research – Page 36
-
Article
Benefits research 2012: Legislation
This year will finally see the introduction of legislation under the Pensions Act 2008. From October, the first tranche of employers (those with more than 120,000 staff) will be required to comply with the reforms, which will see the introduction of automatic enrolment to a qualifying pension scheme, compulsory minimum ...
-
Article
Benefits research 2012: International benefits
The number of employers that operate a global benefits framework has grown in the last few years.Offering benefits on this basis can offer several advantages for employers. As well as achieving cost and efficiency savings, it can also help an organisation build a single, overarching benefits brand that is recognisable ...
-
Article
Benefits research 2012: Changes to benefits provision
Keeping a benefits package fresh and relevant is the best way to ensure it continues to keep staff interested and engaged with what is on offer. In the past year, just under half (44%) of respondents said they had introduced a new benefit to the mix.Failing to hold employees' interest ...
-
Article
Benefits research 2012: Flexible benefits
Despite all the attention and discussion that flexible benefits schemes have generated over the years, they have never really taken off in the same way as other mechanisms for offering benefits. Although the number of employers offering flex to at least some of their workforce has grown over the years, ...
-
Article
Benefits research 2012: Salary sacrifice
Given the tax and national insurance (NI) savings that are available when offering tax-efficient benefits via a salary sacrifice arrangement, it is perhaps not surprising that the proportion of respondents offering perks in such a way has remained consistently high in recent years.Back in 2004, 69% of respondents offered benefits ...
-
Article
Benefits research 2012: Voluntary benefits
Voluntary benefits schemes have a number of advantages for both employers and employees, so it is perhaps unsurprising that the percentage of respondents offering perks on this basis has risen year on year. During the ongoing economic downturn, when benefits budgets may tight or non-existent, voluntary schemes can be a ...
-
Article
Benefits research 2012: Core benefits
Over the past eight years, there has been little change in the top core benefits that employers offer to all staff. As in 2004, 2010 and 2011, this year, life assurance (also known as death in service) is the most commonly offered core benefit.In third place comes counselling or employee ...
-
Article
Benefits research 2012: Benefits package
TYPES OF BENEFIT ON OFFERThe evolution and complexity of employee benefits have led to myriad definitions. For the purpose of this research, we have used the following:Core packageThe traditional package of employer paid benefits in which employees can now opt out of, or switchbetween, perks.Flexible benefitsA package of employer-paid benefits ...
-
Article
Benefits research 2012: Responsibility and branding
The person responsible for benefits decisions within organisations has changed little over the years. A continuing trend has been the rise in status for compensation, benefits and reward professionals, with these areas increasingly being recognised as an HR specialism. This can be seen in the responsibility given to compensation and ...
-
Article
Benefits research 2012: Strategy
Over the past eight years, the benefits market has undergone much development, with many employers now offering vastly different packages from nearly a decade ago. Yet many of the issues and challenges shaping employers' benefits packages remain similar to those experienced back in 2004, when we first carried out research ...
-
Article
Employee Benefits/Alexander Forbes benefits research 2012
Download a PDF of the Employee Benefits/Alexander Forbes benefits research 2012Benefits research 2012: Key findingsBenefits research 2012: StrategyBenefits research 2012: Responsibility and brandingBenefits research 2012: Benefits packageBenefits research 2012: Core benefitsBenefits research 2012: Voluntary benefitsBenefits research 2012: Salary sacrificeBenefits research 2012: Flexible benefitsBenefits research 2012: ChangeBenefits research 2012: International benefitsBenefits ...
-
Article
Benefits research 2012: Key findings
The aim of this study was to identify which benefits UK employers offer to their staff and how these are delivered.We also wanted to find out the impact of these benefits strategies, along with the key issues and challenges that are shaping them, such as the continuing difficult economic climate ...
-
Article
Benefits research 2012: Sponsor's comment: Employees matter most
Staff must be engaged in the design of benefits programmes, says Stephen Watson, head of delivery, defined contribution pensions and benefits at Alexander Forbes Consultants & ActuariesAs I was reading through the results of this year's research, a definite theme started to become clear: value, value and value. Across the ...
-
Article
Employee Benefits/Towers Watson Flexible Benefits Research 2012: Alternatives to flex
Employers continue to be keen on standalone tax-efficient benefits, and interest is growing in total reward statements for employees, says Tynan BartonThe economic climate remains in a state of uncertainty, and it is perhaps because of this that one of the main reasons respondents that have considered implementing flex give ...
-
Article
Employee Benefits/Towers Watson Flexible Benefits Research 2012: Administration
As the complexity of flexible benefits schemes increases, a growing number of employers are fully or partly outsourcing plan administration, says Tynan BartonImplementing a flex scheme can be a huge administrative task, so responsibilities are often split between in-house and outsourced resources.This year, it is an almost even divide, but ...
-
Article
Employee Benefits/Towers Watson Flexible Benefits Research 2012: Impact of legislation
Employers are finally coming to grips with how to adapt their flexible benefits systems to accommodate the arrival of pensions auto-enrolment, says Tynan BartonThe introduction of auto-enrolment from this October will see many employees enter a pension scheme for the first time, with both employers and employees making compulsory contributions.Back ...
-
Article
Employee Benefits/Towers Watson Flexible Benefits Research 2012: Tax-efficient benefits
Changes in tax legislation have made employers more wary about certain benefits, but any tax and NI savings are a strong draw in straitened times, says Tynan BartonSome 85% of employers offer tax-efficient benefits through flex, a small drop from the 90% that did so in 2011. In 2008, this ...
-
Article
Employee Benefits/Towers Watson Flexible Benefits Research 2012: Benefits on offer
The number of benefits employers offer through flex is increasing, and childcare vouchers continue to top the table for popularity, says Tynan BartonOffering a voluntary benefits plan or tax-efficient benefits through salary sacrifice arrangements remain the most popular precursors to introducing a flexible benefits scheme.In providing flex, employers must strike ...
-
Article
Employee Benefits/Towers Watson Flexible Benefits Research 2012: Structure
More employers are extending flex to staff based overseas, and younger employees are more likely to want to trade their benefits down for cash, says Tynan BartonThe structure of flexible benefits schemes has remained largely unchanged over the years. Back in 2009, the most common way that schemes were structured ...
-
Article
Employee Benefits/Towers Watson Flexible Benefits Research 2012: Attitudes
Many employers expect to focus on tax-efficient benefits and better promotion of flex in the year ahead as the economy continues to struggle, says Tynan BartonMost respondents believe a flexible benefits scheme adds value to a business by enabling staff to choose perks that best suit their lifestyles and needs. ...