Opinion – Page 26
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Out of sight, out of mind?
Throughout 2020, Employee Benefits’ daily email alerts have been filled with stories of employers introducing or enhancing the support they offer for their workforces as life changed significantly as a result of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. But is this true of all organisations, particularly as many battle for survival amid ...
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OpinionKerry Shiels: An effective pensions communications strategy needs a winning formula
Trying to talk about pensions to 65,000 employees proves to be a difficult task. Some have different levels of knowledge and understanding, across different age profiles, and all have different work modes; be that at home, in the office, at contact centres, in shops or in the field. It is ...
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OpinionDanyal Enver: High Court forces pension schemes to look at GMP payments
On 19 November, the High Court handed down its latest judgment in Lloyds Banking Group Pensions Trustees case, clarifying some (but not all) of the issues that were left outstanding by the first judgment in this case, back in 2018.Guaranteed minimum pensions (GMPs) were the mechanism by which employers would ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: How appropriate are festive celebrations in 2020?
How is your organisation planning to celebrate the festive season this year? Do you feel marking the occasion is important for staff motivation and morale, or does it feel inappropriate to celebrate under current circumstances?Over the past few weeks, here at Employee Benefits, we have received a number of press ...
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OpinionLee Harding: Takeaways from the latest furlough scheme guidance
On 10 November, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) provided updated guidance for its headline job support measure, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), also known as the furlough scheme. While most aspects of the CJRS remain unchanged, there are some significant developments of which both employers and employees should be ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Equal Pay Day highlights ongoing issues
Friday 20 November marks Equal Pay Day 2020 in the UK. This is the date calculated by gender equality charity The Fawcett Society on which, on average, women effectively stop earning relative to men.On the face of it, this date is somewhat encouraging, having moved six days later from 14 ...
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OpinionLesley Alexander: Do pensions require a radical re-think?
I am taking over the presidency of the Pensions Management Institute (PMI) against a backdrop of a global pandemic and the potential of further restrictions to our personal freedoms as we face a second wave of the Covid-19 virus.It seems a lifetime ago, not a year ago, since I chaired ...
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OpinionRichard Fitzjohn: Effective pensions communication is essential during pandemic
For Thames Water, it is not simply that we are an important service, we deliver life’s essential service so that our customers, communities and the environment can thrive. As such, meeting the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic matters not only to our employees, but also to every home, every business, ...
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OpinionRanjit Dhindsa: The additional extension of furlough
On 5 November 2020, the UK government announced it would be extending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) to March 2021, a leap from its previous announcement on 31 October, which stated that it would only be extended for four weeks.This was a shock to many organisations, somewhat making it ...
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OpinionConstantina Tribou: Global reward strategies during Covid-19
To maintain resilience in this shifting landscape, many employers are starting with their global reward strategies as a way to adapt to the current Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.Employee demographics in the workforce are changing and situations are moving quicker than organisations can adapt. As a result, there is a pressing need ...
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OpinionCaroline Gatrell: Does flexible working in the time of Covid-19 create a sense of entitlement?
Flexible working has perhaps never been more important than it is now. For employed parents of school age and pre-school age children seeking to manage their commitments to both work and family, whether they are working from home or out at work due to being designated essential workers, employer support ...
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OpinionOliver Topping: The journey continues for pensions dashboards
The pensions dashboards of the 2020s will, hopefully, help staff on a different kind of journey: a digital path to retirement.Recent updates from the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) has set out a timeline for bringing dashboards online from 2023 onwards, though this may slip given the complexity of the project. ...
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OpinionBecky Thoseby: Supporting employees during the festive period
With autumn weather already here, increased restrictions across England and grim predictions for the coming months, many people will be looking towards winter with trepidation, and this is likely to affect their wellbeing. At Ministry of Justice (MOJ), we have, therefore, been looking at how to safeguard employee wellbeing during ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Navigating stressful waters
This year, it may seem rather fitting that International Stress Awareness Day (Wednesday 4 November) fell during a week that saw England enter a second national lockdown and a nail-bitingly close US Presidential election, the results of which were still undetermined at the time of writing.Already in 2020, many organisations ...
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OpinionCharles Cotton: The challenges employers face in 2021
Firms that are growing currently will want to make hay while the sun shines and could look to offer a pay rise to retain talent, or lure new recruits with a higher-than-average salary in 2021. However, given the competitive job market at present, employers may find this is not necessary ...
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OpinionLucy Lewis: What the extension of the furlough scheme means for employers
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) had been expected to end on 31 October 2020, but Boris Johnson, UK prime minister, announced the very same day that it would be extended until December 2020 in light of new lockdown measures introduced in England.The CJRS aims to keep people in work ...
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OpinionAlison Pay: Has the pandemic changed employers' priorities around workplace wellbeing?
When it comes to employers’ priorities around wellbeing, and specifically mental health, the pace of change has been slow and, in many cases, inadequate.The Business in the Community (BITC survey), Mental health at work 2020, published in October 2020, indicated that 30% of people would still not tell anyone about ...
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OpinionBill Hill: Supporting the wellbeing of employees in the construction industry
The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity is the only charity that is 100% dedicated to the physical, mental and financial wellbeing of our construction workers and their families in the UK and Ireland.The charity provides a 24 hour a day, seven days a week, Construction Industry Helpline which acts as a ...
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OpinionSophie Sinclair: Employee feedback is the best source for ascertaining wellbeing priorities
As managers, most of us are experienced in organisational change and supporting employees to navigate the uncertainty that it brings. But the unique demands of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic have brought new and additional stresses. Every day, the conflicting and often frightening messages from government and the media make it ...
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OpinionMatthew Lawrence: Wellbeing in the new normal
With Covid-19 infection rates doubling every seven to eight days across the UK, the country is on the cusp of a second wave of the virus. Already, we have seen a huge increase in the numbers of people suffering with mental health problems as a result of the pandemic and ...