All articles by Katrina McKeever – Page 3
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Snow ensures 'national sickie day' lives up to its reputation
Record snow falls today (2 February) helped cement the reputation of the first Monday in February being ‘national sickie day’.According to research by Friends Provident, this is statistically the worst day of the year for absenteeism, due to illness, post-Christmas blues and freezing weather.The Britain Under Pressure report reveals that ...
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Grant Thornton launches financial education for staff
Grant Thornton has launched financial education for its 4,400 partners and employees, in a bid to boost engagement with benefits.More than 900 employees attended one of the 39 seminars held at 23 office locations across the UK, ahead of the accountancy firm's flexible benefits elections, which opened in November.The seminars, ...
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Key messages to deliver to staff during a recession
The recession means staff are taking more interest in their finances and there are key messages employers can pass on to help them cope, says Katrina McKeeverTimes of economic downturn can cause stress and anxiety for a large number of employees, as they face mounting problems keeping up with debt ...
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Active Risk Management launches electronic driver permit
Active Risk Management (ARM) has launched an electronic driver permit, which allows fleet managers to check if their employees are eligible to drive on company business.The online permit creates an auditable record for each driver with details of risk assessments, driver training and licence checks, which can be updated over ...
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Tax-free tobacco perk for USA-based foreign diplomats
Foreign diplomats based in the USA can now enjoy a perk that is likely to leave health and wellbeing devotes fuming – tax-free tobacco.It follows a State Department ruling to exempt cigars, cigarette and pipe tobacco from federal, state or local tax for diplomats posted in the USA.However, this is ...
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Pension Protection Fund appoints Alan Rubenstein as chief executive
The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) has appointed Alan Rubenstein as its new chief executive, with effect from 1 April.He will take over from departing chief executive Partha Dasgupta, who will remain at the PPF in an advisory role until his contract ends in June.Rubenstein, who joins the PPF from his ...
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BBC managers face pay freeze and bonus cut
The BBC has axed pay increases and bonuses for more than 400 senior staff until after 2010 in a cost-cutting exercise, partly triggered by the recession.BBC director general, Mark Thompson, sent an email to staff this morning detailing proposals to cut bonuses and freeze wage increases as part of move ...
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Business group Employers for Carers launched
Employers for Carers, a new government-backed business group, has been launched to help employers support carers in the workplace.Membership to the group, which provides employers with practical advice and support on training, legal changes and policies such as flexible working, ranges from £500 to £2,000 a year depending on an ...
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Parliamentary debate sparks new calls to raise sharesave savings limit
A parliamentary debate on saving has sparked renewed calls for the monthly sharesave savings limit to be raised from £250 to £400 to help employees save more.In the debate, Treasury finance secretary Ian Pearson MP said that a third of the two million employees currently saving into a sharesave scheme ...
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PADA confirms soft launch for Personal Accounts
Personal Accounts will undergo a soft launch, the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority (PADA) has confirmed.As Employee Benefits reported in December 2008, a volunteer group of employers will be invited to enrol employees into Personal Accounts in low numbers, ahead of its formal launch in 2012.A spokeswoman for PADA said it ...
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UBS bonus package agreed in principle after bank bailout
UBS has reached a preliminary agreement to pay employees a bonus for 2008 following discussions with the Swiss financial regulator Finma.The bank is now obliged to seek Finma's consent to pay bonuses after it was bailed out by the Swiss government last autumn.A spokesman for the bank described estimates that ...
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Default retirement age could result in loss of experience
Employers seeking to enforce the default retirement age of 65 years could be missing out on a wealth of experience.Mature workers who have weathered previous economic downturns and recessions can be a valuable source of knowledge for businesses in the current climate..100-year-old Jack Yaffe, for example, still works the family ...
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British Airways chief hints at less than 1% pay increase for cabin crew
British Airways’ chief executive, Willie Walsh, has hinted that its cabin crew could be in line for a pay award of less than 1%.The current two-year deal for the 14,000-strong crew ends this month, although negotiations have not yet begun with Unite, the trade union that represents the majority of ...
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J Sainsbury to offer outplacement support to any axed staff
J Sainsbury will offer outplacement support on request to any employees that are made redundant in a head office restructure.The retailer has entered into a 90-day consultation period over plans to streamline its operations, which could result in job losses.J Sainsbury's employs approximately 3,500 people in its head office operations ...
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Northern Rock's bonuses trigger row
Northern Rock has triggered a row after revealing it will press ahead with plans to pay the majority of its 4,500 employees a 10% bonus.HM Treasury approved the bonus scheme last year, to reward progress in repaying the £26.9bn government loan, £15.4bn of which has been repaid so far. Most ...
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KPMG offers employees a four-day week and sabbatical
KPMG has offered its 11,000 UK employees the possibility of opting to work a four-day week, or to take a partially paid sabbatical to avoid job cuts following the economic downturn.The ‘big four’ accountancy firm has given employees, including partners, a 6 February deadline to volunteer to work reduced hours, ...
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Fox Kalomaski offers Botox leave
Fox Kalomaski has introduced an extra day’s paid leave to be taken in December to help cope with increased demand for time off to have beauty treatments in the party season.Stephen Fox, managing director of the marketing and advertising agency said: “We have unofficially called this day Botox leave, because ...
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Combined DB pension deficit worsened by almost half in December
The combined pension deficit of Britain’s defined benefit (DB) pension schemes worsened by almost half during the month of December, last year.The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) estimates the aggregate funding position of almost 7,800 DB schemes has worsened by 43% to a deficit of £194.5 billion at the end of ...
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EasyJet launches voluntary benefits and total reward statements
EasyJet has launched voluntary benefits and total reward statements to its UK workforce to meet a growing expectation of benefits among employees in the airline industry.The scheme, called Your Benefits, which goes live in February, was communicated to 5,000 employees by email and letters sent to their home addresses.The airline ...
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Whitbread helps staff shape up with Weight Watchers
Whitbread has introduced Weight Watchers in the workplace to help boost employees' health and wellbeing, and assist their work-life balance.The hospitality firm has made the scheme permanent after a trial class was successfully completed this month.Staff pay for the benefit themselves but get a company-negotiated discounted rate on membership and ...
