Opinion – Page 30
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OpinionDiane Lightfoot: Government support for disabled staff
Since the start of the pandemic, the government has announced a series of funded measures aimed at supporting the long-term unemployed and young people to find work. While these measures offer vital opportunities for many people struggling to access employment and pay during this time of economic uncertainty, disabled jobseekers ...
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OpinionKsenia Zheltoukhova: 2021 could bring an opportunity to reset benefits strategies
This is the year to carefully consider the psychology of employee benefits: having experienced fundamental shocks to their lives, people will be re-evaluating what matters to them, and how work fits in. This is an opportunity for employers to listen to their staff to understand what is of value to ...
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OpinionColin Barnes: Employee benefits: Adapting to the future of work, today
There is no doubt 2020 will be a year to remember. It was fraught with difficulties and challenges, and for many bereavement. But, at the same time, the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has also brought about a seismic shift in how we operate and function as a society.It has accelerated technology ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Farewell for now!
It feels a little strange to say during the second week of January, but I’ve officially reached the end of my working year. This blog will be my last (for a while) as, from next week, I’ll be heading off on maternity leave.Pregnancy during a pandemic has certainly been a ...
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OpinionLora Murphy: Pay strategies in 2021 will be affected by uncertainty
When people think of the year 2020, it would be plausible to state that the word ‘uncertainty’ springs to their minds. As Covid-19 (Coronavirus) spread and impacted individuals all over the world, employers and employees alike could not be sure what to expect.In response to this, the government introduced a ...
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OpinionCharles Cotton: Key factors that will impact pay strategies in 2021
There are several issuesthat will affectthe confidence and performance of organisations,and consequently pay strategies, in 2021. This will, however, varybetween industry. The most obvious issue is the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic and the continuing economic fallout that many organisations are having to contend with due to restrictions. At the time of ...
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OpinionStephen Morrall and Hannah Solel: Improved benefits for gig workers may become the new norm
The big players in the gig economy, such as Uber, Addison Lee, Citisprint and Pimlico Plumbers, provide a system of working for thousands of people that some think is flexible and forward-looking, but others regard as insecure and exploitative.Certainly, organisations such as these have tried their level best to argue ...
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OpinionTim Middleton: Employees need to make informed decisions about their retirement
Retirement plans for 2021 have changed for many due to the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. While some have decided to put their retirement on hold due to their savings taking a hit because of Covid-19, others are deciding to retire early after being discouraged about finding employment again when faced with ...
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OpinionFergal Dowling: Employment cases that will shape 2021
As we work our way into 2021, there are cases which will have a big impact on employment law, and HR policies and practices over the next 12 months. Holiday pay: are the 'rules' which limit a series of deductions correct?In 2019, the Nothern Ireland (NI) Court of Appeal in ...
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OpinionJeremy Harris: What will 2021 bring for pensions?
This year has seen monumental changes to employment law and employer/employee relations. For instance, we saw the introduction of the furlough scheme, completely new to employment law, which meant the government handed out billions of pounds to organisations in grants. With government support for the UK economy due to continue ...
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OpinionAlice Meredith: Employee international travel and quarantine
Fluctuations in infection rates in other countries have resulted in short-notice changes to the countries included within the 'travel corridor' exemptions from quarantine requirements. How can employers minimise disruption?PracticalitiesAny employee travelling into England from a non-exempt country is required to self-isolate for a period of 14 days (unless an exempt ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Wishing you a safe, healthy festive season!
Normally at this time of year, I like to write a reflective piece looking back at the year as we head in to the festive season. However, this year, I think most of us would agree that 2020 is a year best consigned to the annals of history.This time last ...
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OpinionJoanne Moseley: Government clarifies how furlough fraud will work
In October 2020, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) published a compliance factsheet which explained how it intended to recover furlough grants paid to employers which were not entitled to receive them. It advised organisations to check their calculations and repay what they owed if they wanted to avoid income tax ...
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OpinionKate Cooper: Creative ways to recognise employees’ hard work
This year has been a difficult time for all and so will it continue to be, heading into 2021. Getting together in the same physical location is just not an option, but this should not mean that those other important messages cannot be sent. So how do we tell people ...
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OpinionGemma Wilson: The investigation into BBC pay discrimination
Following reports of a significant number of women being underpaid by the BBC, in March 2019 the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) launched an investigation into the issue.There have been a number of cases in which women who have worked for the BBC have been successful with equal pay ...
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OpinionRobin Ford: Plugging the pension fund gap during the collapse of Arcadia
Roughly 13,000 Arcadia employees are at risk of redundancy after the group has gone into administration. The financial difficulties they are facing also include concerns over a £350 million deficit in its defined benefit (DB) pension fund.There have been reports of a £350 million deficit in the group’s pension fund, ...
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OpinionVickie Graham: Workplace financial education is incredibly important during the pandemic
2020 has been a year where all aspects of our lives have been impacted. From a workplace standpoint, the global Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has impacted how we do business, how we interact with people, how we conduct meetings and events, how we engage and motivate our teams, and crucially how ...
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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 ...