All articles by Nick Martindale – Page 5
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AnalysisHow can employers' ensure their benefits strategies are future proofed?
Need to know:Future-proofing a benefits strategy needs to take into account an organisation's wider business goals, macro-economic trends and legislation.Benefits technology needs to be factored into any strategy, including the potential for artificial intelligence.Any strategy needs to be adaptable and able to react to changing needs and circumstances.It is a ...
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Case StudiesAshford Borough Council reforms benefits strategy to meet future business challenges
When Ashford Borough Council took the decision to overhaul its benefits strategy in 2011, one of its key motivations was to create a system that would help it attract and retain talent at a time when the public sector was not seen as an attractive destination.Susanna Aiano, personnel projects and ...
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Case StudiesMerseyrail engages employees with new benefits portal
Train operator Merseyrail offers a wide range of benefits for its employees, but a combination of low awareness levels, disparate technology systems and a highly mobile workforce meant only around 100 of more than 700 staff actually used the scheme.Andrew Parry, head of engagement and reward, says: “Our offering was ...
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AnalysisCan flexible benefits technology improve employees’ engagement with their benefits?
Need to know:Technology is helping organisations to engage employees with flexible benefits.Easier access, more effective communication and better reporting means employees are more likely to engage with schemes.The use of mobile devices has helped to encourage staff to access systems while at home or on the move.Any employer investing significant ...
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AnalysisHow can data from benefits technology be used to inform a reward strategy?
Need to knowEffective analysis of benefits data can help ensure packages are meeting the needs of employees.This can help businesses benchmark themselves against peers or competitors.Data can be used to tweak reward strategy in line with specific organisational priorities.The old phrase ‘knowledge is power’ was not designed for employee benefits ...
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Case StudiesArrow Global draws on data to shape its reward and benefits strategy
Debt management business Arrow Global has made use of three data sources to try to perfect the right mix of benefits for its staff: its online flexible benefits package provided by Aon Employee Benefits, a national pay and benefits survey in late 2015, and an organisation-wide engagement survey in mid-2016.The ...
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AnalysisCan quick wins create lasting employee engagement?
Need to knowOffering ‘quick wins’ can deliver an immediate impact on employee morale and engagement.Possible initiatives include relaxing an organisation's rules, free lunches or additional days off.In the longer-term, it is important to look at the overall employee experience to deliver lasting benefits.Many organisations facing a drop in morale or ...
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Case StudiesLeonard Design engages employees with working environment initiatives
Architectural firm Leonard Design offers a range of low-cost perks to its 80 employees, based around improving their working lives. John Morgan, director, says: “We spend a lot of time in the office so these should be fun, engaging and interesting places.”Each Leonard Design employee is given £100 a year ...
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AnalysisHow can employers use technology to engage employees with their health and wellbeing?
Need to know:The use of technology is helping employers to engage staff in health and wellbeing initiatives.Wearables can help track an individual’s health as well as their activity.Other apps can help offer advice around wellbeing, and access to medical support.Technology is playing an increasingly prominent role in helping employers to ...
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Case StudiesThe Wellcome Trust uses app to engage staff with physical activity
Photo: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome ImagesMedical research charity The Wellcome Trust has a large nine-storey building, as well as two floors below ground, at its main office in Euston, London.The charity has a wellbeing group that meets regularly to discuss how to improve the health of staff, which suggested encouraging ...
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Case StudiesWild Card Brewery sees the value in going beyond the minimum
Walthamstow-based micro-brewery and bar Wild Card Brewery decided to pay its staff the London living wage, as determined by the Living Wage Foundation, when the business was first set up in 2012. Andrew Birkby, one of the firm’s founders, says: “The national living wage that employers are now required to ...
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ArticleHow to future proof a reward strategy in light of changing pay regulations
Need to knowNew legislation on the horizon could increase pay bills in certain sectors.Changes to salary sacrifice arrangements could also impact the benefits mix.Reward professionals need to communicate with employees, the wider business and government.This year will see a raft of pay and benefits-related initiatives come into force or appear ...
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ArticleA step-by-step guide to default investment fund reviews
Need to know: Default investment funds are now the norm, and should be regularly reviewed to help ensure they remain fit for purpose and comply with regulation.Any review should factor in the profile of the workforce, attitude to risk and likely retirement plans.Communicating the findings of a review can help ...
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AnalysisWhat is involved in a benefits feasibility study?
Need to know:Benefit professionals need to conduct feasibility studies to assess the implications of new benefit options.Cost, tax and legal issues should be considered.Consultants, providers and advisers can all provide information.Speaking to employees is also a good idea.Any employer looking to introduce a new benefits package will need to build ...
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Case StudiesDental cover gives BNP Paribas a competitive edge
Working in a competitive sector, financial organisation BNP Paribas UK knows it needs to have a compelling benefits proposition to compete for and retain talent.The organisation offers employer-paid private medical insurance (PMI) to all employees and their families, and has adopted a similar approach to dental cover. Thomas Hiles, group ...
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AnalysisWhat oral health can reveal about an employee's health and wellbeing
Need to knowRegular dental check-ups can prevent oral health issues but also identify other problems, such as diabetes, heart disease and even mouth cancer.Facilitating access to dental checks can also reduce staff absence levels and engage employees with their health.Employers have been reluctant to fund this but this is slowly ...
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AnalysisHow communication can drive benefits take-up
Driving take-up of any employee benefits package is a perennial challenge for employers; after all, it is no good having a comprehensive scheme if people do not know about it, or understand the value they could potentially get.A good starting point for employers is to make sure they are offering ...
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AnalysisWhat role can management information play in designing benefits strategy?
One of the challenges for HR and benefits professionals can be working out just where they should focus their energy and resources in terms of benefits provision, factoring in what employees want, what is most effective from an engagement and retention perspective, and which elements offer the best return on ...
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AnalysisHow to engage millennials in the workplace
Engaging with millennials is a particular challenge for employers. This age group tends to have very different values to other generations, and the brand of an employer can be an important element in any decisions around both where to work and how long to stay in a position for.Debra Corey, ...
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AnalysisHow to gain value on investment from employee benefits
Just how organisations approach the issue of employee benefits, and the broader topics of engagement, motivation and retention, differs from sector to sector and one employer to another.Alan Ritchie, head of trustee and employer proposition at Standard Life, believes there are fundamentally two types of employer. “There are those which ...