All Employee Benefits articles in Web Issue – Page 214
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Case Studies
Case Study: RAF Benevolent Fund tackles workplace stress
The Royal Air Force (RAF) Benevolent Fund introduced several initiatives to help deal with stress among its 140-strong workforce as part of a wide-ranging benefits overhaul two years ago.This included the introduction of an employee assistance programme (EAP), which includes a stress counselling service alongside other perks.Richard Wheatley, head of ...
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Case Studies
Employer Profile: Abbey
Abbey’s takeover by Santander has enabled the bank to broaden its horizons when it comes to benefits, says Nicola SullivanAbbey is one of few banks that appear to be weathering the economic storm. It is part of the Banco Santander Group, the fifth largest bank in the world by profit. ...
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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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Analysis
Total reward packages help communicate full value of perks
Total reward packages give employers the chance to communicate the full value of benefits to staff, says Jenny KeefeWhat gets employees out of bed and into the shower on a freezing dark morning? It might be the cut and thrust of competition, the prestige attached to working at a well-known ...
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Analysis
Impact of economic downturn on psychological contract between employer and employee
The currently gloomy economic environment could encourage the psychological contract to tip back in employers’ favour away from employees, explains Victoria FurnessWatching events unfold over the past couple of months in the financial services sector has been a bit like watching a soap opera. The collapse of financial institutions such ...
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Case Studies
Case Study: Unilever extends healthcare to include wellbeing
Last year, Unilever extended its traditional benefits package, which includes private medical insurance, with the launch of a wellbeing programme, Vitality into Action.Its first wellbeing initiative was a 15-minute health screening which checked details such as employees' weight, blood pressure and cholesterol, and provided tailored health information or referrals where ...
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Analysis
Cracking Christmas ideas to motivate staff
A cheap and cheerful Christmas may be the best many employers can afford to offer their staff this year, says Sarah ColesChristmas is traditionally a time for overindulging on food and letting out the waistband. Un- fortunately, this year there will be an unseasonable amount of belt-tightening as the economic ...
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Analysis
Impact of Welfare Reform Act on absence management
The introduction of the Welfare Reform Act could prompt employers to take a fresh look at what steps they can take to help long-term absentees return to the workplace, explains Katrina McKeeverThe Welfare Reform Act, which came into effect last month, is the government's latest move to reform the welfare ...
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Article
Interview with Michael Newstead, head of reward and HR information at Ceridian
Michael Newstead, head of reward and HR information at Ceridian, says the advantages of building reward packages to suit workforce profiles are now understood.During a career that has spanned more than 30 years and several continents Michael Newstead, head of reward and HR information at Ceridian, has seen the HR ...
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Analysis
Helping staff get to grips with annuities
Despite the wide range of annuity options available on the market, many employees still fail to shop around to obtain the best deal, so should employers be obliged to help them, asks Ceri JonesThe advantages of shopping around for better annuities hit the headlines in May this year when the ...
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Analysis
Benefits for staff in Croatia
Croatian employees regard performance-related pay and opportunities for professional training as being more valuable than benefits such as pensions or healthcare, says Katrina McKeeverThe Republic of Croatia is gearing up for entry into the European Union in 2010 and its labour force is readying itself for fresh opportunities. International companies ...
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Analysis
Model the benefits package around total reward
Take the chance to redesign a benefits package using a total reward approach, says Jenny KeefeWhen you are late for a meeting in London, racing around a higgledy-piggledy rabbit warren of streets , it’s easy to long for Manhattan’s straightforward and neatly-planned grid system that means it takes less time ...
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Analysis
Bonuses in financial services sector come under scrutiny
Executive bonuses in the financial sector have come under scrutiny in the wake of the global banking crisis. Both the government and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) have been quick to condemn some top-level remuneration practices in the City on the grounds that these encouraged excessive risk-taking in the banking ...
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Article
Regulatory change helps build case for group Sipps
Restrictions on self-invested personal pensions (Sipps) have been lifted to allow protected rights pension pots to be invested in the schemes. This means people who contracted out of the state earnings-related pension scheme (Serp) in the 1990s can now move their pension pots into Sipps.The change to pensions regulations came ...
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Article
EAP launched for SMEs
Employee Advisory Resource (EAR) has launched an employee assistance programme for small and medium-sized enterprises. The product offers employees relevant and targeted support and advice on stress and wellbeing issues, legal and financial information, and childcare and eldercare locator services. The service is also designed to protect employers from litigation ...
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Article
Part-timer wins right to rejoin pension
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has upheld a ruling that Somerset County Council unfairly prevented a retired female teacher rejoining its pension scheme after she returned to work on a part-time basis.The EAT’s judgment, delivered at the beginning of October, deemed the local authority to be in breach of the ...
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Article
Aegon Scottish Equitable introduces 'one and done' underwriting
Aegon Scottish Equitable has introduced what it calls 'one and done' underwriting for its group income protection schemes using a once-only health declaration form. If a member is accepted on ordinary rates with loadings up to 200% or with exclusions, they will not be underwritten again for any future increase ...
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Article
My Family Care launch new eldercare facility
My Family Care has launched a facility to help workers with eldercare responsibilities. The Search and Guidance for Eldercare service offers clients a home visit from a consultant to assess the environments and needs of dependants and carers. The consultants can interview prospective carers and vet care homes before presenting ...
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Case Studies
Case Study: Liverpool Women’s NHS Trust uses vouchers to reward staff
When the Liverpool Women's NHS Financial Trust achieved a high performance rating for its services in a report published last year by the Healthcare Commission, the trust's board of directors decided to show staff their appreciation by providing them with a Christmas gift.The board recognised that the trust's outstanding performance ...
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Article
Thomsons Online Benefits launches health and wellbeing programme
Thomsons Online Benefits has launched a health and wellbeing programme for employees that includes learning accounts as a flexible benefits option.The programme, which was launched in October, kicked off with a group walk to work and a healthy breakfast for all the firm's 100 employees in the UK.This was followed ...