All Employee Benefits articles in Web Issue – Page 213
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Analysis
How to cut sickness absence in the public sector
Cutting sickness absence is a priority in the public sector, but it does not have to cost a fortune, says Sally HamilltonPublic sector employees take more days off sick than their private sector counterparts, if numerous surveys on sickness absence are to be believed. For example, according to the Chartered ...
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Analysis
Sponsor’s comment by Unum: Supporting both staff and employers in stressful times
This article is brought to you by UnumIn today’s complex and fast-changing global market it is common sense to ensure that, wherever possible, the people who make up organisations are in good health, and feel good about themselves and their working environment.Demanding times, such as the ones we face at ...
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Analysis
Balancing the need for both health and wellbeing perks
The Increase in wellbeing products has made it harder for employers to work out how best to spend their healthcare budget, says Sam BarrattFor years, offering a healthcare benefits package has meant either providing staff with private medical insurance (PMI) that gives them access to treatment faster than on the ...
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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
Interview with Willl Cavendish, director of health and wellbeing at the Department of Health
Will Cavendish, director of health and wellbeing at the Department of Health, believes employers can improve the nation's health while also helping themselves, says Nicola SullivanEmployers can play an important role in tackling some of the UK's most prevalent health problems while at the same time improve their own financial ...
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Analysis
Make sure there are no gaps in group risk cover
Discovering gaps in group risk schemes can be damaging so steps should be taken by employers to remain on top of issues such as administration, says Edmund TirbuttMany employers rely on group risk benefits such as income protection or private medical insurance (PMI) to help deal with the issues associated ...
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Analysis
Dealing with stress and mental health problems in the workplace
Stress and mental health issues can be difficult to spot and deal with, so a strategy is required says Alison ColemanGiven the current climate of economic gloom, with fears over job cuts, a housing slump and rising living costs, it is hardly surprising if stress and anxiety levels among staff ...
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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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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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Case Studies
Case Study: GVA uses total reward statements to reinforce value of perks
Property consultant GVA Grimley decided to use total reward statements to reinforce the value of its employment package following the launch of a flexible benefits scheme.Debbie Taggart, HR manager, says: "Flex went a long way towards helping our employees understand the true value of their remuneration packages but it is ...
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Case Studies
Case Study: InterContinental Hotels Group trials total reward statements
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is trialling total reward statements to help staff appreciate the true value of its benefits.Dave Lawrence, vice president, compensation and benefits, Europe, Middle East and Asia at the group, says: "The biggest challenge facing any total reward programme is helping employees understand and value the rewards ...
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Article
Staff more interested in flex than expected
There is more interest among employees in flexible benefits than employers assume, according to Alexander Forbes Financial Services' Pension confidence survey. It found that more than half of all pension scheme members (51%) would like to be offered flex, yet 41% of employers believe there is limited demand for it. ...
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Case Studies
Case Study: Buckinghamshire County Council’s total reward strategy
County Council understands that it takes more than pay and traditional perks to get employees fired up.The council's total reward strategy encompasses everything from training to the working environment as well as old favourites such as pensions, childcare vouchers and company cars.Motivation is about more than just pay and bonuses, ...
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Article
Debi O’Donovan, editorial director of Employee Benefits: Have we lost the art of innovation for benefits strategies?
UK benefits strategies appear to have hit a quagmire. Several leading benefits professionals, both on employer and consultant side, have told me in recent months that they no longer see the innovation and thought leadership that used to exist in this industry. Several have left their jobs for exactly this ...
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Article
Employers' interest in wellness growing globally according to survey
The number of employers offering workplace wellness initiatives globally has doubled in the past year, showing an increase in employer interest in the concept around the world.Buck Consultants' Working well: a global survey of health promotion and workplace wellness strategies, showed that - excluding North America where wellbeing strategies are ...
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Article
Social workplace boosts staff retention, research shows
Promoting a social working environment as an employee benefit could improve staff engagement and boost commitment to employers.A survey of more than 1,000 office workers by employee benefits provider You at Work found that blurring the boundary between work and play can have a positive effect on staff.The Social colleagues ...
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Case Studies
Case Study: Royal Mail reduces sickness absence
Five years ago, Royal Mail was losing money and often offering a poor service to customers, not least because staff absence rates were typically high at around 7% a year and costing an estimated £1 million a day. In a bid to tackle the problem, it introduced a range of ...
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Article
Charles Cotton CIPD: Rewards bring risks that must be managed
The economy dominates the news at the moment, but how will the economic climate affect bonuses and other rewards?†One possible consequence is that employers are more likely to examine their pay bills, which can account for up to two-thirds of total costs, and ask questions such as: who are we ...
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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
Paul Bissell, Strategic Reward Solutions: Will City staff refuse their bonuses next year?
City bonuses have always been the subject of comment, criticism and, for the ordinary person on the street, outright incredulity. The past 12 months have seen expressions such as credit crunch, toxic loan and bailout enter everyday language. Never before have the actions of bankers in America and Europe had ...