All articles by Tom Washington – Page 26
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Article
Roche adopts flex to gain ground in the war for talent
Roche is introducing flexible benefits for its UK workforce to increase employee motivation and remain competitive when competing against larger employers for staff.The flex scheme, provided by Thomsons Online Benefits, is set to go live in January 2009 and will initially be offered to the 1,900 UK-based staff in the ...
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Article
DSGI extends share deal to store managers
DSG International has extended share option benefits to some 700 store managers across the UK to increase motivation and sense of ownership.The retail giant, which owns Currys, Dixons and PC World, previously only awarded its most senior managers share options, but now store managers will receive a grant worth around ...
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Article
WHSmith staff to rebrand package
WHSmith is inviting its staff to help rebrand its benefits package prior to the launch of an online portal that will help communicate the perks on offer.The move is part of a communications drive designed to increase employee awareness of their benefits. It will be the first time that the ...
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Analysis
Buyer’s guide to driver training
Driver training can help to reduce fleet costs and keep employers on the right side of the legal road, says Tom WashingtonDriver training can counteract or reduce many of the risks and costs involved in having employees on the road. It is a way for employers to fulfil their corporate ...
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Case Studies
Case Study: Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council fights sickness absence
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council introduced a wellbeing strategy seven years ago in a bid to reduce high absence levels among its 9,000 employees.Mick Forrest, assistant director, people and performance, explains: "We did not want to take the traditional route to handle the problem. We looked at how we could stop ...
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Article
Age and gender drive UK salary inequality
Age and gender are the key drivers of wage inequality among full-time workers in the UK, according to research published by Unum. Its survey revealed that average full-time earnings for men (£30,035) are 32% higher than those for women (£22,773). Also, average earnings peak at 49 years of age (£37,340) ...
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Article
Reward professionals are highest paid in industry
Reward and compensation professionals are the highest-paid HR specialists, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Croner Reward's latest Personnel rewards survey. They now receive 18% above the average senior management HR salary of £45,000 per year, compared with 16% in last year's survey. Senior recruitment ...
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Analysis
Ways to cut the cost of health and wellbeing benefits
The economic slowdown means organisations are looking at ways to cut the cost of health and wellbeing benefits while still caring for their staff, says Tom WashingtonIdentifying how to provide attractive perks within a budget is an essential skill for any benefits professionals to master when it comes to recruiting ...
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Analysis
Buyer’s guide to group personal pensions
gPPs have become the workplace pension of choice for many employers, says Tom WashingtonWith employers' continuing migration from defined benefit (DB) to defined contribution (DC) schemes, group personal pensions (GPPs) have become the workplace pension of choice for many organisations. From a new business point of view, the GPP market ...
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Case Studies
Case Study: Runnymede Borough Council switches from PMI to cash plan
Runnymede Borough Council switched from providing private medical insurance (PMI) to staff who had been with the organisation three years, to a healthcare cash plan for 500 employees after finding the increasing cost of PMI too much to handle.The council now pays for a cash plan for all employees once ...
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Article
Company car drivers are becoming more eco-friendly
When selecting a new company car, most employees will consider how environmentally friendly the vehicle is, according to new research published by Leasedrive Velo Group.The survey revealed that almost nine in 10 employees (87%) feel that the level CO2 emissions would influence the choice of their next company car.Of the ...
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Article
Christmas parties cancelled as employers cut back on perks
Almost four in five UK businesses are set to cut back on pay, bonuses and even Christmas parties this year in order to limit costs, according to new research published by the Institute of Directors (IoD).The IoD Policy Voice survey found that more than a quarter of employers (27%) said ...
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Article
John Lewis launches four-year sports programme
The John Lewis Partnership has announced a four-year health and wellbeing programme that will invite all 69,000 UK employees to take part in sport and qualify as coaches in the run up to London's 2012 Olympic games.The employee-owned retail group, which operates John Lewis department stores and Waitrose food shops, ...
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Article
Steep rise in remuneration for top retail executives.
Top level pay awards in the retail sector have risen dramatically over the past five years as chief executive officers seek to insulate themselves against the risk of failure in tough market conditions.According to new research by Durler Consulting, despite the average length of tenure decreasing, retail board remuneration committees ...
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Article
Benefits vital as international assignments double
The number of employees on international assignments has doubled over the last three years as part of the continuing trends towards globalisation, forcing employers to rethink their benefits provision.Mercer’s 2008/2009 Benefits Survey for Expatriates and Globally Mobile Employees found that 47% of firms have increased deployment of staff on traditional ...
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Article
The Royal Borough of Kingston launches voluntary benefits
The Royal Borough of Kingston is launching a new voluntary benefits programme for its 4,000 employees this month in a response to a staff survey revealing decreasing levels in pay satisfaction.‘One Council One Reward’ is a bespoke scheme that will enable employees at the council to enjoy a range of ...
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Article
More older women working than men
More older women are working than ever before and they now outnumber their male counterparts in the workplace, according to statistics published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today.The report shows that in the five years leading up to the male pension age of 65, 58.4% of men are ...
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Article
BA pension deficit stalls merger talks with Iberia
British Airways' increasing pension deficit is reportedly becoming an obstacle in its all-share merger with Spanish carrier Iberia.The deficit in BA's defined benefit (DB) pension scheme is said to have reached £1.74 billion in September, a huge increase on the £400 million in the latest full year accounts. Stock market ...
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Article
JCB staff take pay cut to save jobs
Staff at JCB have voted to take a £50-a-week pay cut in order to prevent 350 colleagues losing their jobs amidst the financial turmoil.Around 2,500 production staff based at seven different factories have agreed to work a four day week. The 34-hour week will commence on November 3 and will ...
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Article
Reward specialists are highest paid in HR
Reward and compensation professionals remain the highest paid HR specialists according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Croner's reward and pay survey.The study, Personnel Rewards Survey, shows that reward practitioners receive 18% above the average senior management HR salary, up from 16% in 2007.The average salary ...