All Employee Benefits articles in Web Issue – Page 238
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United Utilities revamps flex communication
United Utilities has revamped communication of its flexible benefits plan by staging a series of roadshows and redesigning the brochure to make the scheme more engaging.Changes were made to its Your Choices flexible benefits brochure, which was then sent to all 9,000 UK employees' home addresses.Reward manager Graeme Mooney said ...
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Premier Food introduces payroll giving scheme
Premier Foods has introduced a payroll-giving scheme for its 18,000 UK employees as part of its wider corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy.The scheme, launched at the firm's headquarters in St Albans in February, will enable employees to make tax-efficient donations to a charity of their choice.Under the scheme, provided by ...
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Asda launches reward scheme
Asda has launched an Olympic-inspired reward and recognition scheme to motivate team performance among its 164,000 employees.Through the scheme, called Going for Gold, staff will be set team targets depending on the business area in which they work. For example, shop-floor staff will be judged on criteria such as improving ...
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Trowers & Hamlins moves international flexible benefits scheme online and launches TRS
Law firm Trowers & Hamlins has moved its international flexible benefits scheme online and launched total reward statements.The scheme, called 'TH & me', is available to 800 staff, including equity partners, across the UK and Middle East. A mini paper version of the plan offering fewer perks was launched in ...
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Aviva improves reward provision ahead of rebranding
Insurance group Aviva has launched a benefits website, online total reward statements (TRS) and a recognition scheme ahead of the firm's rebranding in June.The firm will also move to a flexible benefits scheme to coincide with the rebrand.The website, My Aviva Reward, went live for its 27,000 employees last month, ...
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Benefits surgery: Flexible working rights
Q What will employers’ rights and obligations be under the proposed changes to flexible working rights which come into effect on 6 April 2009?A At present, employees with a child aged under six years, a disabled child under 18 years or those with caring responsibilities for certain groups of adults ...
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Case Law: The meaning of 'discretionary' benefits
Employers must take care what they describe as a discretionary arrangement around benefits, as they could be vulnerable to legal action if staff challenge any changes to the perk.This has been demonstrated in the case of Small and others vs Boots the Company and Boots UK, in which warehouse staff ...
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Employers' views sought on flexible retirement update
The government is seeking employers' views on its plans to update age discrimination laws relating to employees aged over 65 years who return to work under flexible retirement arrangements.The consultation document, Flexible Retirement: next steps, proposes to lift an exemption in the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations which makes it unlawful ...
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Buyout service launched for smaller pension schemes
Barnett Waddingham and MetLife Assurance have formed a strategic alliance to offer a buyout arrangement specifically designed for smaller pension schemes.Aimed at streamlining what can be a protracted buy-out process (depending on the size and complexity of the scheme) the new ‘Smaller scheme buyout service’ is available to pension schemes ...
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RBS chairman awarded £1.5m of share options
Sir Philip Hampton, chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS), has been awarded £1.5million of share options, on top of his £750,000 salary.The bank, which was criticised last week for paying out former chief executive, Sir Fred Goodwin, a £693,000 annual pension, awarded Sir Philip options for around ...
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HSBC chairman condemns compensation practices amidst controversy over bankers' bonuses
Stephen Green, the chairman of HSBC called for a more sober attitude to reward in the banking sector, as it emerged that bonuses, reportedly topping £32 million were given to five of the firm's senior bankers.HSBC confirmed that yesterday (2 March) Green condemned pay practices in the banking sector as ...
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Council jobs at risk following pay rise
Council workers have been warned that their jobs are at risk following a decision to award them a pay rise.Acas, the independent conciliation and arbitration service, has awarded local government staff a pay increase of 2.75%, an increase of 0.3% from the 2.45% that was awarded last October.Acas was initially ...
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Expacare offers expat health insurance in Sri Lanka via partnership
Expacare, an international medical insurance provider, is working with Janashakthi Insurance Company, to provide comprehensive healthcare protection for the expatriates working and living in Sri Lanka.Beverly Cook, Managing Director, Expacare, says, "We are really pleased to be operating in Sri Lanka. Expacare strategically partners with well established local insurers who ...
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EU launches campaign to tackle gender pay gap
The European Commission has launched an EU-wide campaign to help tackle the gender pay gap. Across the EU economy, women earn on average 17.4% less than men.The simple concept of 'equal pay for work of equal value' is at the heart of the campaign being launched in the context of ...
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European Court of Justice rules in favour of UK retirement age
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that the UK's compulsory retirement age of 65 years is not in breach of EU legislation.The case against the legislation, Age Concern England v Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, had been made by charity Age Concern which, through ...
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Wrongly approved expense claims cost UK business £2bn
Wrongly approved staff expense claims are costing UK businesses an estimated £2bn according to research conducted by GlobalExpense.The 2009 GlobalExpense Employee Expenses Benchmark Report, highlighted that 11% of all claims should not be approved by managers because the items purchased are not covered by company policy.In addition the report estimated ...
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Lloyds reaches agreement on bonuses
Lloyds Banking Group is due to hand out an estimated £80 million in bonuses for staff as a result of an agreement with the government-owned body that is set to become the bank's biggest shareholder.The bank, which has received a multibillion pound bailout from the taxpayer, has come to an ...
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RBS injects GBP800m into pension schemes
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) is to inject more than £800 million of tax-payers' money into its employees' pension schemes which have fallen into deficit after investing in RBS shares.According to its annual report, the bank plans to invest £807m in order to fund its various pension schemes. ...
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Glasgow City Council increases minimum wage for staff
Glasgow City Council has increased the minimum wage for its employees, meaning its lowest paid workers will see their basic salaries increase by more than £1100 a year.Leader of the city council, councillor Steven Purcell, has announced that a Glasgow Living Wage of £7 an hour will be set up ...
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Total UK launches reward statements and revamps voluntary perks
Total UK has launched total reward statements and revamped its voluntary benefits scheme for its 1,100 staff members.After the scheme went live at the beginning of the month, employees at the refining and marketing subsidiary of global energy group Total could access total reward statements and a selection of voluntary ...