All articles by Louise Fordham – Page 9
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ArticleDuncan Brown to discuss unequal pay at Employee Benefits Live
Duncan Brown (pictured), head of HR consultancy at the Institute for Employment Studies, will be delivering a keynote presentation on unequal pay at Employee Benefits Live 2015 on 22 September.The session, entitled ‘Addressing unequal pay: opening Pandora’s box’, will discuss the gender pay gap reporting requirements, the details of which ...
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ArticleRival Colour gains living wage accreditation
Printing firm Rival Colour has been accredited as a living wage employer, committing to paying staff the living wage rate of at least £7.85 an hour.The organisation will pay all workers the hourly living wage, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors and suppliers.The living wage is ...
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ArticleParexel accredited for cancer support
Biopharmaceutical firm Parexel, which employs 18,660 staff, has been recognised for the support it provides to staff and their families in detecting cancer and supporting those coping with the disease.Parexel has been accredited as a CEO Gold Standard employer by the US-based CEO Roundtable on Cancer, a non-profit organisation that ...
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Article64% of Londoners use holiday for health appointments
Almost two-thirds (64%) of London-based respondents take a day of annual leave in order to attend health appointments, according to research by healthcare provider Bupa.Its survey of 1,000 workers in London also found that 59% say they are too busy during the working day to make time for health appointments ...
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ArticleFood for thought for employees in space
Something for the weekend…Earlier this summer, the Employee Benefits’ team was drooling over the Michelin-starred fare that Heston Blumenthal was cooking up for British astronaut Major Tim Peake to eat on his six-month mission to the International Space Station.Now NASA has announced that astronauts have successfully grown fresh food in ...
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OpinionInternational retirement plans for a global workforce
Globalised economies rely on an increasingly mobile workforce. A growing number of workers across sectors plan their career abroad. They are less inclined to return home and more likely to relocate.While expatriate employees are a key asset for organisations operating across countries, providing them with adequate benefits can be challenging. ...
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ArticleTotal pay grows by 2.4%
Pay, excluding bonuses, increased by 2.8% in April to June 2015, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS UK labour market, August 2015 report found that total pay, inclusive of bonuses, grew by 2.4% in April to June 2015. This represents a lower rate ...
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ArticleWealth at Work in management buyout
Equistone Partners Europe has completed a management buyout of financial education and wealth management provider Wealth at Work.The £50 million buyout from Palatine Private Equity means that Equistone has a majority stake in Wealth at Work.Palatine retains a minority stake in the financial services firm, alongside Equistone and the management ...
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ArticlePB Design launches employee ownership trust
Standby power supply firm PB Design has become 100% employee-owned after transitioning to an employee-ownership trust model.PB Design Employee Trustee, the trustee of the PB Design Employee Ownership Trust, which was advised by law firm Fieldfisher, acquired all the shares in the organisation in July 2015. The move to employee ...
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ArticleJust Retirement and Partnership Assurance to merge
Just Retirement Group and Partnership Assurance Group are to merge to create JRP Group.The boards of the two annuity providers have agreed on the terms of a recommended all-share merger. Just Retirement shareholders would own a 60% stake in JRP Group, with Partnership Assurance owning the remaining 40%.In addition to ...
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ArticleBalfour Beatty moves staff eyecare online
Infrastructure group Balfour Beatty has moved its employee eyecare benefits online with the introduction of e-vouchers. Over 1,000 employees have access to these vouchers, provided by Specsavers Corporate Eyecare, which cover safety eyewear, sight tests, driver eyecare and DSE eyecare.The vouchers can be purchased and distributed electronically via the new ...
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Article46% say employers have a duty of care to staff health
Less than half (46%) of respondents believe employers have a duty of care to the health of their staff, down from 95% in 2009, according to research by leadership development firm Morgan Redwood.Of the 250 respondents to its Wellbeing and business performance report 83% believe that business performance and employee ...
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ArticleEmployers anticipate median pay award of 2%
Excluding bonuses, respondents planning a pay review over the year to June 2016 expect to give a median pay award of 2%, according to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).Its quarterly Labour market outlook report, which surveyed 931 employers, also found that one in five plan ...
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Article
10: Top tweets in the run-up to Employee Benefits Live
?@duncanbHR: Resolving unequal pay, addressing gender pay gaps – Duncan Brown @EmploymtStudies at Employee Benefits Live next month bit.ly/1TQtI3J@AonBenefits: We’re exhibiting @EB_Live as the headline sponsor at Olympia National, London, 21 & 22 Sept. Register now: bit.ly/1MKpxWV@Benefex_UK: Employee Benefits Live is fast approaching. Have you registered for your ticket? buff.ly/1Ktz9pj ...
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ArticleGovernment to end union fee payments
The government plans to end state-run trade union subscription payments for all public sector workers.Under the current employer-administered process, known as ‘check off’, subscriptions are taken directly from the salaries of public sector employees that are union members.Following the removal of this practice, staff will instead pay union subscriptions by ...
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ArticleTop 10 most read stories this week
The top ten most read stories on employeebenefits.co.uk between 30 July and 5 August:1. 82% have a staff travel policy.2. CEO rewards staff with £17m bonus.3. Netflix introduces unlimited maternity and paternity leave.4. BT staff to receive £265m through share schemes.5. Reward Gateway to share £6.5m among staff.6. Government launches ...
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ArticleCourt rules travel expenses are subject to tax
Reed Employment has lost an appeal against HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), in which it contested up to £158 million in tax payments relating to travel expenses for the temporary workers it employed.The case covers the period between 2001 and 2006 when the employment agency aimed to make non-taxable payments ...
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Article34% too tired from work to enjoy life outside of it
Over a third (34%) of respondents are too tired to enjoy life outside of work as a result of their job, according to research by communications consultancy Lansons.Its Britain at work report, which is based on two surveys conducted by Opinium with 2,003 and 2,008 UK employees, found that this ...
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OpinionShaun Davis: How can employers provide support for mental wellbeing?
Having the right support to maintain positive mental health, and feeling confident to talk openly about the issue is critical for our wellbeing.On behalf of Business in the Community’s Wellbeing at Work movement, I recently hosted a discussion with former cabinet secretary Lord Gus O’Donnell considering the steps that employers ...
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ArticleApetito commits to living wage
Food producer for the health and social care sector, Apetito UK, has committed to ensuring that all of its 1,100 employees receive the living wage or higher from early 2016. At present, 82% of the organsiation’s workforce earns the hourly living wage of £7.85 or above, including all staff at ...