All articles by Nick Golding – Page 10
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Article
Bank of America extends flex into Eire and Canada
Bank of America is to extend its flexible benefits scheme to Canada and Ireland to cover employees and new staff who have joined the group as a result of the takeover of credit card company MBNA last year.The scheme, which was rolled out to all UK employees in September last ...
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Analysis
Measuring employee empowerment can be tricky
Measuring employee empowerment can be a tricky business, but employers that successfully achieve this may have happier staff, lower rates of absence and increased productivity levels, says Nick GoldingArticle in fullEmployee empowerment is created by a loosening of the reins by employers and the passing of trust onto employees. In ...
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Case Studies
Coda replaces pension scheme with salary sacrifice group personal pension plan
Coda, the business software company, replaced its three trustee-based pension schemes with a salary sacrifice group personal pension plan in April 2006 ahead of the company' s demerger with its SciSys division in September. Dave Belmont, group company secretary, said salary sacrifice allowed the company to increase the contributions it ...
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Article
Chancellor may turn on Ecop schemes in pre-budget report
Rules around alternatively secured pensions (ASPs) and employee car ownership plans (Ecops) are predicted to feature in this year's pre-Budget report, due to be delivered on 6 December.Pensions experts predict the government will alter rules around ASPs, which were introduced last April and allow individuals who have not purchased an ...
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Analysis
Vox pop: Industry practioners on staff wellbeing
Nick Golding quizzes a cross section of industry practitioners on the amount of responsibility that employers should take for their employees' wellbeing."It's in an organisation's best interests to promote good health. The role that an employer can usefully play is to assist individuals in accessing any available health and wellbeing ...
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Analysis
Don't run down heavy monitoring
Line managers can be a valuable knowledge base to help curtail long-term absence, as organisations look to trigger points to monitor recovery, says Nick Golding.Article in fullPeriods of genuine long-term sickness absence can be just as much of a problem for employers as bogus short-term absences. Not least because, after ...
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Analysis
A-day changes continue to cause problems
Despite the arrival of new laws to untangle pensions, months after A-Day many employers are still tied up in knots, says Nick Golding.Article in fullPension managers may seem a little more sceptical than usual, as many are still battling to implement a myriad of changes relating to pensions tax simplification ...
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Analysis
Do ECOP schemes promote unsafe car choice?
If you read nothing else, read this ...The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) rates new cars on a range of safety factors, such as seat belt reminders and the seriousness of head injuries sustained in a collision.Restricting an employee car ownership plan (Ecop) driver to a limited range ...
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Article
Aon invests NI savings back into its pension
Aon is to re-invest the National Insurance (NI) savings gained through its salary sacrificed pension arrangement back into the scheme in the form of increased contributions for staff.Employees currently receive employer contributions of between 6 per cent and 12 per cent depending on their age into the defined contribution pension, ...
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Article
Age discrimination delay turmoil
The government's decision to postpone the section of the age discrimination regulations focused on pensions until 1 December could have an adverse effect on employers which have already altered schemes to comply with the legislation.The two months' grace was granted following calls from pensions lawyers and providers who believed that ...
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Article
Age laws may force KPMG to axe perk
KPMG may be forced to scrap its travel insurance benefit through fear that it could breach the new age discrimination regulations.At the time that Employee Benefits went to press, the benefit was available to all employees up to the age of 65 years through the company's flexible benefits scheme, and ...
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Analysis
Feature - Special report: Employment law - Pensions
With many employers reeling from the compliance deadline of A-Day, Nick Golding says May's pensions white paper must get proactive treatmentArticle in fullIt's been a tough year so far for pension managers. If pensions simplification changes in April were not enough to keep them occupied, the white paper on pensions ...
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Analysis
Focus on healthcare: The value of onsite doctors
If employers are prepared to look beyond the seemingly high costs of providing an on-site doctor, there may be a real return on investment, says Nick GoldingIf you read nothing else, read this …The cost of an on-site doctor varies depending on the frequency of visits that they make to ...
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Article
IPC Media launches pilates classes for employees
IPC Media has launched pilates classes and a bikes for work scheme to promote health and wellbeing in the workplace and reduce sickness absence levels among its 2,200 employees. The media company set up the weekly pilates classes in August and hopes to entice at least 30 employees to each ...
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Analysis
Low cost motivation benefits
It is worth thinking through motivation techniques, rather than simply showering staff with unwanted gifts says Nick GoldingCase study: Hugh Symons CommunicationsArticle in fullAlthough thousands of Chelsea Football Club supporters may well disagree, it is generally understood that money can't buy happiness. And although it may be a wonderful experience ...
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Article
Bosses rush to comply on age
Employers are removing core healthcare benefits for employees in order to comply with next month's incoming age discrimination legislation. The Hay Group has axed its annual medical for employees aged over 40, and Elan Computing is no longer offering health screenings to staff over the age of 30 after two ...
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Analysis
Employee Benefits flexible benefits supplement 2006 - Feature: The risks of flex
Flexible benefits schemes carry with them a number of risks which employers are advised to avoid, such as the potential for increased liability if employees perceive that they are losing out due to poor communication, explains Nick GoldingCase study: Mitsubishi UFJ SecuritiesTo get anywhere in life it is generally necessary ...
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Article
Met gives employers mobile-use headache
Employers in London could receive a visit from the police if their company car drivers are caught using a mobile phone at the wheel, under a new scheme devised by the London Metropolitan Police and Transport for London. But some employers claim they are being unfairly treated because there is ...
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Analysis
The right car for high-mileage drivers
There is good reason why popular high-mileage cars tend to come from a limited number of manufacturers, so Nick Golding looks at the trends behind the modelsIf you read nothing else, read this ...Generally, if an employee drives more than 20,000 miles per year they are classed as a high-mileage ...
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Article
Britvic modeller puts staff in driving seat
Britvic has launched an online company car modeller to enable staff to choose the most cost-effective car option. The online system, which was piloted to 15 employees last month, is available to the 850 staff who are eligible for Britvic's user-chooser car scheme via its intranet site. It will enable ...