All articles by Marianne – Page 18
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ArticleFife Council staff to receive equal pay settlements
Over 1,400 female Fife Council workers are to be recompensed for historic equal pay claims, with some cases dating back to 2006.Trade union Unison reached a settlement with Fife Council outside of court that will compensate employees for historic discriminatory pay practices within Fife Council, and will see affected staff ...
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ArticleOundle School completes pension buyout
Oundle School, Northamptonshire, has completed a £5 million bulk purchase annuity transaction with Canada Life and JLT Employee Benefits.The buyout deal, which covers around 150 members of the school’s pension and life assurance plan for non-teaching staff, was secured by JLT Employee Benefits, alongside a trivial commutation exercise.The transaction represents ...
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ArticleHungryhouse launches voluntary benefits scheme
Hungryhouse has introduced a voluntary benefits scheme to reward and engage its UK staff.The takeaway food delivery platform implemented the scheme this month, which includes a variety of benefits such as free spa days, TasteCards, mobile phone insurance, discounted gym memberships, savings on childcare, cinema tickets, groceries and travel.Hungryhouse’s 40 ...
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ArticleEarly intervention reduces absence length by 17 per cent
Early intervention services can reduce the length of long-term sickness absences by 17%, according to research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), commissioned by employee benefits provider Unum.Its Benefits of early intervention report, which is based on estimations of the annual cost of long-term sickness absence to ...
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ArticleHMRC receives reports of 251,000 flexible pension payments
Some 251,000 flexible payments from pensions were made in the six months since the pension freedoms were introduced in April 2015, according to statistics from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).Its Flexible payments from pensions: October 2015 statistical bulletin found that 121,000 flexible pension payments were made in the second quarter ...
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ArticleGovernment consults on pension member-borne commission
The government has launched a consultation into the most effective means of regulating to prevent charges being imposed on members of workplace pension schemes used for automatic enrolment to recover the cost of commission paid to an adviser.This consultation follows the government’s announcement in March 2014 that it intended to ...
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Article88% would take up the offer of a company car
More than three-quarters (88%) of respondents would take up a company car if the option was offered by their employer, according to research by fleet management provider Lex Autolease.Its survey of 501 employees and 249 fleet managers also revealed that 64% of employee respondents that have a company car say ...
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Article41% see an increase in reported mental health problems
More than two-fifths (41%) of employers have seen an increase in reported mental health problems over the last year, according to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), produced in conjunction with Simplyhealth.The annual CIPD/Simplyhealth Absence management survey, which surveyed 578 employers, also found that 28% of ...
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ArticleSerbian factory pays staff in gold
Something for the weekend…A factory in Serbia has paid its 315 members of staff 30 grams of 22-carat gold, the equivalent of around £800.The Zlatara Majdanpek gold production plant is attempting to settle five-months’ worth of salary arrears to its employees by paying them off using the gold. The organisation ...
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ArticleEmployee Benefits - Motivation and Recognition 2015
Read the articles in the Motivation and Recognition 2015 supplement by clicking the links below, or read the online version by using the links to the right under ‘Related articles’ (these articles will go live in stages during October 2015).Motivation and recognition: a round-up of case studies on boosting staff ...
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ArticleHome Retail Group boosts share scheme uptake
EXCLUSIVE: Home Retail Group, which owns retailers Argos (pictured), Habitat and Homebase, has boosted engagement with its employee sharesave scheme by increasing its communications around the benefit.After receiving feedback from its employees, gathered through feedback questionnaires at the point at which staff are invited to join the scheme, Home Retail ...
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ArticleCalifornia acts to bridge gender pay gap
New legislation has been passed in California, USA, to help close the gender pay gap.The California Fair Pay Act was signed into law by Californian governor Jerry Brown to strengthen equal pay legislation in the state. Current law prohibits employers from paying a woman less than a man when they ...
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AnalysisKey strategies to avoid in benefits communication
If you read nothing else, read this…Employers should refrain from using uniform approaches to benefits communication.If employers only communicate using one method, it may negatively impact the take-up and comprehension of benefits.Business jargon and failing to consult staff about preferred communication methods should be avoided.Some 40% of employees say their ...
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Case StudiesCNH Industrial keeps communication simple
CNH Industrial aims to keep communication for its 71,192 staff as simple as possible, to avoid overcomplicating its employee benefits.The agricultural and construction manufacturer held focus groups for employees prior to its September 2013 merger with Fiat Industrial and CNH Global to ensure employees were involved with the design process ...
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ArticleTalarius launches staff recognition portal
Talarius has introduced an employee recognition portal to encourage employee suggestions and reward staff for sharing ideas.The Adult Gaming Centers operator, which owns brands Quicksilver (pictured) and Silvers and Winners, has launched the portal to demonstrate to its 1,000 employees that they could make a genuine difference to the organisation ...
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Article31% attend work with an infectious illness
Almost a third (31%) of employees have gone into their place of work with an infectious illness, according to research by office supply chain Staples.Its survey of 3,000 UK office-based workers also revealed that 61% of respondents cite a heavy workload as the main reason for attending work when sick.The ...
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ArticleEmployee Benefits Live 2015 speaker slides
Where speakers have given approval, we have uploaded the slides for sessions at Employee Benefits Live 2015.We would like to say a huge thank you to all speakers for their inspiration, ideas and input in to Employee Benefits Live 2015.Day 1- 21 September 2015K1- Engaging the workforce of the future ...
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ArticleGovernment to introduce grandparents leave
The government is to introduce paid grandparental leave, Chancellor George Osborne (pictured) announced yesterday (4 October). At the Conservative Party Conference 2015, Osborne highlighted the importance of offering working grandparents paid leave to help take care of their grandchildren. In a tweet, he said: “Grandparents shouldn’t have to choose between ...
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ArticleCoventry City Council supports staff who foster
Coventry City Council has introduced a Fostering Friendly policy designed to support employees who apply to become foster carers.Under the policy, staff who apply to become foster carers, will receive five extra days leave in order to attend necessary meetings, home visits and training sessions as part of the assessment ...
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ArticleLess than a quarter feel in control of their pension
Less than a quarter (23%) of respondents feel in control of their pension, according to research by Hymans Robertson. Its research, which surveyed 2,078 people, also found that 68% said fewer changes to the pension system would encourage them to save more.The research also found:64% of respondents do not know ...