All Employee Benefits articles in Web Issue – Page 554
-
Article
TPR publishes evidence on DB pension funding regime
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published evidence of how some of the flexibilities in the defined benefit (DB) pension-funding regime have been used by pension schemes and employers.In producing its DB scheme funding statement Pension scheme funding in the current economic environment earlier in 2012, TPR considered how best to ...
-
Article
Employers go for global benefits policies
Multinational organisations are looking to increase corporate control and oversight of their employee benefits programmes worldwide, with 90% expecting to have corporate benefits policies in place over the next three years, according to research by Aon Hewit.The 2012 Corporate governance of global employee benefits study, conducted with the American Benefits ...
-
Article
Healthy plans for Laing & Buisson staff
EXCLUSIVE: Laing and Buisson, which provides data on private hospitals, care homes, nurseries and health insurances, has launched two plans to keep its employees healthy.The first is a healthy snack programme which gives the organisation’s 20 staff with access to a daily bowl of free fruit in a new chill-out ...
-
Article
Fancy a job as a human scarecrow?
It would take a great employment package to tempt most workers to sit in a cold field chasing away birds, but Jamie Fox seems happy with a modest salary and a good book.Fox, a 22-year-old music and English graduate from Bangor University, has taken on the role of human scarecrow ...
-
Article
Owner-employee contract a bad idea
The majority (63%) of respondents think the government’s proposal for owner-employee schemes is a bad idea, according to a poll by YouGov.The employee-owner schemes, which were announced by Chancellor George Osborne on 8 October, would require employees to give up employment rights, such as wrongful dismissal, the right to redundancy ...
-
Article
Employers need to consider EBT settlement
Organisations running employee benefit trusts (EBTs) should consider whether the HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) settlement opportunity is appropriate for their situation, advises KPMG.The settlement opportunity allows for employers to pay the tax authority’s assessment of outstanding tax liabilities without the need for litigation.Jayne Vaughan, tax partner at KPMG UK, ...
-
Article
Employee Benefits Academy launched
A new Employee Benefits Academy has been created, a new joint venture between Employee Benefits magazine and Total Reward Academy.The Employee Benefits Academy will provide expert, practical training in benefits and compensation management.It will offer a series of one-day courses, designed to develop specific skills and capabilities.Courses can be selected ...
-
Article
Barclays rewards on satisfaction
Barclays’ frontline staff will receive bonuses for customer service rather than for the sale of products.The new bonus structure will effect more than 20,000 employees in the bank’s UK retail and business banking division.The incentives will be based on how satisfied customers are with the service they are provided and ...
-
Article
Small firms unprepared for auto-enrolment
Only 28% of smaller firms have budgeted for the cost of auto-enrolment, according to new research from the Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA).A million challenges ahead, the first report from the ACA’s 2012 Smaller firms’ pensions survey, found the majority of respondents with 250 or fewer employees were unprepared for ...
-
Article
Wickes launches gift vouchers
DIY retailer Wickes has launched a gift voucher, which employers can add to their voluntary benefits scheme or recognition programme.The Wickes for Business gift vouchers come in denominations of £5, £10, £20 and £50, are redeemable at more than 200 stores nationwide, and can be spent on more than 14,000 ...
-
Article
Vielife launches wellbeing challenges
Health and wellness provider Vielife has launched a range of web-based, interactive challenges aimed at improving employees’ health and productivity.You Can Be Active, the first product in the range to be released, tracks physical activity on a daily basis. Employees can sign up in teams and compete with other teams ...
-
Article
UKTV to host benefits event
EXCLUSIVE: UKTV will be running a two-day benefits and wellbeing event to raise awareness among staff of the benefits available to them.It will also include information on health and wellbeing issues and financial advice.The multi-channel provider is hosting the event at its London office on 17 and 18 October for ...
-
Article
FTSE 250 directors' pay increases stay at 3%
The median salary increases for executive directors at FTSE 250 organisations have remained at 3%, the same level as 2011, according to research by Deloitte.The business advisory firm’s Executive directors’ remuneration report found that 46% of FTSE 250 organisations awarded increases of less than 5%, compared to the 41% that ...
-
Article
HR4UK launches online HR system
HR4UK has launched an online HR and employment law system.The Employment Handbook and HR System, which includes information about changes to employment legislation and links to employee benefits, can be accessed through an employer’s intranet site.Peter Abraham, founder and director at HR4UK, said: “Complying with the different laws and procedures ...
-
Article
Overhaul planned for MPs’ pay and pensions
MPs could be subject to performance-related pay and be offered membership to career average pension schemes as part of a complete review of their salaries and pensions being undertaken by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA).Reviewing MPs’ pay and pensions: a consultation is the first step in determining a new ...
-
Article
Technology firm staff walk 28,000 miles
Employees at Critical Software Technologies walked 27,956 miles as part of a 16-week global workplace health challenge.Seven teams from the software organisation took part in the Global Corporate Challenge (GCC) along with 185,000 other employees worldwide.Each employee wore a pedometer to record their daily steps, which were then logged on ...
-
Article
Most EAP users recover after counselling
Nearly three-quarters (70%) of respondents who have used an employee assistance programme (EAP) have recovered or improved following the counselling, according to research by the UK Employee Assistance Professionals Association (UK EAPA).Its research, Benchmarking key service quality indicators in UK employee assistance programme counselling, which was undertaken in partnership with ...
-
Article
IBM loses High Court pensions case
IBM will have to rectify the trust deeds and rules for its UK defined benefit (DB) plan to allow active members to retire from age 60 without the organisation’s consent or reduction in their pension, following a High Court judgement.The case was brought before the courts by the pension scheme’s ...
-
Article
Royal Opera House to close DB pension
The Royal Opera House is to close its defined benefit (DB) pension scheme to future accrual in the run-up to its auto-enrolment staging date of September 2013.A consultation with the scheme’s 200 members about the closure will be open until 7 December 2012. The Royal Opera House then intends to ...
-
Article
DB pensions need alternative de-risking strategies
It will be around 2040 before UK private sector defined benefit (DB) pension schemes can fully de-risk unless they consider alternative strategies, according to research by Towers Watson.The research is based on the projected availability of low-risk assets, with the supply of index-linked gilts (ILGs) considered the most important constraint ...