All articles by Nicola Sullivan – Page 54
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Article
VAT concession ends
The government has removed the VAT concession on temporary workers' wages. Critics have said this will increase the cost of hiring temporary workers and add to the unemployment figures. Katja Hall, director of HR policy at the Confederation of British Industry, said: "This is disappointing at a time when businesses ...
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Article
Buyer's guide to self-service systems (April 2009)
Self service HR is helping to reduce administration but must be controlled carefully, says Nicola SullivanWhat are self-service HR systems?Self-service HR systems allow both managers and employees access to a variety of electronic information and data relating to a variety of areas, including pay, holidays, expenses, performance and absence. Such ...
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Article
Aon proposes cuts to employer paid pension contributions
Pension provider Aon has proposed to cut its employer paid pension contributions as part of cost cutting exercise designed to protect the business from the recession.†The firm, which employs just under 5,000 staff members in the UK, has started a two-month consultation on the changes, which it hopes to implement ...
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Analysis
Closing defined benefit schemes to future accrual
Employers that want to close their defined benefit pension schemes to future accruals have a number of hurdles to clear, says Nicola SullivanAccording to the Pensions provision in turbulent times survey of more than 160 trustee and company representatives published by Watson Wyatt in January, more than a quarter of ...
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Analysis
Interview with Tim Jones, chief executive of the Personal Accounts Delivery Association
Tim Jones, chief executive of the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority, is leading Britain towards the 2012 pensions changes. He is confident the scheme will run smoothly, says Nicola SullivanAs chief executive of the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority (Pada), Tim Jones is one of the key people behind making personal accounts ...
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Case Studies
Employer profile: Heinz
A radical change in its employee reward strategy has energised a product development push by food giant Heinz UK and Ireland, says Nicola Sullivan.Foods such as soup and baked beans often come into their own during tough economic times as consumers look for affordable, nutritious staples. Evidence that consumers are ...
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Article
Pension funds sue RBS
Two local authority pension funds are taking legal action against the Royal Bank of Scotland Group to seek compensation for losses on investments they made with the bank. The Merseyside and North Yorkshire pension funds are accusing RBS of not being upfront about the severity of its difficulties before the ...
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Article
Panasonic replaces private medical insurance with healthcare trust
Panasonic has replaced its traditional private medical insurance (PMI) scheme with benefits offered through a healthcare trust. The trust, which will provide health insurance for the electronic firm's 1,300 employees based across three different sites in the UK, operates in an almost identical manner to traditional PMI schemes. However, healthcare ...
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Article
The Pensions Trust appoints new chair
The Pensions Trust has announced the appointment of Lynda Howe as the new chair of its board of directors and Keith Nunn as deputy chair.Howe will replace John Alleston who retired as chair after five years in the post, while Nunn will replace Clive Unitt who has also retired this ...
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Article
Budget predictions suggest high earners will be hit by increases in income tax
The forthcoming budget due to be announced on 22 April is likely to affect higher earners who could be hit by significant increases in income tax according to tax specialists Smith & Williamson.Richard Mannion, national tax director at Smith & Williamson, said higher rate taxpayers, who will already be paying ...
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Article
Employees at Tate & Lyle to receive cycling training
Tate & Lyle will be offering employees that bike to work cycling training and repair services.The sugar supplier has arranged for community organisation Bikeworks to visit its site in Silvertown in East London this Friday to conduct cycling training sessions with staff, as well as service their bikes.Lynsey Corder, HR ...
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Article
John Lewis Partnership offers green perks to staff
The John Lewis Partnership has added environmentally-friendly perks to its voluntary benefits scheme for its 70,000 employees.Staff can now obtain discounts on power generated from renewable sources provided by Green Energy UK. They can also make savings on goods purchased from www.evengreener.com, which sells gardening products, such as composting equipment ...
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Article
Morrisons switches PMI provider
Morrisons has switched provider for its private medical insurance (PMI) scheme.The retailer, which provides PMI cover for its senior managers, has moved to a policy from PruHealth. Under the scheme, senior managers have access to better levels of medical cover and improved health-screening services, offering checks for a wider range ...
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Article
Unisys offers staff financial education
Unisys has held financial education workshops to support staff whose jobs are at risk because of restructuring.During the sessions at the technology firm's sites in Milton Keynes and London, which were provided by JPMorgan Invest, 48 employees were given information on state benefits, and advised on how best to deal ...
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Analysis
Proposed changes to parental leave
Proposed changes to parental leave could result in increased leave and pay for both mothers and fathersOn 30 March, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) unveiled radical proposals, in its Working Better report, to change parental leave .It proposes that parents should each get four months parental leave (mothers ...
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Article
T-Mobile connects drivers with greener, safer cars
T-Mobile has revamped its fleet to improve car safety for drivers and reduce CO2 emissions.The mobile phone network provider has increased the number of smaller, more environmentally friendly cars available to staff through its company car scheme.Models now available include the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and Mini Cooper.In its ...
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Article
Government curbs pay increases for civil servants
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced he will be restricting pay increases for senior civil servants, senior NHS managers and members of the judiciary.The Prime Minister has said these employees will enjoy annual pay rises worth 1.5% †rather than the more generous rises outlined in the Senior Salaries Review Body's ...
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Article
Buck Consultants to rebrand healthcare business
Buck Consultants is to rebrand its healthcare business as Health & Productivity.The new name, which is due to be adopted from April, is designed to reflect developments in the industry, which has seen a growing emphasis on keeping people healthy and not just fixing problems when they arise.Adrian Norris, managing ...
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Article
You at Work launches salary sacrifice package
You at Work has launched a package of tax and national insurance (NI)-efficient benefits designed to provide employers with a cost-neutral way to make employees' net pay go further.The product called Crunch Buster, which incorporates a salary sacrifice element, operates as a self-funding benefits scheme whereby staff make savings on ...
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Article
Peer1 offers bonuses to new recruits who quit their jobs
Web hosting firm Peer1 is offering £1,000 bonuses to new recruits that quit their jobs shortly after starting work as part of efforts to employ the highest-calibre staff.The global firm will be giving a £1,000 cash payout, dubbed the ‘Foxtrot Oscar’ bonus, to all employees who leave within the first ...