All articles by Rebecca Patton
-
Analysis
Pg 77 - How to measure the effectiveness of a motivation strategy
If you read nothing else, read this…Setting objectives for a motivation strategy will help to check that it provides a return on investment.Employee surveys and forums enable staff to provide direct feedback on strategies and benefits.Business data, such as staff turnover and absence levels, can provide information on motivation and ...
-
Case Studies
Utilitywise uses share plan to engage staff
It launched a sharesave scheme for its 300 employees in November 2012.The only stipulation the employer applied for staff joining the scheme was for them to have passed their probationary period. At the launch of the scheme, 214 employees were eligible to join and 110 did so. The scheme is ...
-
Case StudiesPeer 1 Hosting offers perks to attract top talent
A benefits package that attracts and retains the most talented staff while reducing employee costs is at the core of web hosting provider Peer 1 Hosting’s reward strategy.Designed primarily by managing director Dominic Monkhouse, the package has remained the same since the organisation’s UK operations started up in 2009.“I think ...
-
Article
Auto-enrolment forces more budget cuts
This was a rise of three percentage points on the proportion of delegates that said the same at the 2012 summit.A further 8% of delegates said they had not yet cut their bene?ts budget, but were considering doing so. No delegates at the 2012 summit, when this research was last ...
-
Article
Employers must get up to speed on RTI
This is despite the fact that, from April 2013, employers must report pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) in real time to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) when they perform a payroll process, rather than waiting until the end of the year.Last month, Crunch Accounting’s study of 503 people working in small businesses found ...
-
Article
Legislation will help working parents
If passed, the legislation will implement the parental leave and ?exible-working commitments made by the government in November 2012.Under the new measures, working parents will be able to share parental leave following a child’s birth; prospective parents will be allowed to take more time off for antenatal appointments; leave and ...
-
Article
Share schemes boost staff engagement in tough climate
Virgin Media announced last month that staff who took part in its 2009 sharesave scheme could receive an average of £15,984 each as the ?rm is sold to US cable television operator Liberty Global.The 2,468 employees who joined the plan and paid in an average of £74 a month each ...
-
AnalysisApproved share schemes to be simplified
IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE, READ THIS…HM Revenue and Customs is to introduce a number of proposals for approved share schemes with immediate effect.The Finance Bill 2013 includes legislation to simplify share schemes, including retirement and ‘good leaver’ rules.Self-certification for share schemes will be introduced in 2014.The four HM Revenue ...
-
Article
Tax relief awarded in bonus repayment case
The First-Tier Tribunal has found that an employee repaying a signing bonus should receive tax relief because the repayment amounted to ‘negative pay’ for the employee.Julian Martin was awarded a signing bonus of £250,000 in 2005/06 by his employer JLT Risk Solutions with the provision that he would stay with ...
-
Article
Bonus deferral could have tax implications
Employers considering offering the deferral of bonuses may need to seek written agreement from employees.A number of organisations, including Aon, Tullett Prebon and Virgin Media, are offering employees the opportunity to defer bonuses until after 6 April 2013 to allow them to take advantage of the change to top-rate tax, ...
-
Article
Is dating the new employee benefit?
Something for the weekend…Most employers encourage social gatherings and activities among staff to foster a better working environment.Events usually involve days or nights out, such as meals and office parties, but could workplace dating services be the next step? A survey of 1,000 employees, by OfficeTeam, found that 73% of ...
-
Article
MOD firefighters and police could retire at 60
Ministry of Defence (MOD) firefighters and police could be able to retire at age 60 following amendments to the Public Service Pensions Bill.MOD firefighters and police currently have to work until age 68 before they receive their pension, but the House of Lords has agreed two amendments to the bill. ...
-
Article
NAPF launches online auto-enrolment guide
The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) has launched a free online auto-enrolment guide for employers.The guide provides information about auto-enrolling staff into a workplace pension. It is broken down into sections, including assessing eligibility, picking a pension scheme, administration and communication.The guide also includes advice about dealing with opt-outs ...
-
Article
Virgin Media defers bonus payments
Virgin Media is to enable staff to be able to postpone payment of their 2012 performance bonuses until 6 April 2013.The deferral of the bonuses will allow all employees to take advantage of the change in the top-rate of tax, which will fall from 50% to 45% on this date.A ...
-
Article
Government looks to simplify auto-enrolment
The government is to launch a consultation in March on proposals to make auto-enrolment simpler.The proposals are based on feedback received since the implementation of the reforms began in October 2012. These include a list of areas that could benefit from practical and technical improvements, including:Making the assessment of the ...
-
Article
Employers struggle with global health insurance
A quarter (23%) of employer respondents would like to provide international health insurance to employees but can not afford to do so, according to research by Expacare.Its Anatomy of an international business report found that 28% of respondents viewed international health insurace as essential for any employees working abroad, but ...
-
Article
High pay not needed for CEO retention
The need to offer high pay packets to attract top employees to the UK from the global talent pool is a ‘self-serving myth’, according to a report by the High Pay Centre.The Global CEO appointments: a very domestic affair report, which looked at chief executive officer (CEO) appointments among the ...
-
Article
Half of employers do not see RTI benefits
Just under half of employer respondents do not see the benefits of real-time information (RTI) reporting, according to research by the Forum of Private Business (FPB).The latest Referendum study, carried out quarterly among FPB members, found that 17% of respondents saw the overall benefits of RTI and 27% saw the ...
-
Article
Bonus plan to keep staff off Facebook
Something for the weekend…The invention of social media sites has had an impact on productivity for many an employer. Getting staff to stop using sites such as Facebook during work hours usually involves blocking them, but maybe employers should consider a bonus plan to encourage a reduction in use?Enterprising Massachusetts ...
-
Article
Wage growth for UK gas and oil workers
The average salary for full-time UK gas and oil professionals has grown by 7.2% since 2012, according to research by Hays Oil and Gas and jobsite Oil and Gas Job Search.The Oil and gas global salary guide 2013 found that the average salary for full-time gas and oil professionals is ...