All articles by Nicola Sullivan – Page 24
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Interview with Stephen Gambles, head of reward at Alliance Medical
Good communication can be the difference between success and failure for a compensation and benefits professional, says Stephen Gambles, head of reward at Alliance MedicalStephen Gambles, head of reward at Alliance Medical, admits it was a complete fluke that he ended up working in compensation and benefits.After graduating from university, ...
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Towry removes PMI and travel insurance from flex scheme
Financial services firm Towry has removed private medical insurance (PMI) and travel insurance from its flexible benefits scheme.It removed PMI before its annual flex enrolment window this month after rising premiums made it no longer viable to offer through flex. Richard Higginson, head of reward at Towry, said the benefit ...
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PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) to pilot electric cars with London-based staff
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) will pilot electric cars with London-based employees as part of its sustainable travel strategy.The electric cars, which will be made available at the firm's locations in Southwark and Westminster, can be charged onsite and through the Hertz and Source London charging network.In addition to the electric cars, members ...
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Police chiefs help Swat-team officers find love
Finding love and juggling work is hard enough at the best of times, especially for Swat-team officers, who are more likely to come across dangerous criminals than potential love interests in the line of duty.However, police bosses in China have come to the rescue by setting up a matchmaking service. ...
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Post Office workers win two-year pay deal worth 3.8%
Post office workers have secured a two-year pay deal worth 3.8% and an additional £1,000 lump sum payment after voting in favour of strike action.The deal, following negotiations with the Communication Workers Union (CWU), means more than 4,000 staff in Crown post offices will receive a pay rise, which is ...
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Grove Corporate Pensions launches auto-enrolment support service
Grove Corporate Pensions has launched a new auto-enrolment support service which will help employers understand the impact of auto-enrolment.The service will provide employers with information on how auto-enrolment will affect their business, an email-based support service, and updates on regulation relating to the 2012 pension reforms.Ken Tymms, corporate pensions manager ...
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Employers under pressure to deal with 'Blackberry thumb'
As Blackberry use is added to the list of workplace hazards and law firm Robert Jackson tells employers to expect lawsuits from staff seeking compensation, organisations could be under increased pressure to adapt their health and wellbeing packages to cope with sore thumbs.Perhaps employers could provide free physiotherapy sessions dedicated ...
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Budget 2011: Merging of income tax and NI could spell the end of salary sacrifice
Steps taken by the government to merge income tax and national insurance contributions (NICs) could spell the end for salary sacrifice arrangements.Following yesterday's Budget when Chancellor George Osborne confirmed the government's intention to create one overall tax, concerns have been raised that if national insurance (NI) does not exist the ...
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Budget 2011: Discount rate for public service pension contributions to be set at 3%
Chancellor George Osborne has announced that the discount rate for calculating public sector pension contributions will be set at 3% above the consumer price index (CPI).The Budget report stated that the discount rate for calculating unfunded public service pension contribution rates should be based on the long-term expectation of gross ...
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Budget 2011: 50% tax rate for higher earners is only temporary
Chancellor George Osborne has said that the 50% tax rate for high earners will stay put for the moment, but it will be temporary.The tax, introduced by the former Labour government in April 2010, means those that earn more than £150,000 a year pay 50p tax on every pound they ...
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Budget 2011: Changes to state pension age to be brought forward
The government is to bring forward proposals to manage future changes in the state pension age automatically, including the option of a regular independent review of longevity changes.The measure is designed to ensure the costs arising from increased longevity are spread more fairly between generations, with cost savings and improved ...
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Budget 2011: Government to introduce single-tier state pension
Chancellor George Osborne has announced that the government will look to introduce a single-tier state pension worth around £140 a week.The aims behind the proposals, outlined in the Budget report, are to simply the state pension and make it clearer to employees what they will receive from the state.In addition, ...
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Budget 2011: Personal tax allowance to increase by a further £630
The personal allowance for under 65s will be increased by a further £630 in April 2012.This increase, in addition to the £1,000 increase due to come into force from this April, will mean the personal allowance will stand at £8,105 in 2012-13.This year’s personal allowance increase occurs alongside the switch ...
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Aries launches revaluation table for indexation change
Aries Pension and Insurance Systems has devised a revaluation table for pension schemes impacted by the government’s shift from the Retail Price Index (RPI) to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).The firm has produced an RPI Revaluation Table for 2011 using the same underlying calculation method employed by the Department of ...
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Dog owners are willing to take a pay cut to bring their pooch to work
The phrase ‘it’s a dogs life’ could easily be applied to the working world, especially towards the end of the financial year – a frenetic time for most businesses and their employees.However, organisations that adopt a dog-friendly policy could reduce the cost of their salary bill after research from Maris ...
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Pay cuts set to be given to poor performing public sector bosses
Senior public sector staff face having their pay cut if they fail to meet performance targets, a review of executive pay has recommended.Will Hutton, economist and head of the Work Foundation, who was asked by the government to review executive pay among public sector workers, has proposed that senior public ...
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Alexander Forbes research: DC pension members are not saving enough
Employees in the private sector who are saving into a defined contribution (DC) pension scheme need to pay in much more to avoid poverty in retirement, according to research conducted by Alexander Forbes.The Alexander Forbes National Pension Index showed that in Britain the average employee in such schemes has lost ...
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Employee Benefits Pensions Summit 2011: RSA Group engages employees with DC pension
After closing its hybrid defined contribution (DC) scheme in 2006 the RSA Group took a number of measures, including auto-enrolment, to maximise the take up of its replacement stakeholder pension.Jerry Gandhi, group pensions director at the RSA Group, told delegates attending the Employee Benefits Pensions Summit 2011, held at the ...
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Employee Benefits Pensions Summit 2011: Auto-enrolment to see 2.5 million staff join plans
Out of the 7 million additional people expected to start saving for a pension following the introduction of auto-enrolment 2.5 million will belong to an existing workplace scheme.David Haigh, head of workplace pensions reform at the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) quoted to these figures to delegates at the ...
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Nasa uses Star Trek music to wake astronauts
The importance of workplace environment – as a key part of an employee’s total reward package – has not escaped Nasa.The international space station uses the Star Trek theme tune as wake-up music for astronauts on board its shuttle Discovery.This means, during their 13-day trip, at 2.23am each day six ...