All articles by Robert Crawford – Page 12
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ArticleTrinity Mirror Group to pay £36m to plug pension deficit
Trinity Mirror Group is to pay £36.2 million over the next three years to help plug its defined benefit (DB) pension scheme deficit.The publishing organisation announced the funding arrangements in its Preliminary results report after the scheme’s deficit increased by £49 million last year to £301.2 million.This reflected the impact ...
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ArticleDon't miss your chance to question pensions minister Steve Webb
Do you have a burning question for pensions minister Steve Webb? Maybe there is a pension issue you would like clarification or more information on?Today (4 March) you will have your chance to put your questions to him as he opens Employee Benefits Connect. Webb (pictured) will deliver the opening ...
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ArticleEB Connect to discuss global online benefits scheme surge
Global online benefits are gaining in popularity, with greater numbers of employers implementing a strategy across their global workforce. In a session at Employee Benefits Connect on 4 March entitled, ‘Global online benefits: myth or reality?’, Martha How, partner reward and benefits at Aon Consulting, will discuss their global prevalence ...
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ArticleVodafone to launch global maternity policy
Vodafone Group is to introduce a mandatory minimum global maternity policy across 30 countries by the end of 2015. Women working at all levels across the multinational telecommunications group will be offered at least 16 weeks fully paid maternity leave.Staff will also receive full pay for a 30-hour week for ...
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Financial disengagement could limit success of pension reforms
Financial disengagement among people approaching retirement could threaten the success of the government’s pension reforms, according to research by the Strategic Society Centre.Its Defined capability: pensions, financial capability and decision-making among retirees research found that among respondents aged 55 to 64, only one in three with defined contribution (DC) pension ...
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ArticleWork and Pensions Committee recommends single pensions regulator
A single pensions regulator and an independent commission will need to be set up to help protect pension savers when the new pension flexibilities come into effect from April 2015, according to a report by the Work and Pensions Committee.Its Progress with automatic-enrolment and pension reforms report highlighted that an ...
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ArticleCompany car tax rates to rise more slowly
Budget 2015: Company car tax rates for ultra-low emission cars will increase more slowly from 2019/20 than previously announced. Chancellor George Osborne also announced in his 2015 Budget that rates for other cars will increase by three percentage points.The appropriate percentage of list price subject to tax will increase by ...
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ArticlePension Schemes Bill receives Royal Assent
The Pension Schemes Bill that enables the introduction of the government’s pension reforms has received Royal Assent.It is the final piece of legislation bringing into force the upcoming pension flexibilities on 6 April 2015.Together with the Taxation of Pensions Act, which became law in December 2014, it introduces a number ...
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ArticleIFS Proshare appoints new head
Gabbi Stopp has been appointed the new head of IFS Proshare. She succeeds Alan Scott, who has held the position in an interim capacity since August 2014, pending the appointment of a long-term successor.Stopp will join the employee share scheme industry body on 7 April.Her previous positions include account director ...
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ArticleAon partners with Blackrock to launch new DC pension
EXCLUSIVE: Aon Employee Benefits has partnered with Blackrock to launch a new defined contribution (DC) pensions scheme, which will be officially launched at Employee Benefits Connect today (4 March).The product, Bigblue Touch, combines Aon’s Bigblue technology with Blackrock’s investment and administration services.It aims to give scheme members access to financial ...
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ArticleFCA acts to support choice in retirement
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is to introduce remedies designed to support choice in the retirement market in light of the forthcoming pension reforms.Its final Retirement income market study proposes five remedies for employees with defined contribution (DC) pension pots to help make competition work for those looking at drawdown ...
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Article51% not confident Pension Wise will deliver support
More than half (51%) of employer respondents are not confident that the government’s guidance guarantee Pension Wise service will provide their employees with adequate support around decisions at retirement, according to research by Hymans Robertson.The pensions and risk consultancy’s research, which questioned 100 HR directors in organisations with more than ...
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Article40% of employers see sickness absence rates improve
Two in five (40%) UK employers have seen sickness absence rates improve over the past 12 months, according to research by group risk industry body Group Risk Development (Grid).Its Group risk employer research found that this was a 6% increase on last year. In comparison, just 15% of respondents felt ...
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ArticleJust 15% have a clear retirement plan in place
Just 15% of reposondents hoping to retire in the next 12 months have put together a retirement plan, according to research by Fidelity Worldwide Investment.Its Class of 2015 report, which surveyed 500 employees planning to retire between April 2015 and March 2016, found that only 15% of respondents have done ...
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ArticleAldermore awards staff £1,000 share bonus
Aldermore has granted each of its 875 employees up to £1,000 in free shares following its initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange. The bank, which lends to individuals and small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), offered staff £200 worth of shares for every year that they have worked ...
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ArticleAdmiral staff to receive £3,000 worth of shares
More than 7,000 Admiral employees will each receive £3,000 worth of free shares into the insurance provider’s share incentive plan (Sip).According to the organisaiton’s Annual results 2014 report, this will cost some £8.6 million should all staff remain eligible for the scheme.This is an increase from the £7.6 million spent ...
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Article?GlaxoSmithKline focuses on holistic wellbeing strategy
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has developed its holistic health and wellbeing programme on a global scale and focused its strategy to meet the needs of the business.In a session at Employee Benefits Connect on 4 March titled ‘Building a holistic employee wellbeing strategy’, Dr. Philip Gibbs, director of product development, quality assurance ...
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ArticleHigh Court rules on Merchant Navy Pension Fund deficit regime
Employers Stena Line, P&O Ferries and Sealion Shipping will see a reduced burden on plugging the Merchant Navy Ratings Pension Fund’s (MNRPF) £300 million deficit following a High Court ruling.The organisations, along with 40 others, have contributed towards the deficit since 2001 under its old funding regime.The decision, handed down ...
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ArticlePension scheme membership increased in 2014
Participation in pensions has one again increased in 2014, according to research by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).Its 2014 Annual survey of hours and earnings: summary of pension results found that the proportion of employees who belong to a workplace pension increased from 50% to 59% in 2014, the ...
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ArticleFuture trends unveiled at Employee Benefits Connect
Employee benefits form a key pillar of any wellbeing strategy, so these need to evolve to meet the needs of the workforce today as well as the workforce of tomorrow.In a session titled ‘Key employee trends in the future workplace’, Tim Jackson, head of marketing strategy at Unum, will discuss ...