All articles by Sarah Coles – Page 3
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Article
Kellogg's Friday afternoons off control sickness absence
Kellogg’s employees will again have the chance to take Friday afternoons off this summer, to boost morale and prevent bogus sickness absence.The 660-strong workforce in its Manchester head office will be able to finish at noon on Fridays between May and September, as long as they complete 36.6 hours a ...
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Article
Love2reward launches off-the-shelf voluntary benefits package
Love2reward has launched an off-the-shelf voluntary benefits package, Everyday Benefits. The range of discounted benefits is designed for small and medium-sized businesses.Martin Cooper, sales and marketing manager for Love2reward, said: “From our research we have established that companies with up to 350 staff want to provide voluntary benefit schemes for ...
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Analysis
Stakeholder pension scheme versus personal accounts
As 2012 and personal accounts get ever closer, the debate continues over whether they will have any advantages over stakeholder pension schemes, or vice versa, says Sarah ColesWhen the writers of Groundhog Day were looking for the quintessential annoying individual to pester Bill Murray on the day he was doomed ...
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Michael Page International adds new perks
Recruitment agency Michael Page International has added dental insurance, discounted clothing and gym membership to its voluntary benefits scheme, and held financial education seminars. The education sessions, held by the Financial Services Authority, were timed to coincide with last month’s staff bonus payments.James Rumsey, director of procurement and facilities management, ...
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Schüco International GB launches flexible benefits scheme
Schuco International GB has launched a flexible benefits scheme as part of its efforts to recruit and retain talented staff.The company, part of aluminium and steel systems firm Schuco International, rolled out the scheme to its 150 UK staff at the beginning of March.Benefits included in the plan, provided by ...
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Noble Foods meets flexible benefits needs with new software
Noble Foods has switched its flexible benefits scheme to a new software platform and relaunched the plan to its 450 staff, after its existing provider struggled to handle the package's complexities.The egg supplier has also removed some of the less popular options from the scheme and implemented a new communication ...
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Bethell to introduce salary sacrifice pension contributions
Bethell, the independent construction, power and rail group, will introduce salary sacrifice around its group personal pension (GPP) scheme this month.The organisation decided on the move to make cost savings. Increases in national insurance (NI) from 2011, announced at the end of last year, added to its business case. Neil ...
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Mercer turns to Staffcare software for flex platform
Mercer has signed an agreement to use Staffcare employee benefits software to support its flexible benefits and total rewards administration business, replacing an existing deal with Vebnet.Tony Morgan, head of client management for Mercer's UK benefits outsourcing business, said: "We had previously signed a framework agreement with Vebnet, but we ...
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Article
The Plastic Card Shop offers environmentally-friendly cards
The Plastic Card Shop, which supplies cards used for staff discount and gift schemes, now offers environmentally-friendly cards made of materials such as recyclable and recycled plastics, a compostable plastic made from plants, and recycled junk mail incorporating flower seeds, which can be planted.
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Love2reward targets SMEs
Love2reward is to launch a voluntary benefits product in May targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).The scheme will feature the company's voucher products, including its high-street shop voucher Love2shop, leisure voucher Love2play, and travel product Love2travel.Martin Cooper, sales and marketing manager, said the scheme would also include "the usual ...
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Email Mortgages launches corporate service
Email Mortgages has launched a corporate service to enable employers to offer access to mortgage advice. The service allows employees to access fee-free advice by email within the workplace, without having to discuss sensitive matters on the phone.
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House of Fraser launches corporate gift cards
House of Fraser has launched corporate gift cards that can be used to shop online or in its stores. The cards will be sold alongside its paper vouchers and will offer similar discounts. Employees can check the balance on their card by calling the number on the back or visiting ...
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Denplan extends cover
Denplan has extended the cover in much of its dental plan, ranging from providing reimbursement on private treatment to allowing employees to claim back 100% of NHS charges. The aim is to help the cover appeal to staff who are unsure whether they intend to use private or NHS care ...
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Analysis
How employers can use deferred bonus schemes
Bonus payments have hit the news for all the wrong reasons, but deferred bonus schemes may offer employers a more ethically acceptable and economic solution, says Sarah ColesIf you read nothing else, read this…Deferred bonuses are increasingly appearing on employers’ agendas.These can simply consist of cash deferred to a later ...
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Microsoft pilots driver training event
Microsoft has held a pilot driver training event as part of its programme to encourage fuel economy, reduce carbon emissions, improve driver safety and reduce wear on vehicles.The company invited 100 employees to take part in the event at its Reading campus last month. Staff first went out for a ...
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Accor adds new perks to voucher scheme
Accor Services has launched a package of discounts for staff using its childcare voucher scheme. The benefits include discounted shopping vouchers, regular special offers on items such as toys and games, discounted family days out, holidays, and special rates on selected childcare.The benefits are available at no cost to employers, ...
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Asda offers staff the chance to star in TV advert
Asda is engaging employees in its next advertising campaign by giving them the chance to win starring roles in a television advert.As part of efforts to engage its workforce with the relaunch of its ‘pocket tap’ advert, the retailer has invited employees to take part in a simultaneous ‘pocket tap', ...
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Article
Goldman Sachs offers loans to employees
Goldman Sachs has offered loans to more than 1,000 employees, who have invested in the company’s own products, and may struggle to meet demands for more capital.The firm allows employees to invest in its own investment funds, and some have committed millions of dollars. A number of these funds periodically ...
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Analysis
Annuities affect staffing plans
Falling annuity rates mean many employees can’t afford to retire, reports Sarah ColesThe brief renaissance in annuity rates is over. After hitting a six-year high this summer, the decline set in again, and in the three months from October 2008 to January 2009 alone they fell a startling 5%. This ...
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Ryanair pilots agree to pay freeze
Ryanair pilots have agreed to a 12-month pay freeze and productivity improvements as a preferred alternative to the company's proposal to cut pay by 10%.This follows a round of negotiations at the company's 31 pilot bases across Europe.Ryanair’s director of flight operations and ground operations, David O’Brien, said: “Management at ...