All articles by Louise Farrand – Page 2
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AnalysisHow can employers ensure their pay equality goals stay on the agenda in the current climate?
The pandemic has been the best and worst of times for women.More women have been furloughed than men since Covid-19 struck, according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) statistics published in February 2021, with 2.32 million women on the scheme at the end of January 2021, compared to 2.18 million ...
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AnalysisWhat type of support can employers give to expectant parents?
Need to know:Employers used to say goodbye to expectant mothers and welcome them back at the end of their maternity leave. But times are changing. Support for expectant parents is becoming more inclusive and comprehensive, thanks to the realisation that it benefits diversity and inclusion, productivity and retention in organisations, ...
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Case StudiesHow the CBI supports expectant parents
As a relatively small organisation which employs 250 people internationally, including 225 in the UK, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) prides itself on its curiosity when considering the introduction of new benefits. It seems natural for an organisation which promotes and celebrates UK businesses.Millia Bosnjak, reward and benefit adviser ...
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Case StudiesGett invests in its people with choice of flexible working patterns
Gett is a ground travel platform for businesses that puts clients’ preferred ride-hailing apps and car services in one place. It introduced Gett Flexi in August 2020. Gett’s global workforce of just under 1,000 employees can now choose whether they work four or five days a week.Tyson Niemeyer, chief executive ...
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AnalysisCould a four-day working week become the norm?
Need to know:What’s the secret of better retention, higher productivity and improved wellbeing? Some employers think it’s a four-day working week.Four-day working weeks can help organisations to attract and keep the best talent, which employers like recruiters MRL Consulting Group have discovered. Employees also report that they are less stressed ...
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Case StudiesCity and Guilds Group prioritises employee financial education in challenging times
When the pandemic hit UK businesses, City and Guilds Group was quick to respond. The skills development organisation which offers qualifications and apprenticeships across a variety of sectors, employs just over 1,000 people in the UK.City and Guilds has taken advantage of the government’s furlough scheme, topping up people’s salaries ...
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AnalysisHow has the pandemic impacted employers' financial education strategies?
Need to know:Over half of UK employees worry about money at least once a week, and people’s mental health is suffering.The pandemic has heightened the financial stress people were already experiencing. Their priorities have shifted away from day-to-day financials and towards a need for emotionally-driven financial education.Although face-to-face support is ...
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Case StudiesFord seeks to address pay and pension gender inequalities through recruitment and retention policies
Ford Motor Company’s gender pay gap report reads differently to that of most employers. The organisation, which employs over 13,000 people in the UK, has a negative pay gap, in other words, women earn more than men on average. But the overall picture is much more nuanced than the headline ...
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AnalysisHow can employers address the gender pensions gap during the pandemic?
Need to know:While the gender pay gap is well understood, another income gap is much less publicised: the extremely stark gender pensions gap. On average, women are retiring on a fraction of the amount men accumulate during their working lives.The Covid-19 pandemic may worsen an already-widening gap. In difficult times, ...
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AnalysisWhat will the workplace of the future mean for reward strategies?
Need to know:The Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has tipped flexible working into the mainstream for the first time and office environments may never be the same again.We are likely to arrive at a middle ground, where office workers enjoy a combination of working from home and office days.In the aftermath of ...
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Case StudiesAccord Healthcare UK focuses on bringing employees together
Pharmaceutical company Accord Healthcare has had a busy pandemic. Accord, which employs 1,200 people in the UK, supplies medicines to the NHS. The organisation manages every step of the process, from buying the raw products through to manufacturing and distributing medication.Production went up in the early days of the pandemic, ...
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AnalysisWhere do the parameters of employers' responsibility to wellbeing lie?
Need to know: We live in a very open age, but employers must still tread carefully when it comes to employees’ personal lives.Physical, mental and financial wellbeing is all-important to employees' productivity and they will be looking to employers to help in the midst of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.Employers ...
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Case StudiesSantander offers employees extensive wellbeing support without overstepping boundaries
Banking group Santander UK offers its 23,500 employees wellbeing support across four key areas: physical, mental, social and financial.Offering employees access to a wide range of support is how Santander makes sure its staff have everything they need, when they most need it, without straying too far into people’s personal ...
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Case StudiesEquilibrium provides care packages and meditation classes to boost employee morale
In a staff survey in April 2020, an overwhelming number of people who work for Equilibrium Financial Planning (92%) feel that the business is ‘nailing it’ when it comes to supporting and engaging them through the pandemic.The wealth management firm's managing partner, Gaynor Rigby, feels the organisation has succeeded because ...
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AnalysisHow will the Covid-19 pandemic change the employer/employee relationship in the future?
Need to know: While the Covid-19 pandemic posed many immediate challenges to employers, many have risen to the challenge, finding creative new ways to make sure staff stay physically and mentally well.There are a number of steps employers can take now to prevent an us-and-them culture existing after furlough.Flexible working ...
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AnalysisHow to ensure employees share in business success
Need to know:Involving employees in the growth and success of a business not only affects the bottom line, but can build engagement and loyalty, forming the basis of a positive culture.Share schemes and employee ownership models are one method of aligning employees directly with business results.Recognition schemes can also encourage ...
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Case StudiesAussie Man and Van uses share schemes to engage employees with business growth
London-based removals firm Aussie Man and Van has been running a share scheme since 2004. At present, 30 members of staff are either shareholders or option-holders, representing 70% total equity.Charles Rickards, finance and marketing director at Aussie Man and Van, says: “We think involving key members of the business in ...
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AnalysisHow should employers position Christmas rewards and incentives?
Need to know: As employees become more concerned about health, social responsibility and the environment, Christmas rewards are changing and adapting accordingly.Sustainable options include e-vouchers, experiences and paid time off; while volunteering leave can cover both wellbeing and social responsibility.Rather than encouraging staff to drink and eat more during this ...
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Case StudiesEvolved Search takes all employees to Amsterdam for Christmas treat
Evolved Search, an SEO and content marketing agency with 31 members of staff, replaced the traditional office party with an adventure in Amsterdam for the 2018 festive celebration.The idea originally came about as a way to please everyone, taking into account that some of Evolved's employees are teetotal, some are ...
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Case StudiesNationwide uses matching contributions to encourage employees to save more
Nationwide Building Society's 18,000 employees benefit from generous minimum pension contributions; they save 4% of their salary into their pension pot, while their employer adds a further 13%.To encourage positive spending habits even further, however, the organisation also offers to match employees’ contributions if they save over and above this ...