All articles by Nick Golding – Page 9
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Article
Adecco consolidates benefits package after merger
Adecco is in the process of consolidating its benefits package for all employees after merging its back office departments in March last year.The recruitment firm, which operates brands such as Computer People and Office Angels, previously offered separate flexible benefits schemes to Adecco employees and those who worked for Ajilon, ...
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Article
HBOS quits worksite marketing
The worksite marketing arm of HBOS, which includes its financial education and voluntary benefits offerings, has ceased to operate.The provider has made a commitment to its existing clients and will honour voluntary benefits contracts until the end of 2007.It will also fulfil its†financial education contracts up until July this year.The ...
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Article
KPMG to buy Oyster cards for staff
Accountancy firm KPMG is to offer its 10,000 employees a London Underground pre-pay Oyster card this month to encourage staff to opt for the tube rather than using environmentally damaging cars and taxis.The firm has revealed that its worst culprits are employees travelling between its Canary Wharf office and the ...
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Article
Brinc hunts new partner after HBOS exits voluntary benefits
Brinc is on the hunt for a new partner following HBOS's decision to close its worksite marketing arm which offers employers voluntary benefits schemes and financial education.The organisation has been providing online portals for bespoke voluntary benefits schemes to clients of HBOS's worksite marketing division and is now looking for ...
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Article
ACFO concern over cuts to Advisory Fuel Rates
The Premier Organisation for Fleet Operators (ACFO) has expressed concern about cuts in the Advisory Fuel Rates (AFR) and is holding meetings with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to discuss its changes.It has warned that company car drivers reimbursed by their employer for business mileage could be out of pocket ...
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Article
Ikea gives bikes as Christmas gifts
Household retail store Ikea has given its 9,000 employees a fold-up bike each, in an attempt to reduce the quantity of harmful gasses that are released into the environment when staff travel to work on buses, trains and in cars.The bikes were presented to staff as a Christmas gift at ...
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Article
First Direct re-issues total reward statements
Online bank First Direct has re-issued its total reward statements to help employees gain a clearer understanding the benefits on offer to them.It is the third time the bank has issued the paper-based statements to its 3,500 staff, and the third time that it has worked with provider Caburn Hope.Julie ...
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Article
Concerns over personal accounts
The system of personal accounts outlined in the pensions white paper on 12 December 2006, does not go far enough to stop employers levelling down existing contribution levels to the proposed minimum.Although good schemes will be awarded with a quality mark, there are concerns that not enough is being done ...
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Article
Bevan Brittan assesses flex
Law firm Bevan Brittan will hold a review meeting at the start of 2007 to assess whether to launch flexible benefits by September.In October, the company introduced a platform called My Benefits, which allows staff to access a voluntary benefits scheme and to view online total reward statements. It also ...
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Article
Landmark age discrimination case
Employers are facing a period of uncertainty over when they can retire staff after the High Court referred a landmark age discrimination challenge to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).The case was brought against the government by Heyday, an organisation backed by Age Concern, which is arguing that the inclusion ...
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Article
Universal Music boosts staff wellbeing
Universal Music has laid out plans to promote health and wellbeing for its 1,000 staff throughout 2007.In January, employees will be asked to take part in a 'Fitbug' scheme, where staff wear pedometers throughout the day. The data that is collected will be loaded into a website which can give ...
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Article
Employers urged to tackle wellbeing
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has published a set of guidelines for employers, which offer advice around keeping employees healthy at work.Although these guidelines also offer advice for local authorities and schools, they target employers by urging them to provide facilities such as parking for cycles and ...
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Article
Rules tightened around alternatively secured pensions
The government is tightening up the rules on alternatively secured pensions (ASP) from April next year, the Chancellor announced in his pre-budget report.There will a be a requirement to withdraw a minimum level of income each year from an ASP fund and the facility to transfer funds remaining on the ...
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Article
Chancellor appoints Sir Digby Jones to boost employee skills
Following the publication of the Leitch Report into training, the Chancellor has announced the appointment of the former director general of the Confederation of British Industry, Sir Digby Jones, to head an initiative to boost skills.He will be tasked with urging employers to offer time off to staff to develop ...
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Case Studies
BT believes in flexible work
Case study: BTTelecommunications firm BT is a great believer in flexible working arrangements, with around 12,000 of its staff working from home and over 10,000 dividing their time between their home and the office.Dave Wilson, head of employment policy at BT, strongly believes that employees are empowered via this flexible ...
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Case Studies
British American Tobacco offers flexible benefits through salary sacrifice
Case study: British American TobaccoBritish American Tobacco (BAT) operates its flexible benefits scheme, Free2, through salary sacrifice. While holiday trading is the most popular benefit on offer, with about 10% of participants buying extra days and another 10% choosing to sell entitlement, the perks package also includes a wine club ...
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Analysis
The future for mobile phones
Key pointsThere remains a certain level of scepticism around the salary sacrifice of mobile phones.The boundaries of what constitutes a mobile phone for tax purposes are not clear as technology evolves and handsets become more complicated.Some employers believe the tax breaks behind such schemes could eventually be scrapped as they ...
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Article
Festive period helps employers to motivate
Employers are introducing additional perks to help motivate staff working through the busy Christmas period.Asda is to offer increased discounts and contributions towards a Christmas lunch to all staff who joined the company before 1 September. For the first time, this year, it will publish details of its Festive Thank ...
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Article
Buyer's guide: Motivation vouchers
The development of e-voucher systems is giving employers a new plank to their motivation strategy, says Nick GoldingArticle in fullMotivation vouchers have managed to withstand the winds of change hardly changing their appearance since they were introduced into the UK in the 1970's.That is until the last couple of years, ...
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Article
Home Retail Group awards shares to staff following float
Following its de-merger from GUS in October and its subsequent flotation on the London Stock Exchange, Home Retail Group has offered its 30,000 staff free shares in the company through a share incentive plan (Sip).Employees in the group, which comprises Argos and Homebase, had a two-week window in October to ...