All articles by Nick Golding – Page 3
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Analysis
How to keep final salary plans open
As many employers are closing final salary plans due to costs, Nick Golding looks at ways to retain them†With the majority of defined benefit (DB) pension schemes now either fully or partly closed to employees, the previously-generous benefit is fast becoming the stuff of legends.Just how much the benefit has ...
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Article
Grimsby Institute offers health checks for men
The Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education has linked up with its local primary care trust (PCT) to offer male employees, who are often reluctant to consult a doctor, onsite health assessments.This month, the institute is running two health assessment sessions per week across its two major sites for ...
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Article
BSkyB launches online total reward statements
BSKYB is launching total reward statements for the first time at the end of March, to enable staff to see the value of all their benefits in one place.The statements will be made available online for all the media company's 15,000 employees, but field-based staff who have limited access to ...
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Article
Atkins' senior managers to receive global statements
Atkins is planning to roll out online total reward statements to senior management across the globe so they can access details of their benefits package in one place, like their UK colleagues.The construction firm launched online total reward statements for 600 UK-based senior management staff in February. This was the ...
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Analysis
Fuelling salary sacrifice?
As providers launch salary sacrifice around cars with a view to benefiting perk drivers, Nick Golding weighs up if these arrangements could take over from affinity schemes†Affinity, or all-employee car ownership, schemes offer employees the option of purchasing a vehicle at a discounted rate negotiated by their employer. The number ...
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Article
Carillion increases cash allowances
Carillion is increasing the amount of money that employees in its cash allowance car scheme are allocated by up to 20%, and is planning to broaden vehicle choice in its company car scheme, in a bid to improve retention.Members of its cash allowance scheme are being given up to 20% ...
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Article
Vebnet and Watson Wyatt in international partnership
Flexible benefits provider Vebnet, has formed an exclusive international partnership with Watson Wyatt, and will provide on demand, its flex software to the consultancy's Asia-based clients.Watson Wyatt currently covers 14 markets in Asia, and Vebnet already has plans to launch at least six flex plans to clients of the consultant ...
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Article
Employers expected to welcome government's u-turn on flexible working
Employers are expected to welcome the government’s climbdown over extending the right to request flexible working to parents with children aged above six years and employees who do not have children.Business secretary, John Hutton, paved the way for a government u-turn on plans to extend the right to request flexible ...
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Case Studies
Reducing absence at Virgin is not pie in sky
Case study: Reducing absence at Virgin is not pie in skyWhen looking to demonstrate a return on its benefits investment, Virgin Group looked at absence levels, recording these both before and after new healthcare benefits were introduced.One of the new benefits provided was an on-site physiotherapist to help employees deal ...
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Analysis
Shoot for growing returns
In order to secure continued investment in benefits, HR must prove perks' financial return, however, this may be easier said than done, says Nick GoldingSpending money without giving it a second thought is a luxury that only the fortunate few can afford. The rest of us, however, will want to ...
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Article
KPMG gives staff stress tool
KPMG has introduced an online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programme to help employees identify and cope with mental health issues such as stress and depression.The online programme can help employees to determine whether they are suffering from any mental heath illnesses through a series of questions, and offer tips about ...
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Article
Staff survey sees Coors' bosses brew up new perks
Coors Brewers has launched an online voluntary benefits package for its 2,200 UK employees, as the result of feedback from a company-wide employee survey.The survey, called The Big Listen, quizzed employees about the types of benefits they would like to be offered and how the brewer's existing perks could be ...
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Article
Royal Bank of Scotland rolls out flexible benefits globally
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is rolling out its flexible benefits programme globally in a bid to aid recruitment and retention overseas and to offer staff more choice around benefits.The bank's 800 employees in Singapore and its 600 Hong Kong-based staff will be able to take part in the scheme ...
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Analysis
Know grey safety issues
Employees who use their own cars for business journeys are increasingly referred to as the grey fleet, and can carry a large risk if employers don't take steps to ensure their safety, says Nick GoldingThe term 'grey fleet' is one which is often bandied around the fleet industry. Put simply, ...
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Analysis
Weighing up fleet financing options
Impending corporate manslaughter laws add a new layer of complexity for FDs in the sourcing and financing fleets, says Nick GoldingExecutive summary The decision on how to source and finance company cars has crucial tax and employer risk implications that need to be carefully balanced. The most common way that ...
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Article
Aviva launches financial education
Aviva has launched a financial education programme to ensure staff have a good understanding of their financial benefits and to improve take up of these perks. The scheme, which will run until 2009, is also intended to ensure staff have a good overall financial literacy.Up to three sessions will run ...
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Article
Ernst & Young reports increase in take-up of flexible benefits plan
Ernst & Young has recorded an increase in the take-up of its flexible benefits scheme, after changing provider and setting up its own benefits helpdesk in-house.The accountancy firm has seen take-up rise from 66% to 74% since making the change in November. It thinks this could be because employees are ...
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Article
Michelin provides part-funded dental plan
Michelin has started to provide its employees with a part-funded dental plan benefit in a response to spiralling National Health Service (NHS) costs in the UK.The tyre manufacturer reviewed its existing cash plan last year, and ask staff whether a dental plan would be of interest. Although the response from ...
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Article
Revenue clamps down on salary sacrifice on-site meals
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is clamping down on schemes that allow staff to sacrifice salary in exchange for meals provided at their place of work, saving them tax and national insurance (NI) and employers NI.It has sent out letters to various employers and their tax advisers warning them that ...
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Article
Interview with Tim Jones: head of organisation performance at Somerfield
Tim Jones, head of organisation performance at Somerfield, believes gaining experience across a number of HR fields is a major advantage to practitionersDuring his career, Tim Jones has spent time on both sides of the HR fence, having worked in consultancy and in industry as an HR professional. He believes ...