All Opinion articles – Page 35
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OpinionTim Reay: A global benefits strategy can complement state provisions
What is taken for granted in one country may not be provided by the state in another, and one important role employers play is to support staff by filling in the gaps in the local state employee benefit provisions.The most well-known example, and one of the most costly ones for ...
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OpinionTony Britton: Important questions when choosing a master trust
Since the introduction of master trust authorisation (MTA) earlier this year, every workplace master trust must be formally approved by The Pensions Regulator (TPR). It is a robust process that sets high standards and requires master trusts to keep them there.However, it does not mean that all approved master trusts ...
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OpinionSteven Day: Creating a carbon conscious business culture
Last month, Pure Planet did something that, as far as we know, no other business in the UK has ever done: gave all staff a carbon-free commute to and from work.We achieved this by carbon offsetting every one of our 80 staff members’ individual journeys, saving 480 metric tonnes of ...
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OpinionAnne-Marie Winton: Higher fines and tougher penalties following the Pensions Bill
Now that the general election campaign is upon us, October's Queen’s Speech is all but forgotten, but, should the Conservatives win a majority, one piece of draft legislation with a far-reaching impact seems set to become law early in 2020: the Pension Schemes Bill.The principal objectives of this bill are ...
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OpinionSally Orton: Protecting the mental health of staff in the construction industry
At surface repair and restoration organisation Plastic Surgeon, employee-focused initiatives are at the heart of our organisational culture, to ensure all staff are aware of the various methods of help available to them, both during and outside of work hours.Our philosophy is to support employees without them feeling like they ...
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OpinionPhilomena Price: Employment law changes to watch out for from April 2020
April 2020 sees some key changes coming into force that employers need to be aware of. As with any employment law matter, it is beneficial if employers start thinking about how these changes may affect their businesses now, and plan accordingly, rather than waiting.First, all workers, including employees starting work ...
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OpinionKatharine Moxham: Group risk benefits can encourage better health behaviours
The group risk industry has long understood the importance, not only of early interventions, but also of preventative measures and encouraging better health behaviours in the first place. That is why group risk products, such as employer-sponsored life assurance, income protection and critical illness benefits, are focused on so much ...
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OpinionVideo: Social wellbeing in the workplace
Thomsons Online Benefits’ new video sees Jack Curzon, Consulting Director, talk through what social wellbeing is and how employers can support social wellbeing in the workplace with breakfasts, drinks and frequent success celebrations. At a time where flexible working and work-life balance are dominating conversations, employers must ...
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OpinionPhil Spary: Testing times for master trust pension schemes
It is no surprise that considerable emphasis on governance standards and regulatory expectations have continued to be a focus in the minds of those responsible for running master trust pension schemes. Having been taken through a rigorous authorisation process, trustees and their advisers will have considered the suitability of their ...
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OpinionMartha How: The impact of diversity and inclusion on employee experience
An organisation that develops a positive employee experience is well placed to attract and retain talent; its approach to diversity and inclusion is a key component of this. But, to avoid good intentions backfiring, employers must ensure they take a considered approach to implementing diversity and inclusion policies in the ...
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OpinionDaniel Parker: The commuting gap - a long way from equality
Research from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) titled The commuting gap: Men account for 65% of commutes lasting more than an hour, published in November 2018, provides an important insight for employers entering what may be their fourth annual round of gender pay gap reporting.The ONS looked at the ...
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OpinionHelen Ball: What does the future hold for defined contribution pension schemes?
Until the publication of the recent Pension Schemes Bill, confirmed during the Queen's Speech in October 2019, defined contribution (DC) scheme trustees and providers had been suffering from planning blight, namely the reduction of activity due to expected future development. However, we now have some important proposals affecting DC pensions ...
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OpinionMel Duffield: Initiatives to engage younger employees with pensions
For an employee starting out in their 20s, facing higher costs of living, saddled with student debt, and with the prospect of retirement only a distant goal on the horizon, apathy about pension saving, and even opting out of the auto-enrolment process altogether, is not unexpected.However, there are strong indications ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Should workplace fertility support be a statutory right?
Starting a family is typically looked upon as an exciting, joyous time. For many, however, achieving a successful pregnancy will not be straightforward and may follow an extremely stressful period in their lives.According to NHS figures, one in seven couples will have difficulty conceiving. This translates to a significant proportion ...
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OpinionMark Brill: Artificial intelligence and the Wizard of Oz effect
In the last 18 months, a painting created by artificial intelligence (AI) was sold at Christie's for €400,000, a writing bot at tech magazine TNW out-performed its journalist colleagues, and Google announced that it had achieved quantum supremacy in a computation that would have taken a binary computer 10,000 years. ...
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OpinionCarolyn Brown: A new employment status tool is urgently required
Determining employment status can be a minefield for employers, and the risks of getting it wrong are growing.There is currently a three-category system for employment legal status; individuals are employed, self-employed, or have worker status. These determine whether employment rights, like sick leave, paid annual leave, protection from discrimination and ...
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OpinionLarisa Gordan: Pensions buy-ins are an effective way to de-risk part of members' liabilities
A buy-in policy is one way of transferring risk from a pension scheme to an annuity provider, normally an insurance firm. The trustees pay a premium to the insurer and in return receive a regular income which essentially matches the agreed benefits for each member of the scheme.This transaction is ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Committing to change around mental health
This week, 30 well-known organisations including Barclays, E.On UK, John Lewis Partnership, National Grid, Royal Mail, Proctor and Gamble, Santander UK, Unilever UK and Ireland, and Virgin Money, became the first to sign the Mental Health at Work Commitment.The commitment, which was developed by mental health charities in conjunction with ...
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OpinionPaul Sparrow: Employers must be certain of the authenticity of their brand
Employer brands are a dangerous commodity; they can be forgiving of mistakes, or years of work carefully nurturing a brand can be destroyed by a single thoughtless act.Employer branding is the application of marketing-think to human work behaviour, and that carries risk. An employer brand is not a rational, manageable ...
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OpinionJayne Harrison: How to mitigate strike action
Union strikes have a significant impact on business performance and reputation. The walkout by British Airways pilots in September 2019, for example, cost the organisation up to £100 million, affected almost 200,000 passengers and grounded the majority of British Airways' flights around the world. Striking is a type of industrial ...