All articles by Nicola Sullivan – Page 8

  • Article

    Respondents do not understand international healthcare benefits

    2012-03-13T10:29:00Z

    Employers do not always adequately understand international healthcare benefits, according to research conducted by Jelf Employee Benefits.Over two-thirds (69%) of organisations surveyed at Jelf Employee Benefits’ international healthcare seminar said they cannot keep up with the changing international healthcare rules in all the countries employees are based.The research also found:98% ...

  • Article

    Confidence in pensions plummets ahead of auto-enrolment

    2012-03-12T10:30:00Z

    More than half (54%) of employees are not confident in pensions compared to other ways of saving, according to research conducted by the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF).The survey, run by pollsters Populus, also found that a third (33%) of those who are eligible for auto-enrolment will not stay ...

  • Article

    EB Summit: BT employees face potential CGT hit as share price spikes

    2012-03-09T12:42:00Z

    BT faces a challenge of communicating to some employees their potential capital gains tax liability because its share price has increased dramatically since the sharesave scheme launched.The scheme, which is due to mature in August, had an option price three years ago of 68p, compared to the current share price ...

  • Article

    EB Summit: Shadow pensions minister calls for Nest restriction cull

    2012-03-08T15:40:03Z

    Gregg McClymont, shadow pensions minister, has called for restrictions on the National employment savings trust (Nest) to be culled, so it can effectively compete with its rival providers.Addressing delegates at the Employee Benefits Pensions and Workplace Savings Summit 2012 at the Four Seasons hotel in Hampshire, McClymont said that government ...

  • Article

    Public sector staff view benefits as better than in the private sector

    2012-03-07T10:42:00Z

    Around a quarter (24%) of public sector staff believe their benefits are better than those received by their private sector contemporaries, despite this often not being the case, according to research by MetLife Employee Benefits.Meanwhile, 56% of private sector workers believe the public sector offers better employee benefits.However, the research ...

  • Article

    Germany has the biggest gender pay gap in Western Europe

    2012-03-06T11:12:00Z

    The greatest pay-disparity in Western Europe occurs in Germany where women executives are paid 22% less than the total compensation of their male counterparts, according to research by Mercer.This is compared to a gap of 9% in the UK.The research, which analysed the pay of 264,000 senior managers and executives ...

  • Article

    UKRD Group ranked as top employer in The Sunday Times list of 100 best companies to work for

    2012-03-05T11:01:00Z

    Radio station operator UKRD Group has been chosen as the best mid-sized company to work for in The Sunday Times list of 100 best companies for the second year running.The employers listed were commended in a number of different areas, including best for fair pay, and employees that are least ...

  • Analysis

    Engaging and motivating staff in tough times

    2012-03-05T00:00:00Z

    If you read nothing else, read this …Receiving employee benefits continues to be a contributor to employee satisfaction and engagement.Employers need to consider what impact the recession had on the way employees work, and are therefore rewarded and motivated.Ensuring employees are engaged is essential to succeed in the battle ...

  • Case Studies

    Case study: Snowboarding spurs extra effort at IntaPeople

    2012-03-05T00:00:00Z

    Recruitment firm IntaPeople decided to retain the annual team reward for its sales force to get them to go the extra mile in challenging times for the recruitment industry.By closely aligning the reward - a sales conference and snowboarding holiday in France - with the strength of performance shown by ...

  • Article

    Employee Benefits Connect: Hitachi Data Systems takes a global view on benefits

    2012-03-05T00:00:00Z

    Hitachi Data Systems has taken steps to reduce its benefits administration and control costs, improve its international reward offering and ensure employees understand the value of their package.The company has developed a global benefits philosophy to ensure that perks, whether paid by the employee or employer, give the best value ...

  • Article

    Employee Benefits Connect: Expert advice on pension reforms

    2012-03-05T00:00:00Z

    Reward professionals from McDonald's, IBM, NetApp, Telefonica and Microsoft shared their concerns and strategies for auto-enrolment, which begins for the UK's largest employers this year, during a panel debate at the event.Louise Phillips, HR benefits leader at IBM, said: "Something that is simple has become incredibly complex. It will not ...

  • Article

    Unilever opens onsite hair salon for employees

    2012-03-02T11:01:00Z

    Unilever has proven that during these austere times the word ‘cuts’ does not always have negative connotations.The consumer goods supplier has opened a hairdressing salon at its UK and Ireland head office in Leatherhead, Surrey. The salon, stocked with Unilever products, is staffed by two qualified hair stylists, offering employees ...

  • Article

    Aviva to launch auto-enrolment and workplace savings services

    2012-03-02T10:25:34Z

    Aviva is to launch an auto-enrolment service alongside two new workplace savings services in 2012.The pensions provider will offer an online compliance and monitoring tool to help employers manage the regulatory requirements of auto-enrolment with the advantage of being able to do so across multiple provider schemes.When it is launched ...

  • Article

    Mercer completes acquisition of Norwegian pensions firm

    2012-03-01T10:54:50Z

    Mercer has completed its acquisition of Pensjon and Finans, a Norwegian-based financial investment and pension consulting firm.The acquisition was first announced at the end of January.This strengthens Mercer’s position in the provision of pensions and investment advice in the Nordic region and gives employers working with Pensjon and Finans access ...

  • Article

    A third of employees do not have time for a proper lunch break

    2012-03-01T10:27:00Z

    Almost a third of employees (30%) do not have time for a proper lunch break, and instead eat lunch at their desks while working, according to research by Canada Life.More than a quarter (27%) tend to eat at odd times due to the stresses of work, and one in five ...

  • Article

    Steria looks to improve online pensions platform

    2012-03-01T00:00:01Z

    Steria is looking to improve its online pensions platform, to enable staff to view the total value of their defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) benefits.This would help deferred members of the IT-enabled business service provider’s DB scheme, which closed to future accrual in April 2010, get a more ...

  • Article

    Less than half of respondents offer group income protection

    2012-03-01T00:00:01Z

    Less than half (47%) of organisations offer group income protection to their staff, according to research by Jelf Employee Benefits.Conversely, the research found that life assurance was offered by 82% of respondents, even though employees are three times more likely to be off work with a long-term illness than die.Nearly ...

  • Article

    Budget 2012: Changes to capital allowances for company cars

    2012-03-01T00:00:01Z

    Chancellor George Osborne has announced changes affecting the capital allowances that can be claimed on company cars in the Budget report 2012.From April 2013, the carbon dioxide emissions threshold for the main rate of capital allowances for business cars will be reduced from 160g per km to 130g per km ...

  • Article

    FSA publishes proposals to change the way pension transfer values are calculated

    2012-02-29T10:19:44Z

    The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has proposed measures to ensure that pension scheme members considering a pension transfer exercise are given a fair assessment of what they will receive in retirement.In its consultation paper, published 28 February, the FSA said it wanted to ensure that the assumptions advisers use for ...

  • Article

    Less than half of employees in workplace pension in 2011

    2012-02-27T11:25:00Z

    Last year, the proportion of employees who belonged to a workplace pension scheme was below half (48%) for the first time since 1997, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS).The 2011 Annual survey of hours and earnings: summary of pension results also showed that 83% of public sector employees ...