All Employee Benefits articles in Web Issue – Page 282
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Case Studies
Case Study: Abbey banks on childcare vouchers
Feedback from staff at Abbey suggests they greatly value the childcare vouchers that are an integral part of the bank’s benefits package.Ian Cunningham, reward consultant at Abbey, says: “Employees are in favour of this benefit as it not only saves them income tax and NI contributions, but it also provides ...
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Article
Ministers protest about childcare voucher plans
Labour MPs have asked Gordon Brown to rethink his decision to scrap tax breaks on childcare vouchers, warning that the move could cost the party crucial votes in the next general election.According to reports, Patricia Hewitt, Estelle Morris, Hilary Armstrong, Beverley Hughes and Caroline Flint are among the signatories on ...
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Article
Alphabet warns drivers about unfair wear and tear charges
Fleet funding firm Alphabet has launched a new guide to put company car drivers in the picture about unfair wear and tear charges.According to Alphabet the search for cost reductions is leading more fleets to impose fines or recharges on drivers if their cars incur de-hire charges. Industry average de-hire ...
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Article
West Lothian Council appoints FirstCare for absence management
West Lothian Council has appointed FirstCare to provide a nurse-led call centre absence management facility for 500 of its 8,500 permanent employees.The council had previously piloted a nurse-led call centre approach to absence management and following the success of the pilot, which has shown a downward trend in sickness absence, ...
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Analysis
News analysis: Childcare crisis looms
The government's decision to withdraw tax and national insurance relief on childcare vouchers could have major repercussions, says Nicola SullivanThe future of employers' childcare provision for staff has been cast into doubt after the government announced that the tax exemption on childcare vouchers would be abolished.Many employers are concerned they ...
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Article
ING Car Lease launches environmental analysis tool
Leasing firm ING Car Lease has launched a new online analysis tool that allows companies to access data on the environmental performance of their fleet at the click of a mouse.GreenCare is being rolled out to all ING Car Lease customers as part of its ongoing fleet consultancy service. It ...
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Article
Thomas Cook appoints fleet management firm
Thomas Cook UK has signed a four-year sole supplier agreement with Lex Autolease to manage its fleet of vehicles across UK and Ireland.Services provided by Lex Autolease will include Minilease, a solution which offers low rates and convenient monthly billing, without any long-term commitments, and the Lex Autolease interactive online ...
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Analysis
Childcare arrangements for working parents – what benefits employers can offer
Tax and NI relief changes to childcare vouchers are on the way, but employer-provided childcare benefits remain a vital employee benefit, says Peta HodgeThe childcare market suffered a significant blow last month when prime minister Gordon Brown announced the tax and national insurance (NI) breaks on childcare vouchers would be ...
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Article
Company car drivers seek employers help to reduce fuel bills
Company car drivers want their employers assistance in reducing their fuel bill, according to research by fleet funding and management firm Lex Autolease.The survey of 3,000 UK company car drivers, undertaken to identify attitudes to fuel consumption, found that almost all (95%) of drivers surveyed want to reduce their fuel ...
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Article
Parents will reconsider working if childcare voucher tax break is cut
More than 60% of parents using childcare vouchers will reconsider working if tax relief on the scheme is phased out.A poll of 1,800 parents conducted by Computershare Voucher Services also found that 57% of parents would not be able to maintain their existing childcare arrangements without the vouchers.Almost all (98%) ...
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Article
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 ...
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Article
More than half of business drivers support hands free driving
More than half (59%) of business drivers are supportive of a new system that would cut fuel consumption and allow them to travel down the motorway hands free on auto-pilot, according to research conducted by Lex Autolease.The Road Train system, aimed at drivers who cover long distances for work, would ...
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Article
Case Study: Childcare voucher provision at E.On
Power company E.On views the provision of childcare vouchers through its flexible benefits plan almost as a moral obligation.Ant Donaldson, senior specialist in employee benefits, says: “I think it would be remiss of us as a major employer not to help people access savings available under the childcare voucher scheme.”By ...
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Analysis
Mitigating fleet driver risk
Cutbacks during the recession have put company car drivers under pressure, possibly increasing risk levels, says Sarah ColesIf you read nothing else, read this...- The risks attached to driving for work increase if drivers are working harder, and must be mitigated by policies and training.- Structured risk management programmes can ...
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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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Article
Women given extensive maternity leave are less likely to get top jobs
Women who are given long periods of maternity leave could be damaging their careers, according to research conducted by the Research Institute of Industrial Economics in Stockholm, Sweden.Why Are There So Few Top Female Executives in Egalitarian Welfare States? showed women from Anglo-Saxon countries, where maternity leave is less generous ...
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Article
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
Confessions of a benefits manager: The invisible woman
A new team member has arrived to lighten Candid's workload, but proves elusive, for an increasingly suspicious variety of reasonsWe have a new member in the team, whose name is Scarlet. At least I think we have, because today she isn't here. She was not here yesterday, either. And she ...
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Article
Buyer's guide to discounted travel passes (November 2009)
Getting to work more cheaply is a valuable perk for cash-strapped employees, says Alison ColemanIn tough economic times, employees welcome benefits that deliver cash savings, such as discounted travel passes which enable them to make significant savings on the cost of travelling to work.Under government legislation, employers can offer discounted ...
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Article
Buyer's guide to motivation vouchers (November 2009)
Vouchers are a cost-effective and popular way to motivate employees, especially in tricky economic times, and the variety of formats available is widening, says Sam BarrettTough times generally put a squeeze on benefits spend, but when it comes to motivation vouchers, demand remains strong as employers look for ways to ...