News – Page 81

  • Article

    Commission payment errors cost employers millions

    2008-12-15T10:23:41Z

    Poorly-managed commission schemes can lose employers millions of pounds each year.According to research carried out by market research firm Vanson Bourne on behalf of consultancy OpenSymmetry, 24% of the 153 UK sales directors surveyed said they regularly see errors of more than 10% of the total amount of commission paid. ...

  • Article

    Kingfisher Gift Vouchers temporarily suspends trading

    2008-12-12T12:47:34Z

    Kingfisher Gift Vouchers (KGV) has temporarily suspended trading following talks over the future of scheme-member Woolworths.Woolworths shares were suspended on 26 November. KGV also runs Comet and B&Qs voucher schemes.Employees who hold the vouchers under workplace motivation and reward schemes have been encouraged to redeem them while they can.John Sylvester, ...

  • Article

    HML targets instant reward scheme at younger staff

    2008-12-01T11:33:00Z

    HML is launching a motivation scheme that enables managers to reward employees with a sum equivalent to cash that can be spent online at selected retailers and leisure providers.The scheme is designed to engage younger staff at the company, which services third-party mortgages.The instant reward is credited to an online ...

  • Article

    Compass Group launches staff recognition programme

    2008-12-01T11:25:00Z

    Compass Group UK & Ireland is launching an employee recognition programme through which staff can nominate a colleague or themselves for an award for meeting key values.The Be a Compass Star initiative, which rewards staff for demonstrating integrity, teamwork, passion, responsibility and a can-do attitude, follows a 13% rise in ...

  • Article

    Asda offers Christmas perks to staff

    2008-11-01T18:02:39Z

    Asda is to launch festive instant reward scratch cards to boost employee morale and motivation during the Christmas period.The scheme, called 'Thanks for going the extra mile', will allow line managers to nominate members of Asda's 4,500 store-based workforce to receive a card which, when scratched, will reveal a prize. ...

  • Article

    Richard Tyler, compensation, benefits and HRIS manager at Alcatel-Lucent: Benefits play key role in successful mergers

    2008-10-01T11:14:44Z

    Companies have long used mergers and acquisitions (M&A) as a way of strengthening their market position, increasing their global footprint and, or, bringing together the talent and resources of employees in order to challenge competitors. One of the most important aspects of any M&A activity is to ensure all staff ...

  • Article

    Employee Benefits Live: Creating a positive environment crucial in a downturn

    2008-10-01T10:00:50Z

    Employers have been warned that the current economic turmoil made it more important than ever to create a positive working environment built on trust otherwise they will risk loosing key talent once the downturn is over.Speaking at Employee Benefits Live, Judith Leary-Joyce, chief executive of Great Companies Consulting, told delegates ...

  • Article

    Responsibletravel.com launches ethical travel vouchers

    2008-09-22T16:15:01Z

    Ethical online travel company responsibletravel.com has launched a corporate voucher scheme to enable employers to offer staff discounts on ethical holidays.The bespoke travel vouchers, which start from £50, are designed to suit a range of employee benefit schemes, long service incentives, performance based rewards. Employers can brand e-vouchers for staff ...

  • Article

    Linking incentive schemes with business strategy

    2008-09-01T15:46:34Z

    Linking incentive schemes with business strategy can prove highly effective in boosting employee motivation levels, says Sarah ColesIn the early 1990s, US-based Continental Airlines had a real image problem: years of cost-cutting had left employees often demotivated, and flights were frequently late or cancelled. The company decided that it needed ...

  • Article

    Interview with Adrian Furnham, professor in psychology at the University of London

    2008-09-01T15:42:11Z

    Adrian Furnham, a professor in psychology, believes that an effective motivation strategy should have clear targets, offer valued incentives and be linked to performance, says Amanda WilkinsonThrowing money at a problem does not always help to solve the underlying issue. When it comes to motivating employees, that is certainly the ...

  • Article

    Yell launches structured long-service programme

    2008-09-01T13:41:18Z

    Yell has introduced a structured long-service awards programme that uses experience days and gifts to reward staff, in a consistant manner, for their loyalty to the company.Employees will be entitled to receive gifts and experiences at the end of each five-year period they have worked for the company, up to ...

  • Article

    Maintain morale in a downturn

    2008-08-21T15:51:29Z

    As many employers look to make cost savings, it is still important to reward valued staff as their morale is vital to businesses' long-term prospects, says Nicola SullivanDuring periods of economic instability many employers will be keeping a close eye on benefits expenditure, looking for ways they can control or ...

  • Article

    Chinese employers give staff tickets to the Olympic Games

    2008-08-13T09:19:30Z

    Chinese employers are motivating their employees by giving them tickets to the Olympic Games.Staff are offered tickets in order to act as 'volunteer' fans and fill empty seats at the competition. Every employee is given training on how to act while watching the sporting events, for example, applauding for both ...

  • Article

    Sainsbury's launches gift cards

    2008-08-03T23:00:00Z

    Sainsbury's has launched a gift card with cash values of between £1 and £2,000 that employers can use to reward and motivate staff. The gift card gives access to 30,000 products across Sainsbury's stores, coffee shops and petrol stations. Employers can top up the cards with cash by contacting Sainsbury's ...

  • Article

    Coast & Country launches voluntary benefits to motivate staff

    2008-08-03T23:00:00Z

    Coast & Country has launched a voluntary benefits scheme that it will use to provide non-cash incentives to staff.The housing association's scheme offers its employees discounts with various retail, leisure and travel suppliers, and on experience days.Staff who carry out a part of their job to an exceptional standard will ...

  • Article

    Smiths Group considers new executive incentive plan

    2008-07-28T11:46:07Z

    The Smith Group is considering freezing the salaries of senior staff and offering them shares in the company for successfully overcoming challenges.Under the engineering firm's new remuneration scheme, proposed by chief executive Philip Bowman, executive directors would not receive pay rises for a period of two years and would no ...

  • Article

    Bupa gives staff time to volunteer

    2008-07-10T13:20:28Z

    Bupa is to give employees time during working hours to volunteer at charities close to its main call centres in Staines and Manchester.Employees will be able to choose from more than 100 projects including refurbishing a respite centre, repairing broken fences and gardens at a school and revamping a Mencap ...

  • Article

    Non-monetary rewards make workers more likely to stay

    2008-07-03T23:00:00Z

    Employers that offer their employees non-monetary rewards should achieve higher rates of retention than those that do not.A survey of 1,000 employees by GfK NOP found that a higher percentage of staff planning to quit their jobs within the year work for line managers who do not provide non-monetary rewards ...

  • Article

    Vodafone extends NVQ programme for retail staff

    2008-06-17T15:23:00Z

    Vodafone UK has expanded its staff development programme to allow of its 2,200 retail staff to follow a NVQ accredited development scheme enabling them to progress from trainee adviser through to regional manager.The firm launched the scheme to 1,225 retail staff in November 2007 and has now expanded the scheme ...

  • Article

    Is HM Revenue and Customs scrutinising incentive schemes?

    2008-06-01T23:00:00Z

    HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is reviewing the tax paid by employers on incentive schemes, according to an industry insider from a motivation provider.The source told Employee Benefits that HMRC has extended the scope and boosted the frequency of investigations of employers running incentive plans. But, HMRC has denied this.The ...