All articles by Tynan Barton – Page 29
-
ArticleEXCLUSIVE: 5% of employees are affected by pension tax allowance limits
EXCLUSIVE: The lifetime and annual allowance limits that were introduced in 2016 have led some employers to look at alternative options in place of pension contributions.Across all respondents, a mean 5% of employees are affected by the allowance limits, according to research by Employee Benefits.The Employee Benefits/Wealth at Work Pensions ...
-
ArticleEXCLUSIVE: 26% want guidance on retirement decisions due to pension freedoms
EXCLUSIVE: The pension freedoms, introduced in April 2015, gave many employees increased choice around how and when to access their pension. However, with more choice and flexibility has come a greater need for guidance around retirement savings.This year, 26% of respondents have found that more employees want guidance around decisions ...
-
AnalysisKey dates to incorporate into 2020 benefits strategy
Need to know:There are many awareness days that can be used as a framework for benefits strategy. Rather than choosing dates to focus on, though, employers should determine the important values for the business first.April 2020 will see key legislative changes that employers should also consider and prepare for.Some dates ...
-
Case StudiesLeeds Building Society uses key awareness week to support diversity ambitions
In 2018, Leeds Building Society, which has 1,400 employees, received the Leaders in Diversity accreditation from the National Centre for Diversity, recognising its demonstration of a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion from senior leadership.This commitment encompasses an organisational ambition to build an inclusive culture that enables employees with a ...
-
OpinionClare Fletcher: The new year brings new thinking around pay and benefits
In the run-up to one of the most unpredictable elections on record, what can be said about 2020 in terms of pay and benefits?The Conservative manifesto repeats the party's commitment to "making sure work always pays". It promises no rises to income tax or national insurance contributions (NICs), and reaffirms ...
-
ArticleEXCLUSIVE: 34% have widened communications due to auto re-enrolment
EXCLUSIVE: Under auto-enrolment legislation, employers are required to re-enrol employees into a pension scheme every three years. Many employers have used this as a lever to expand their communications strategy. For example, 34% of respondents have introduced, or plan to introduce, wider communications around pensions and retirement saving, while 23% ...
-
ArticleEXCLUSIVE: Three-fifths do not offer a secondary pension scheme
EXCLUSIVE: Almost three-fifths (57%) of respondents do not offer a secondary pension scheme, according to research by Employee Benefits.The Employee Benefits/Wealth at Work Pensions research 2019, which was conducted during October 2019 among 135 HR decision makers, also found that of those that do offer a secondary scheme, the most ...
-
Case StudiesUniversity of Lincoln uses targeted communications to position pensions
With about 2,000 employees enrolled across six pension schemes, the University of Lincoln faces a considerable challenge when it comes to reaching its entire workforce, let alone effectively engaging staff with pensions.To position retirement savings as a key element of the employee journey and the overall reward package, the university ...
-
ArticleEXCLUSIVE: Majority of employers contribute above auto-enrolment minimum
EXCLUSIVE: The majority of employers are contributing higher rates into their employees’ pensions than the minimum amounts required under auto-enrolment, according to research by Employee Benefits.The Employee Benefits/Wealth at Work Pensions research 2019 was conducted during October 2019 among 135 HR decision makers.Legislation calls for employers to contribute at least ...
-
ArticleGwenda Burns: What should employers consider when planning fertility support?
In the UK alone, around three and a half million people are currently suffering from some kind of fertility problem, according to the NHS. Infertility has a wide range of causes, and there are many different treatments ranging from drug therapy to assisted conception.An employee may need to take some ...
-
ArticleKirstie Axtens: What should employers consider when planning fertility support?
Infertility affects one in seven couples, according to the NHS, and research has shown that going through infertility takes a similar emotional toll to going through cancer. As employers focus increasingly on mental health and wellbeing, it is essential that they take practical steps to support staff seeking fertility treatment, ...
-
ArticleLisa Finnegan: What should employers consider when planning fertility support?
Trying for a baby can feel like the most significant thing in a person’s life when they are right in the middle of it. The idea that we do this in isolation from our working lives is totally unrealistic, yet people still find it too difficult to talk to their ...
-
ArticleEXCLUSIVE: 53% of employers offer GPPs as primary pension scheme
EXCLUSIVE: The most common primary pension scheme offered by employers this year is a group personal pension (GPP) plan, cited by more than half (53%) of respondents, according to research by Employee Benefits.The Employee Benefits/Wealth at Work Pensions research 2019, which was conducted during October 2019 among 135 HR decision ...
-
OpinionTim Reay: A global benefits strategy can complement state provisions
What is taken for granted in one country may not be provided by the state in another, and one important role employers play is to support staff by filling in the gaps in the local state employee benefit provisions.The most well-known example, and one of the most costly ones for ...
-
AnalysisHow are employers using voluntary benefits to support employees around the globe?
Need to know:In some markets, such as the UK, voluntary benefits are ubiquitous, while in others they are only just emerging as a resource for attracting and retaining talent.Health and wellbeing is a key area of focus across the globe, and voluntary schemes can be used to supplement local state ...
-
Case StudiesTravelex offers a range of benefits to support global employees' needs
Image credit: Kristi Blokhin / Shutterstock.comA Travelex store is a familiar sight for any global traveler; the foreign exchange business operates in 60 countries and has a widespread presence in airports, transport hubs, shopping centres, supermarkets and high streets.With 9,000 employees around the world, the organisation operates its benefits on ...
-
ArticleRos Altmann: What actions would you recommend to government on pensions?
There are several urgent reforms that the new government should consider for early legislation. As the Pension Schemes Bill was abandoned before dissolution of Parliament, it will need to be revived next year.Regulators need more powers to force pension providers to improve the quality of their data records and provide ...
-
ArticleRob Yuille: What actions would you recommend to government on pensions?
People find pensions complicated, this we know. So, as political parties do their best to woo the electorate, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has identified three areas in which a new government can improve the pensions system by making it fairer, safer and simpler for consumers to understand and ...
-
OpinionKatharine Moxham: Group risk benefits can encourage better health behaviours
The group risk industry has long understood the importance, not only of early interventions, but also of preventative measures and encouraging better health behaviours in the first place. That is why group risk products, such as employer-sponsored life assurance, income protection and critical illness benefits, are focused on so much ...
-
OpinionMel Duffield: Initiatives to engage younger employees with pensions
For an employee starting out in their 20s, facing higher costs of living, saddled with student debt, and with the prospect of retirement only a distant goal on the horizon, apathy about pension saving, and even opting out of the auto-enrolment process altogether, is not unexpected.However, there are strong indications ...