharesave will receive the bonus rate that was in place when they joined the scheme and will not be affected by future changes so those in existing sharesave schemes ...
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Aptuit to poll employees on flexible benefits wish list
Aptuit is surveying its entire workforce this month to gauge which benefits staff would like to see in the flexible benefits scheme that it plans to launch in January.The survey will list a range of potential benefit options and ask the clinical research organisation's 1,000-strong workforce which benefits they would ...
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Government tightens tax on health screens and possibly EAPs
Government reviews tax position on perks such as health screening and employee assistance schemesA SPATE of moves by the government to tighten up, or clarify, tax rules around key benefits has hit the benefits industry in recent weeks.Health screening is one perk that employers could be forced to review following ...
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Temporary closures due to flooding can force redundancy
Businesses that have been forced to temporarily close because of flooding could face redundancy claims from staff, because of provisions under the Employment Rights Act 1996.Solicitor Julian Yew, head of the hotel and leisure group at law firm Wedlake Bell, has warned that if an employee is laid off due ...
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RBS tailors its flexible benefits communications
Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) is tailoring the methods it uses to communicate benefits to meet staff needs by putting total reward statements online and introducing text messaging to promote flex.The bank has asked employees how they would prefer to receive information and updates on its flex scheme for ...
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Analysis
Innovations in flexible benefits
On-going developments are shaping the future for flexible benefits schemes, says Kate DonovanEven regulars at fine dining establishments where there is a menu of delectable choice can lose interest in what is on offer. Similarly, a wide selection of perks is not always sufficient to maintain the attraction of a ...