All articles by Rebecca Patton – Page 14
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BT workers lunch in style
And now something for the weekend…Most employees run out at lunch for a sandwich from the local shop or use the canteen facilities at work, but a couple of BT employees have been spotted making the most of their lunch hour in Saville Row.BT Openreach engineers Matt Bevan, 49, and ...
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ECJ considers Tupe case
The European Court of Justice is currently hearing a case that could impact on the remuneration employers provide to employees as part of a transfer covered by transfer of undertakings (protection of employment) (Tupe) regulations.The case, Parkwood Leisure versus Alemo-Herron and others, involves a private sector organisation that took over ...
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Call for tax break on workplace health
A removal of taxes on workplace health support could boost the UK economy by nearly £443 million, according to research by Bupa.Its Getting Britain fit for the recovery report found that cutting tax could prevent 3.8 sick days.Small- and medium-sized enterprises could see productivity gains of £282 million, while larger ...
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AAF and McQuay raise discounts take-up
EXCLUSIVE: Air filtration supplier AAF and heating ventilation manufacturer McQuay have seen a third of employees take up their new voluntary benefits scheme since it was launched in May.The two organisations share a UK office of 400 staff and launched a single employee discounts scheme across their workforces.The scheme, provided ...
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Call for national pay reform
Individual negotiations on pay in local areas will help with recruiting staff in both the public and private sectors, according to leading economists.An open letter, signed by academics from UK universities, including Cambridge University, London School of Economics and King’s College London, has called for national pay rates in the ...
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600,000 more pension savers by Christmas
Around 600,000 more people will be saving into a workplace pension scheme by the end of 2012 and following the implementation of auto-enrolment legislation, according to figures by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).It also estimated that, by May 2015, the number of people saving for retirement will be ...
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Financial sector bonuses fall
Total bonus payments received across the whole economy in 2011/12 totalled £37 billion, a 3% increase on the previous year, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).The Average weekly earning – bonus payments in Great Britain report found that 36% of all bonuses were paid to employees ...
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Warburtons relaunches bikes-for-work scheme
Bakery brand Warburtons has opened the third election window for its bikes-for-work scheme.The scheme, provided by Evans Cycles, was first launched in September 2011, when 185 staff signed up. A further 100 employees took up the benefit during the second election window in April 2012.A team from Evans Cycles visited ...
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Scottish Widows launches auto- enrolment product
Scottish Widows has launched an auto-enrolment product to help employers of all sizes comply with the incoming auto-enrolment legislation.AssistMe, which is powered by technology by SBC Systems, will enable employers to add other pension schemes, such as The People’s Pension or the national employment savings trust (Nest), alongside Scottish Widows’ ...
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ECJ to examine VAT on DB pensions
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) will examine whether defined benefit (DB) pension schemes should pay value-added tax (VAT) on investment management services.The case under examination involves Wheels Common Investment Fund (WCIF), a multi-employer scheme, and the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF), after a tribunal in London in February ...
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Strange requests for Best Western staff
Something for the weekend…Employees can be asked to undertake different tasks throughout their working day, perhaps even outside their normal duties, but it is unlikely to involve tracking down a friendly ferret.However, if you are working at a Best Western hotel, it may not be the strangest request you receive.The ...
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Small employers could face RTI penalties
Small organisations and those that employ casual staff could suffer under real-time information (RTI) reporting, particularly from the on-or-before payment requirement.It requires the employer to submit information to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) each time they pay an employee. For example, when a catering company that uses casual staff to ...
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Stagecoach staff take advantage of bikes scheme
Stagecoach Group employees have benefited from £1-million worth of new bikes as part of the organisation’s bikes-for-work scheme.The bus and coach organisation has also improved the facilities at its bus depots for staff who cycle to work by introducing better bike racks, lockers and showers.Employees can choose from 140 bikes ...
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Thomsons Online Benefits launches auto-enrolment service
EXCLUSIVE: Thomsons Online Benefits has launched an auto-enrolment service for employers.The service provides employers with the employee benefits providers’ Darwin technology, which can conduct assessment of employees’ pension eligibility and then auto-enrol them into the pension scheme.It also includes:Consultancy support on preparing for the changes and restructuring an employer’s reward ...
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BGL hosts benefits fairs for employees
UK insurance firm BGL Group has hosted benefits fairs for more than 200 employees to highlight the offerings in its benefits scheme.Gail Cingolani, reward and benefits manager at BGL Group, said: “We are constantly looking for new ways to develop our reward and benefits offering.“Our fairs not only provide the ...
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Bird and Bird raises flexible benefits take-up
EXCLUSIVE: Bird and Bird has seen take-up in its flexible benefits scheme increase to 64% after it relaunched the scheme in August.The international law firm relaunched the scheme with Portus Online to refresh its offering and improve administration.The firm has also added new benefits to the flex scheme, including critical ...
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Evans Cycles adds benefits to bikes-for-work schemes
Evans Cycles has added two new benefits to its bikes-for-work scheme.Users will now receive up to £50 worth of cycling accessories when purchasing a new bike through the scheme, as well as a half-price discount on bike servicing for a year.Mark Brown, head of Ride2Work at Evans Cycles, said: “We ...
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Health check with a difference
Most people welcome a health screening benefit provided by their employers to help them stay fit and healthy, but when Bali needed a health check it took eight people to get her along to it.Of course, since Bali is a 23-foot reticulated python living at Chester Zoo, she may well ...
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CIPP launches online payslip tool for National Payroll Week 2012
EXCLUSIVE: The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP) has launched a new online payslip tool to help employees understand their pay statement.The tool has been introduced to mark National Payroll Week 2012, which takes place between 3-7 September.Lindsay Melvin, chief executive at the CIPP, said: “Based on our research, we ...
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Compupaye Bureau promotes RTI with staff bonus
EXCLUSIVE: Compupaye Bureau is offering staff a bonus for the successful completion of a real-time information (RTI) quiz during National Payroll Week, from 3-7 September.The quiz is designed to get the payroll services firm’s staff up to speed on RTI reporting, which will be mandatory for UK employers from April ...