All articles by Rebecca Patton – Page 13
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Article
Zenith trials electric cars for staff
Zenith employees are taking part in a trial of electric cars to assess the real-world viability of their use in company fleets.The fleet management organisation has two Zenith-branded Nissan Leaf cars. One will be tested for short local trips and the second, which staff can book out for up to ...
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Article
SMD launches salary sacrifice cars
Soil Machine Dynamics (SMD) has introduced a company car scheme via a salary sacrifice arrangement, as part of its flexible benefits package.The scheme, provided by ALD Automotive, is open to all permanent staff who have worked at the subsea robotic manufacturer for more than six months.Eligible employees can exchange part ...
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Article
Bromford Group launches reward statements
EXCLUSIVE: Bromford Group has launched total reward statements to raise awareness among employees of the total benefit package the organisation offers.The statements have been sent out to 987 employees. The majority received the statement online, while 26 employees without access to a computer at home have been sent a paper-based ...
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Article
Orbit to move to DC pension for auto-enrolment
Orbit Group is to move its employees to a contract-based defined contribution (DC) pension scheme for all future pensions provision and has closed its defined benefit (DB) scheme to future accrual as part of its plans for auto-enrolment.The move followed a review of the landlord’s pensions strategy, which identified potential ...
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Article
Edenred launches auto-enrolment service
Edenred has launched a pensions auto-enrolment service to help employers understand how to fulfil their obligations under the legislation.The service includes a focus on financial education for employees, provided by accountancy and business advisory firm RSM Tenon.The initiative began in September with a series of question-and-answer webinars for employers on ...
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Article
Highest quarterly fall for annuity rates
The average conventional and enhanced annuity rates fell by 7% and 5%, respectively, in the last three months, according to research by MGM Advantage.The MGM Advantage annuity index, which tracks income paid on convential and enhanced rates on a quarterly basis, found that this decrease is the highest quarterly fall ...
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Article
Alliance Surgical enters PMI market
Alliance Surgical has entered the private medical insurance (PMI) market with the launch of a plan designed for medium and large employers.The independent surgical services provider, which is part owned and run by about 1,200 specialist consultants of which 430 are shareholders in the company, will case manage each claim ...
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Article
A pillow for the workplace
After a busy week attending Employee Benefits Live 2012, a power nap with the Ostrich pillow could be just what the doctor ordered for staff here on the news desk.The Ostrich Pillow, from designers Kawamura-Ganjavian and product innovators Studio Banana Things, is designed so that its users can rest their ...
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Article
Hargreaves Lansdown adds bonus to funds
EXCLUSIVE: Hargreaves Lansdown has introduced a 0.5% loyalty bonus on over 1,000 of its investment funds, which will benefit 120,000 members of its self-invested personal pensions (Sipp).Of these, 4,734 are employees who use one of 47 Hargreaves Lansdown workplace savings platforms, which have been set up in the last two ...
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Devonshire NHS Trust runs wellbeing event
Devonshire Partnership NHS Trust is running an activity and wellbeing event today (27 September) to provide staff with more information about healthy living.This will include free taster sessions on yoga and massage, and stands and presentations on benefits such as childcare vouchers, pensions and automotive leasing. Staff from a local ...
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Article
Review suppliers on a regular basis
Employers should review their benefits suppliers at least every two years, advised Paul Bissell, head of reward at Cable and Wireless Worldwide.Speaking on day two of Employee Benefits Live, Bissell warned that organisations can get too comfortable when working with a supplier for a number of years, which could mean ...
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Article
Asda focuses on auto-enrolment administration
Auto-enrolment planning must include a focus on the administration systems needed to run a scheme, warned Jane Earnshaw, head of reward at Asda, during a session at Employee Benefits Live.Asda is due to go live with its auto-enrolment scheme on Monday, 1 October.Earnshaw advised organisations that are starting to make ...
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Article
Informa educates staff on pensions
A robust communications strategy will help employees make informed decisions about pensions, said Thomas Humphris, head of office HR and UK reward at publishing firm Informa.Speaking at Employee Benefits Live on 25 September, Humphris said that it was important that communication with employees about the auto-enrolment changes was easier to ...
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Oracle launches voluntary benefits
Oracle has launched a voluntary benefits scheme for its UK employees to help them maximise their disposable income.Speaking at the keynote address on 25 September at Employee Benefits Live, Michelle Connolly, compensation and benefits director at Oracle, said: “We can’t change the economic environment, we can’t necessarily change the pay ...
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Employers need longer to plug pension deficits
Organisations will need an extra three years to plug rising pension scheme deficits, taking the average repayment period to 11 years, according to research by accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC).The research, which covered 98 recent defined benefit (DB) pension scheme valuations, found that, there will be a reversal of previous years’ ...
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Article
Buyer's guide to electronic voucher cards
Electronic vouchers offer a secure, convenient and environmentally-friendly way to reward and motivate employees with savings on a variety of goods and services.Since Boots launched its Advantage points card for consumers in 1997, major retailers have followed suit, with more progressive employers now providing electronic voucher cards as part of ...
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Analysis
Expert tips on surviving pensions auto-enrolment
If you read nothing else, read this…The first organisations to reach their staging date for auto-enrolment have had to make both expected and unexpected changes to their systems.Planning for auto-enrolment should begin well in advance to allow time to tackle any issues that may arise.Communicating with staff about changes is ...
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Article
Auto-enrolment anomalies warning
Organisations that use contractors must identify whether such people are contractors or should be treated as workers for legal purposes. If they are classed as workers, they will need to be auto-enrolled into the organisation’s pension scheme.Mark Baker, senior associate at law firm Pinsent Masons, said: “There was a recent ...
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Employers take holistic view of staff health
A number of employers have held wellness days or standalone events to promote wellbeing issues, encourage staff to use the benefits available to support their health, and show how to improve their lifestyle.Deloitte hosted two seminars for its employees in September, one focusing on men’s health and the other on ...
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John Lewis sees cinema voucher demand increase
EXCLUSIVE: John Lewis has seen a 173% rise in take-up of its cinema vouchers since it rebranded its Cinema Benefits portal in March.The portal, provided by Filmology, allows employees to log in and buy discounted cinema vouchers for over 440 cinemas around the UK, including Cineworld and Empire cinemas.More than ...