All articles by Nicola Sullivan – Page 12
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Article
Sainsbury's celebrates 1,000th store by doubling staff discount
Sainsbury’s is celebrating the opening of its 1,000th store by doubling its staff discount from 10% to 20%.Following the opening of its store in Irvine, Ayrshire all 150,000 employees will receive 20% discount between 1 and 4 December.Justin King, chief executive at Sainsbury’s, said: "Opening our 1,000th store is a ...
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Article
Autumn Statement 2011: Call for evidence on the effectiveness of Tupe regulations
Chancellor George Osborne has announced a call for evidence on the effectiveness of Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment (Tupe)) regulations.In the Autumn Statement, Osborne said any proposed changes to the current Tupe regulations, which protect employees’ rights and smooth the process of business restructuring, would be consulted on in ...
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Autumn Statement 2012: Government confirms state pension age will increase to 67
The government will increase the state pension age from to 67 by 2028, in a move it anticipates will save around £60 billion.The increase, which will be made between April 2026 and April 2028, was announced by Chancellor George Osborne during his presentation of the Autumn Statement.The Office of Budget ...
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Autumn Statement 2011: Government cracks down on asset-backed pension arrangements
The government plans to crack down on asset-backed pension contribution arrangements.Delivering the Autumn Statement, Chancellor George Osborne announced that legislation will be introduced in the Finance Bill 2012 to ensure the amount of tax relief given to employers making asset-backed pension contributions to registered pension schemes accurately reflects the amount ...
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Article
Unilever employees to strike over changes to final salary pension scheme
Employees at Unilever in the UK have voted in favour of strike action over the closure of the firm’s final salary scheme.The ballot was organised by unions Unite, GMB and Usdaw. Nearly 85% of Unite members voted for strike action, which is likely to take place across Unilever’s 12 sites ...
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Government reaches agreement with pension funds to finance infrastructure projects
The government has reached an agreement with UK pension funds as part of efforts to unlock up to £20 billion extra in funding for infrastructure projects.The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) and the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) have signed a memorandum of understanding with the government to assist in ...
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Article
EXCLUSIVE: Dairy Crest aims for £30m saving via pension enhanced transfer value
Dairy Crest could cut its final salary pension liabilities by £30 million by offering deferred members an enhanced transfer value (ETV).The dairy food firm has sent out information packs explaining the ETV deal, which will provide deferred members with an enhancement if they transfer into its defined contribution (DC) plan. ...
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Article
EXCLUSIVE: Yazaki increases pension contributions to reward staff
Yazaki has increased pension contributions to reward staff who stood by it during tough times.The firm, which provides electrical distribution systems to the automotive industry, was hit hard during the recession, when many employees agreed to suspend their employer pension contributions and take temporary cuts in salary, to reduce the ...
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EXCLUSIVE: Inmarsat hosts health and wellbeing event
Mobile satellite company Inmarsat held a health and wellbeing event in November, including medical check-ups and massages.The event, at its London head office, enabled staff to see the company doctor to have blood pressure and cholesterol checks. A similar event may be rolled out to staff in Italy, the US ...
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EXCLUSIVE: The Platforum launches corporate platform guide
The fast-growing corporate platform market has been independently assessed for the first time by research consultancy The Platforum.The corporate platform guide, launched this month in association with Employee Benefits, defines a corporate platform and compares the platforms of seven existing players in the life office/fund manager sectors: Fidelity, Friends Life, ...
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EXCLUSIVE: ETF Securities launches corporate wrap
Exchange-traded products provider ETF Securities has launched a corporate wrap account for employees' long-term savings and investments.The wrap, provided by Hargreaves Lansdown, gives staff access to a range of funds and investments, including the firm's own exchange-traded funds, across a range of accounts, including individual savings accounts (Isas) and self-invested ...
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Case Studies
Case study: E.On powers greener travel
Energy firm E.On UK incentivises its staff to choose environmentally friendly modes of transport when travellingto work.Employees who car share, take public transport or cycle to work are rewarded with green travel points, which can be used to obtain discounts on products from a variety of retailers. The scheme is ...
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Case Studies
Case study: HSBC banks on worldwide understanding of climate change
HSBC is taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint, increase efficiency and cut costs by educating staff on climatechange by getting them involved in volunteering.In 2007, HSBC made a five-year commitment to climate change initiatives and continues to work with longstanding partner Earthwatch. In the bank’s Investing in Nature programme, ...
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EXCLUSIVE: Attwaters reduces benefits disparity and increases staff satisfaction in benefits
Attwaters’ 2011 staff survey showed that 60% of respondents were now satisfied with their benefits package, compared with 38% back in 2009.It has made healthcare benefits fairer by introducing employer-funded cash plans for support workers. Previously, only lawyers were given private medical insurance (PMI).Also, all staff can now take advantage ...
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News analysis: Sober thoughts on parties
Christmas parties can boost staff morale and motivation, but employers must be aware of the tax consequences of their spend, says Nicola SullivanIt's Christmas party time again, and although many employers will not want to dampen the festive spirit by being overly frugal, they will probably want to keep the ...
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Employees holiday with colleagues
Most of us spend more time with our colleagues than anyone else, and we are increasingly prepared to go onholiday with them too.A study by www.sunshine.co.uk showed that 9% of full-time employees had been abroad with at least one of their work colleagues, and 4% had turned a work-related trip ...
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KPMG research: UK turns corner on corporate tax competitiveness
The UK has turned a corner on its corporate tax competitiveness, according to research by KPMG.The 2011 UK Tax competitiveness survey, which polled 50 large UK organisations, claimed that the improvement is driven by reforms to the taxation of foreign profits and the government’s commitment to making the UK tax ...
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ONS research: Gender pay gap falls below 10%
The gender pay gap has fallen below 10% for the first time since records began, according to data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).In April 2011, the gap between men and women’s median full-time hourly earnings, excluding overtime, stood at 9.1%, compared to 10.1% for the same period ...
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EXCLUSIVE: United Health Group struggles to get market data on 2012 pension reforms
United Health Group is struggling to get market data on what steps its competitors are taking to comply with the 2012 pension reforms.The healthcare benefits and services firm’s strategy on how to adopt the changes, including auto-enrolment, for its UK employees will be influenced by the approach taken by others ...