All Opinion articles – Page 15
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OpinionAnita North: Delay to Employment Bill is a blow to thousands of workers
In 2019, the Conservative Party stated in its election manifesto that it would “encourage flexible working and consult on making it the default unless employers had good reasons not to.” This came after public anger in relation to poor working conditions in UK factories and warehouses.These changes were wrapped up ...
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OpinionPhil Crowe: How the war in Ukraine highlights the value of employee benefits
When Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the world looked on in shock and wondered how this would reverberate around the globe. An important issue facing employers right now is how to best support employees who are directly affected by the war, whether they have family in Ukraine, or whether ...
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OpinionNorman Dreger: Creating a globally consistent employee experience
Employee benefits are a critical part of any HR strategy, empowering businesses to attract and retain top talent while supporting their people during the moments that matter. Although the global workforce has been forced to cope with unprecedented change in the past few years, this can be a unifying experience ...
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OpinionKate Bishop: How technology improves benefits delivery
If you turned the clock back two decades, the employee benefits technology portfolio would have been much more limited than it is today, with employees informed of offers via notice-boards or generic emails. There was little flexibility, personalisation or two-way engagement.Today, that has all changing. A survey carried out by ...
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OpinionCharlotte Clewes?Boyne: The consultation on the draft pensions dashboard regulations
The pensions dashboards project, spearheaded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is gaining pace, designed to give people more control over their pensions. The cost of building the central infrastructure will be borne by the government, but there will also be a cost to employers. It is worth ...
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OpinionKatherine Chapman: As costs rise, how can pay strategies help employees make ends meet?
We are living in unprecedented times, with inflation at a record high and spiralling energy and food bills. The worst income squeeze on record lies before us and no one will feel it more sharply than the nearly five million people in low-paid and insecure jobs, already struggling to meet ...
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OpinionDaniela Silcock: Why master trusts have become the pension destination of choice
Master trusts have come into their own over the past 10 years. From a niche arrangement pre-automatic enrolment, master trusts have become the pension scheme type into which 84% of employees are enrolled.Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) modelling expects that out of around 15 million active defined contribution (DC) pension savers ...
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OpinionAndrea London: Attitude change needed to address ageism at work
With hybrid working models quickly becoming 'the norm' and the constant requirement instead for online productivity, virtual working and remote meetings or presentations, is our older generation cognisant of technological advances, and are they able to keep up?We seem to be noting an increased polarisation of the labour market in ...
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OpinionMichelle Last: Supporting employees through fertility treatment in the workplace
Employees will often face physical and mental issues associated with their fertility journey, which can impact workplace performance, conduct, relationships and job satisfaction. How can employers support employees receiving fertility treatment?Having a written policy dealing with potential fertility issues in the workplace undoubtedly gives an employer the opportunity to show ...
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OpinionSusie Al-Qassab: Employers can take steps to eliminate gender inequality in the workplace
When the UK government commissioned the workplace and gender equality research in order to review whether policies in the workplace were family friendly and in support of the progression of women, it was identified that the main barriers were tensions between working and caring for a family, negativity surrounding and ...
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OpinionClaire Jose: It is vital that employers support staff financial wellbeing
We all know that happiness comes from within, and it is no different with money happiness. As the cost of living continues to rise, it is more important than ever that businesses turn their attention to their staff to not only provide support for their physical and mental wellbeing, but ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: How is the rising cost of living impacting employees?
Following last week’s damp squib of a Spring Statement, headlines this week have been dominated by how much the cost of living is due to rise yet again from today (1 April). With the price of gas, electricity and council tax all set to rise, along with an increase in ...
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OpinionLee McIntyre-Hamilton: How the Spring Statement 2022 will affect employers and employees
The Chancellor’s Spring Statement has been met with much criticism since it was delivered on 23 March, not least from employers.Those who were hoping for a delay to the national insurance contributions (NIC) increases will have been disappointed, as the rise of 1.25% from 6 April is going ahead. While ...
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OpinionAndrea London: Is there is a real risk of ageism in our hybrid future?
New hybrid working models are quickly becoming the norm, with their constant requirement for online productivity, virtual working and remote meetings/presentations. However, are our older generation cognisant of these technological advances and are they able to keep up?We seem to be noting an increased polarisation of the labour market in ...
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OpinionDavid Phillips: Money talks, but employees care about more than just salary
Attracting and retaining talent in a post-pandemic world is proving challenging for employers, with a rising cost of living, increases in national insurance and a surge in fuel prices leading many workers to seek new roles in pursuit of higher pay.In City & Guilds’ Great Jobs research, published in February ...
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OpinionJames de le Vingne: Why should employers consider employee ownership?
When we talk about the why of becoming employee-owned, at the Employee Ownership Association (EOA) we often use the analogy ‘who washes a hire car’?There is a mental change that happens when you own something. It drives behaviours that relate to what needs to be done rather than what you ...
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OpinionRebecca Berry and Sarah Taylor: Living with Covid raises questions for employers
The change in emphasis of the Government’s Living with Covid guidance raises many questions for employers; what does the lifting of the legal requirement to self-isolate for those who test positive for Covid-19 mean for employers? How should employers implement the guidance that those who test positive for Covid-19 should ...
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OpinionMichelle Terry: Employers can do more to tackle the stigma of discussing mental health
Over the course of the last two years, the global Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has had a massive impact on every aspect of our lives, including the way we work. Long-term disruption to normal routines, and challenges caused by the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic itself, has left many of us feeling exhausted, ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Judging excellence
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of judging this year’s Employee Benefits Awards. This is always a part of my job that I really enjoy. Call me nosy, but I find it fascinating seeing what organisations have put in place for their staff and the strategies behind these.This was ...
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OpinionTim Middleton: Employers can provide constructive support for early retirement
During the heyday of the final salary pension scheme about 40 years ago, early retirement was a common phenomenon. Early retirement was typically triggered by redundancy. An employer would augment an employee’s pension entitlement, and paid employment would come to an abrupt, if not unwelcome, end from the age of ...