All Employee Benefits articles in Web Issue – Page 414
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iGlobalFitness launches weight management programme
iGlobalFitness has launched a personal weight management programme to help employers support employees in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight on their own terms.The programme consists of four one-hour sessions per year with an iGlobalFitness wellness facilitator.Each session provides a general review of the employee's lifestyle; a health check, including ...
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Portus Online research: Law partners value perks
Some 84% of partners at UK law firms say a comprehensive benefits package is important, but this is not always reflected in the packages organisations provide, according to the HR in Law Equity Partner Benefits Survey published by Portus Online.The research, involving 48 law firms, found 84% do not offer ...
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BlackRock adds to flexible benefits scheme
BlackRock Investment Management has added perks to its flexible benefits plan, switched providers and introduced quarterly enrolment for some benefits.New benefits include the ability to buy up to five days’ holiday a year, discounted gym membership, additional retail vouchers, and payroll giving, which BlackRock matches up to £275. The firm ...
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Virgin Media staff to cash in on sharesave scheme
Virgin Media’s first sharesave scheme could bring significant returns for employees when it matures on 1 July 2011 after a three-year savings period.More than 2,000 staff have taken part in the scheme, provided by Yorkshire Building Society. When the scheme was launched in 2008, Virgin Media’s share price stood at ...
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John Lewis adds smart links to paper total reward statements
The John Lewis Partnership has rolled out total reward statements incorporating a new form of technology for its 75,000 staff in John Lewis and Waitrose stores.The new paper-based total reward statements include quick-response codes. These two-dimensional codes can be scanned using a smart phone to take employees directly to relevant ...
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Benefits Research 2011: Benefits strategies
The economic difficulties of the past few years have inevitably left their mark on organisations. Tough circumstances have seen employers focus on getting the best possible return for their investment, while working to sustain staff motivation and engagement through difficult situations, such as redundancies and other cost-cutting exercises.These remain key ...
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IDS research: Median pay award remains steady at 2.5%
The median pay award in the UK remained steady at 2.5% in the three months to March 2011, according to the latest IDS Pay Report by IDSPay.co.uk.Some 61% of all pay deals were recorded in a range between 2% and 3% inclusive, while 83% of settlements were at 2% or ...
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Xafinity research: Pension liabilities climb to £1.5 trillion
Pension scheme liabilities have climbed to £1.5 trillion, according to the Xafinity Corporate UK Pension Scheme Model.Based on assumptions as at 30 April, higher asset values have tempered the increase a little, but the aggregate deficit has now reached £430 billion.Hugh Creasy, director at Xafinity Corporate Solutions, said: “The benign ...
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Flight attendants given lessons in martial arts
Self-defence lessons are not an obvious employee benefit but for flight attendants wanting to fend off the wandering hands of drunken passengers they make perfect sense. Chinese attendants are being given classes in the martial art Wing Chun, which will enable them to knock their aggressor out cold within seconds.Flight ...
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Aviva enhances international insurance products
Aviva has enhanced its international insurance products to include increases in the overall benefit limit, newborn lifetime cover limit and chronic conditions cover. The products are available for employers to offer to expatriate employees.The insurance provider has moved a number of benefits into its core cover from its additional cover ...
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Canada Life research: Most employees would move jobs for better benefits
More than half (52%) of employees would take a job at a new organisation if it offered better benefits, according to research from Canada Life Group Insurance.Of those who would move organisations for better benefits, 13% would do so because they value benefits highly, and 19% because of the prospect ...
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Policy Exchange research: Public sector receive 43% more in pay and pensions than private sector
Public sector staff receive 43% more in pay and pensions than employees in the private sector, according to research from think-tank Policy Exchange.The research, Public and private sector terms, conditions and the issue of fairness, shows that despite the coalition government’s attempt at pay restraint, public sector salaries continued to ...
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Article
Benefits communication firms join forces
Shilling Communications has formed a new partnership with Face to Face Consultancy to deliver direct communications to employees regarding their pensions and benefits packages.Shilling will provide hard copy and online communications, while Face to Face Consultancy will offer group meetings with any scheme members who wish to benefit from this ...
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Public sector unions challenge government’s CPI switch
Public sector unions have launched a challenge against the government’s decision to adopt the lower consumer prices index (CPI) inflation index, rather than the customary retail prices index (RPI) inflation index, for the purposes of statutory pension increases.The government’s change has been imposed on public sector employees from 1 April ...
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IDS research: Basic salary for NHS chief executives rises by 4.5%
Median total earnings for NHS trust chief executives in England reached £158,800 last year, reveals the NHS Boardroom Pay report from Incomes Data Services (IDS).According to IDS, 12% of NHS non-medical chiefs earned more than £150,000 last year, while 69% of NHS medical directors earned more than £150,000 over the ...
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PMI Health Group research: Most employers are unaware of the effectiveness of workplace counselling
More than two-thirds of organisations are unaware of how effective counselling can be in treating work-related stress or depression, according to independent research commissioned by PMI Health Group.Most organisations (85%) surveyed said they would consider offering counselling to staff but 69% do not believe it can tackle stress-related absenteeism on ...
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Thomas Cook closes defined benefit (DB) scheme to future accrual
Thomas Cook has closed its defined benefit (DB) scheme to future accrual.The travel agent announced in its half-yearly report, which was published on 9 May, that it had reached an agreement with trustees to close the scheme as of 31 March 2011.From 1 April, members of the DB scheme have ...
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Screenetics launches wellness days for employers
Health screening provider, Screenetics has launched a service called Wellness Days to promote health and wellbeing in the workplace.Wellness Days are designed to connect employees with their health through a series of events and activities including: the Juice Bike, an exercise bike that creates fresh juice as the user cycles; ...
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CareerBuilder research: Employers leave negotiating room when providing salary increases
More than two-thirds (70%) of employers have room for manoeuvre when offering contracts, according to a poll by online job website CareerBuilder.co.uk.Almost half of respondents (49%) said they leave some negotiating room when providing salary increases to current employees, while one in ten think less of candidates who do not ...
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National Express agrees recovery plan for UK DB pension scheme
National Express UK Bus division has agreed a funding plan for the £68 million deficit of its defined benefit (DB) pension scheme.The West Midlands Pension scheme is a local government scheme that dates from when regional bus organisations were owned by local councils.†In 2008 it was agreed that National Express ...