All articles by Nick Martindale – Page 8
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Analysis
Auto-enrolment roundtable: Will reforms succeed?
If you read nothing else, read this …The pension provision offered for auto-enrolment should also serve an employer’s workforce planning strategy and wider business interests.Employers that want to continue using their pension to boost recruitment and retention may have to raise the stakes and make sure their offering stands out ...
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Analysis
Auto-enrolment roundable: Administration
If you read nothing else, read this …Employers may spend a lot of time on the administration created by a small number of staff, such as contract workers.Even employers that already auto-enrol staff may need different processes to comply with the legislation.When auto-enrolling staff, employers could inadvertently breach protections around ...
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Analysis
Preparing for the real-time information programme
If you read nothing else, read this… Employers will be required to send HMRC information about employees’ pay and deductions before, or when, they run their payroll process, rather than at the end of the tax year. Year-end submission of P14s for all staff, a P35 summary and employer declaration, ...
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Analysis
Putting share schemes at the heart of the reward strategy
If you read nothing else, read this… More employers are making use of their company brand to promote share plans to staff. Mirroring the look and feel of external communication materials can help employees to identify with an already-established brand. Using a single brand can help staff in organisations with ...
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Case Studies
Case study: Kingfisher share scheme promotes teamwork
In December 2011, about 2,000 employees at B&Q and Screwfix found themselves with a bit of extra cash before Christmas, after a three-year sharesave scheme reached maturity.The scheme paid out a total of £13.8 million - a gain of £7.4 million - with employees making an average of £3,516.Louise Bentham, ...
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Analysis
Make the most of bikes-for-work schemes
If you read thing else, read this…Bikes-for-work plans have tax and national insurance efficiencies, but take-up can vary between 2% to 20%.Employers can make a scheme more appealing by introducing measures that make it easier to cycle to work, such as bike-parking facilities and onsite showers.Promoting it alongside wider initiatives, ...
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Case Studies
Octopus reaches out for bikes for work take-up
?When Lisa Hamill joined marketing and PR company Octopus Group as HR director two years ago, she set out to revive the firm’s salary sacrifice bikes-for-work scheme.The company started promoting the scheme in March 2011 as the weather improved, using its intranet to explain how it worked and outline the ...
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Analysis
Voluntary benefits: Savings are worth the sacrifice
If you read nothing else, read this . . . Many employers are looking to tax-efficient perks to engage staff in straitened times. Employers must explain the savings potential of tax-efficient benefits to staff. Communication campaigns and year-round enrolment opportunities can boost take-up.†Case study: Efficient step for Foot AnsteyPlymouth-based law ...
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Case Studies
Tax-efficient step for Foot Anstey
Plymouth-based law firm Foot Anstey launched a new benefits package in November 2010 with the aim of offering staff a wide range of benefits as efficiently as possible.Jo Redgrave, head of HR, says: “It was important to be able to do it in a tax-efficient manner, both in saving costs ...
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Analysis
Pension reforms: Clearing the confusion
If you read nothing else, read this . . . Many employers are unprepared for the reforms, including auto-enrolment. Some do not know when they have to comply or how much it is going to cost them. There is still confusion over matters such as the definition of qualifying earnings. ...
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Case Studies
Case study: Metal Assemblies steels workers for pension reforms
Metal Assemblies, a manufacturer of pressed steel components and assemblies for the automotive industry, employs about 120 people and has traditionally operated a stakeholder pension scheme into which it contributed 3% of all employee earnings.In September, the business moved all its existing staff over to the national employment savings trust ...
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Analysis
Health screening: New plans for an older issue
If you read nothing else, read this . . . An ageing workforce will be a big issue for employers over the next few years. Screening can identify conditions at an early stage allowing early treatment. Screening for older workers should not be at the expense of that for younger ...
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Analysis
Health screening: A wider view of wellness
If you read nothing else, read this … Many employers now monitor employee wellness regularly rather than waiting for staff to become ill. How frequently health screening is offered, and to whom, depends on what the employer wants to achieve. Screening can identify issues within an organisation’s wellness strategy that ...
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Analysis
Health screening: Get the vital statistics
If you read nothing else, read this … Health screening can provide valuable information about workforce health. Over time, data can help to show a return on investment from health screening. However, an over-reliance on data can be counter-productive.Proving return on investment in health initiatives can be difficult, and a ...
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Analysis
Health screening: Pressure tests to find stress
If you read nothing else, read this . . . Stress can be hard to quantify but it is possible to monitor using blood tests. Another method is tests that measure peoples’ heart rates when relaxed and under pressure.†Stress and mental health issues may be hard to spot among employees, ...
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Analysis
Health screening: Attracting interest
If you read nothing else, read this … Engaging staff with screening is vital to achieve employers’ aims in offering it. Asking staff want they would value can help to boost engagement.Getting employees to take an interest in their own health is an important step in making screening programmes work, ...
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Article
Buyer's guide to bikes-for-work schemes
Key factsWhat are bikes-for-work schemes?These are tax-free loans that can be operated under salary sacrifice. Employers buy the bike for an employee and the amount is deducted in equal instalments from gross salary. Staff make savings off the retail price of a new bike as a result of tax and ...
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Article
Buyer's guide to payroll software
Payroll software can be customised to meet employers' specific needs, but organisations must decide whether to operate it in-house, or partially or fully outsourced, says Nick MartindalePayroll software lies at the heart of any employer's administration and record-keeping system, recording and processing all pay information and the figures needed for ...
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Analysis
Pensions governance: New names for managed funds
If you read nothing else, read this... The Association of British Insurers has changed the names of its managed fund sectors so pension scheme members will better understand the levels of risk associated with their fund choices. Clear descriptions of fund choices will become even more important when employers are ...