Opinion – Page 8
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OpinionMichael Rose: How employers can create an integrated reward strategy to support business goals
When I think about an integrated reward strategy, the first thing that comes to mind is the differences between the parts of reward. They all cost money but they do different things. So, for example, death-in-service benefits do something very different and carry different messages to a cash incentive plan. ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Is your workforce fit for the future?
What does the future workforce look like in your organisation?Is it likely to be more diverse than ever, with up to five generations now present in many workforces? Is it likely to include more millennials than ever, with the new expectations that they bring? Or will it comprise older employees ...
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OpinionDuncan Brown: Reward strategies must bring value to both employers and employees
‘We don’t have a reward strategy anymore’, a well-respected benefits director told me about this time last year. ‘We wait to hear what the Chancellor says in the Budget’. Certainly in this current highly uncertain, volatile, pre-Brexit period, with record low levels of unemployment and widespread skill shortages, and increasing ...
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OpinionPatrick Woodman: Creating an attractive workplace culture must become a strategic priority
In December 2017, Glassdoor announced its 50 Best Places to Work 2018 based on a survey of hundreds of thousands of employees. The organisations topping the list range from blue-chip FTSE 100s and global technology behemoths, through to regional logistics small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It is a disparate bunch ...
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OpinionClaire Richardson: 2018 is the year for HR to stand out
With productivity firmly in the spotlight in 2018, the next 12 months is a critical time in the world of workforce management and HR. While most businesses will be keen to boost productivity and profitability, this will manifest itself in many different ways. The Workforce Institute Europe has collaborated with ...
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OpinionJoanne Losty: Law firms must embrace flexible working to achieve gender parity
Women will not achieve parity with men at a senior partnership level in law firms until 2037, at least according to BPP University Law School’s recent report on the UK’s legal industry, Law firm of the future.This critique extends beyond law firms. Baroness Hale, the first female president of the ...
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OpinionAnt Donaldson: What does 2018 hold for employee benefits?
Every year seems to bring new challenges, so what should we be looking out for in 2018?As always, changing regulations are a key theme. Despite a quiet Budget, the headline change is the increase in minimum pensions auto-enrolment contributions to 5% from April, including 3% from employees, with a further ...
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OpinionEmma Davidson: Corporate social responsibility initiatives can have wider organisational impacts
In the past, corporate social responsibility (CSR) was considered a back-office activity which did not impact employees’ on a day-to-day basis. However research from the Harvard Business Review, published in 2016, indicates that CSR is becoming increasingly important for building and maintaining a loyal and engaged workforce.So how can employers ...
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OpinionLovewell's Logic: When benefits lose their appeal
Last week, I came across an article about a publishing company (in no way related to Employee Benefits) offering its employees the opportunity to purchase an extra day’s holiday over the Christmas period. In itself, this is not unusual. It is a benefit we regularly cover; while putting the search ...
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OpinionSarah Thompson: How employers can prepare for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
We conducted a poll in May to see how many employers were preparing for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into force next May. Two fifths (41%) said that 'we were aware of the law but were not taking any action'; 12% were not aware of it. It is ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Can we ever really plan for disaster?
Since Wednesday morning, many of us will have been following the news of the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in west London. Since the news broke and the scale of the disaster became apparent, social media and public forums have been inundated with offers of help for those involved, from ...
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OpinionAdam Kingl: Rethinking reward for generation Y
One thing is for certain: employees are a lot less loyal than they used to be. Generation Y in particular, our youngest employees in their twenties and early thirties, seem to jump from employer to employer with an almost frightening rapidity. Make no mistake either, this is not just a ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Supporting staff in times of crisis
On Wednesday, a pleasant afternoon selecting the menu for this year’s Employee Benefits Awards and Summer Party was brought to a rather abrupt conclusion as news of the terror attack in Westminster began to filter through.Such events are always truly shocking, particularly when they occur so close to home. As ...
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OpinionAdam Corlett: Enough of the pessimism about the rise of the robots
Will all our jobs soon be replaced by robots? Recent headlines suggest so. But historical experience casts doubt on such sensationalism. Indeed there are reasons for us to encourage more automation, rather than worry about the harm it will do.It is common now to hear theories about how new technologies ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
2016 - where has the year gone? It may be a reflection of my age but this year, more than any other, seems to have flown by at lightening speed.But, however quickly time seems to have past, this has also been a year of immense and wide-reaching change. From the ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Is the industry in a state of flux?
This week saw the Employee Benefits team head to Olympia for this year’s Employee Benefits Live.One of the (many) things I personally enjoy most about the event is the opportunity to meet and catch up with so many people from all corners of the industry. While we always strive to ...
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OpinionPeter Reilly: How can employers build empowerment into their reward policies?
Empowering staff is an understandable objective for organisations operating in today’s knowledge and service economy. Releasing employees’ discretionary effort can lead to higher productivity and better customer service, and one key way of getting greater employee engagement is through giving colleagues more autonomy. This means offering them access to more ...
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OpinionLovewell's Logic: Equality and diversity in a post-Brexit world
Last month, one issue dominated conversations, press coverage, and hearts and minds across the UK: the European Union (EU) referendum.Since the Leave result was announced on 24 June, uncertainty and doubt have prevailed. At the time of writing, this shows no sign of abating as speculation continues about the impact ...
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OpinionClare Kelliher: Reward packages should adapt to the context in which an organisation operates
How an employer chooses to reward its employees sends out messages, both explicit and implicit, about their values and what is considered important. A well-designed reward strategy can act as an important driver for performance and employee engagement. However, the approach adopted needs to fit with the context of the ...
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OpinionEvan Davidge: How to engage a multi-generational workforce with benefits
There are several different ways of cutting a multi-generational workforce but most research shows that there are five distinct age segments, ranging from traditionalists (1928-1944) to generation Zs (1995+). A lot has been written about the wants and needs of different generations in terms of how they perceive work and ...