All articles by Tom Washington – Page 7
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Article
Punch Taverns appoints consultant for pensions administration
Punch Taverns has appointed Hewitt Associates to provide pensions administration and pensions manager support services.Punch Taverns’ £320 million pension scheme, which includes both defined benefit and defined contribution members, has more than 11,000 lives including both active and deferred members.Simon Belton, group pension manager at Punch Taverns, said: “We were ...
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Article
Legal and General revamps group critical illness cover
Legal and General has added five new conditions to its group critical illness ‘additional cover’ option taking the total number up to 33.The new conditions are: Balloon valvuloplasty – to relieve heart valvular abnormalities Heart surgery – with surgery to divide the breastbone Pulmonary artery surgery – to excise ...
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Article
The Gift Voucher Shop launches multi-store staff incentive card
The Gift Voucher Shop (GVS) has launched One4all, a new multi-store gift card that lets staff chose their own gift from over 17,000 outlets covering department stores, fashion outlets, hotels, travel providers and experiences.Retail partners within the One4all portfolio include Argos, Boots, B&Q, Comet, Currys, Debenhams, Halfords, House of Fraser, ...
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Article
Half of directors see pay freeze or drop
Half of directors have had their pay frozen or took a pay cut this year, according to research by The Institute of Directors (IOD).The IOD's annual Directors Rewards survey found that 44% of executive directors have had a pay freeze in 2009 with a further 6% taking a pay cut.This ...
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Independent Reward Consultants’ Association launches
A group of independent reward consultants have established a new professional body, the Independent Reward Consultants’ Association (IRCA), to promote the interests of its members and clients.The IRCA has been set up to promote collaboration, knowledge, learning and professional development between members whilst developing a forum for advancing new ideas ...
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Article
Employee-owned companies outperform FTSE All-Share Index
Employee-owned companies outperformed those in the FTSE All-Share Index in the third quarter of 2009 according to the UK Employee Ownership Index (EOI) published by law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse.Employee-owned companies' share prices were up 27.6%, compared to FTSE All-Share companies' share prices, which were up 21.3% over the quarter.The ...
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E.On unites flexible and voluntary benefits schemes
E.On is amalgamating its flexible and voluntary benefits schemes under one provider and is launching online total reward statements (TRS).The energy firm, which employs 17,500 staff in the UK, previously had its schemes administered by two providers, but both will now be supplied by Benefex.Ant Donaldson, senior employee benefits specialist, ...
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Admiral rejigs share scheme to aid recruitment
Insurance firm Admiral has made changes to its restricted share plan to make the awards more tangible and attractive when recruiting senior staff.The scheme, through which 929 staff received awards in May this year, is paid out each year to managers and star performers. A further 1,600 overseas workers also ...
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Article
Case Study: Cashing in on opportunities
Linsey Taylor, general manager, optical and pharmacy at Asda, has been with the company for 10 years. She has worked in various buying roles, beginning in chilled pizza before moving into chilled foods, and then beers, wine and spirits.In her current role, Taylor manages 25 head office staff in a ...
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Case Studies
Employer profile: Asda
Employee involvement is a big part of Asda Stores’ operational philosophy – and that can include a visit to the Dragons’ Den, says Tom WashingtonThere aren’t many jobs where making suggestions to your boss results in you pitching your idea to the formidable Dragons’ Den star Peter Jones. But at ...
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Article
Government to invest GBP4 million in health and wellbeing at small employers
The government is to invest £4 million over the next two years in improving health and wellbeing for staff at small organisations.The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has invited small and medium-sized businesses and local partnerships to bid for a share of the Health, Work and Wellbeing Challenge Fund.The ...
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Article
Many employers still in the dark about 2012 reforms
Almost half of employers think the Department for Work and Pensions is not providing enough information on the forthcoming 2012 pension reforms.The Employer and Employee Personal Accounts Research by JLT Benefit Solutions (JLT) in association with YouGov surveyed 523 organisations' attitudes to personal accounts. It found that 47% of respondents ...
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Alcatel Lucent puts European staff in touch with discounts
Alcatel Lucent is launching a voluntary benefits scheme for 1,800 staff across the UK, Ireland, the Baltics and Scandinavia.The scheme, which begins this month, is part of a wider project to improve employee engagement at the telecoms company. It was first designed just for the UK and Ireland, but was ...
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Analysis
Voluntary benefits report: Less common salary sacrifice perks
A wide variety of perks can be offered via salary sacrifice, and if HMRC’s rules are met, tax and national insurance gains can be substantial, says Tom WashingtonChristmas is just around the corner and it is never easy to choose the perfect gift for loved ones without going over budget. ...
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Glasgow Housing Association launches voluntary benefits
Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) has launched a voluntary benefits scheme for its 2,000 staff.The scheme, which is called GHA Reward and provided by Asperity Employee Benefits, was rolled out last month.Staff can access more than 1,500 discounts at national retailers, such as Debenhams, Vodafone and Sainsbury's, as well as at ...
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Article
Haysmacintyre launches flex and online total reward statements
Accountancy firm Haysmacintyre is launching flexible benefits and online total reward statements (TRS), as well as a range of voluntary benefits.It previously offered core benefits including death-in-service and a pension scheme.The flex scheme, due to go live this month, will allow staff to select perks such as annual leave, dental ...
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Analysis
How employers can cut reward costs without reducing the benefits on offer
Providing the same benefits at a lower cost can simply be a case of making changes behind the scenes, says Tom WashingtonHow employers can save money:- Employers are exploiting a competitive healthcare and group risk market to negotiate better premium pricing.- Longer-term healthcare and group risk contracts are also becoming ...
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Trader Media Group outsources fleet management
Trader Media Group (TMG) has outsourced the management of its 250 vehicle fleet and 169 cash allowance drivers to Zenith Provecta.The outsourced fleet management service will include contract hire, maintenance, accident management, risk management and daily rental. TMG has also extended the vehicle choice.Staff will have access to a bespoke ...
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Article
FSA runs redundancy financial education scheme
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is running financial education seminars for employees who have been made redundant.The hour-long seminars, held at the employers' offices, are designed to help those who have just lost their jobs be better equipped at dealing with their finances.Topics include making the most of redundancy payments, ...
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Molton Brown offers retirement courses to staff
Maker of luxury beauty goods Molton Brown is offering retirement design courses to support its older employees.The one-day course, provided by Jelf Employee Benefits, offers detailed information on financial opportunities and challenges of retirement, as well as the impact it has on relationships and the amount of spare time a ...