All Employee Benefits articles in Web Issue – Page 802
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Supplier article
Error in current Pension Schemes Bill
By David PiltzMore haste, less speedDefined-contribution (DC) pension schemes calculate transfer values at the date of disinvestment. There is good reason for this. A member in a DC pension scheme has a pot, made up of any contributions paid into it by or on behalf of the member and the ...
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ArticleLess than half female retail workers feel their employer looks after wellbeing
Less than half of female respondents (47%) working in the retail industry feel their employer looks after their wellbeing, compared to 76% of their male counterparts, according to research by the Institute of Commercial Management (ICM), comissioned by income protection specialist Unum.Its study of 709 employees, including 144 retail workers, ...
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ArticleConsumer analytics should inform benefits design
The advantages of using consumer analytics to devise an employee benefits package will be the focus of a session at Employee Benefits Connect.In a session titled ’Applying consumer analytics to employee benefits design’, Dr Eric Tyree (pictured), chief data scientist at Capita Employee Benefits, will discuss how to apply staff ...
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ArticleEmployee Benefits digital magazine - February 2015
Read this month’s articles in the digital magazine by clicking the links below, or read the online versions by using the links to the right under ‘Related articles’ (these articles will go live in stages during February 2015).At a time when employers are anxious about losing their top talent, building ...
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Supplier article
Pension Wise — but just how pension wise will the advisers be?
By David PiltzTo assist members to understand their options, from April 2015 when the new pensions flexibilities are applied to defined-contribution arrangements, the government is implementing a free and impartial guidance guarantee service. The government has just announced that the ‘go to market’ name for the guidance guarantee is ‘Pension ...
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Supplier article
Are the new pension freedoms an administration disaster?
By Girish MenezesThe second line of defence legislation was great news to all of us who care about retirement savings being invested and spent wisely. However, for pension administrators, the timing cannot be worse.With barely two months to go before the introduction of the new pension ‘Freedom and Choice’ flexibilities, ...
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OpinionAlastair Kendrick: Are the rules about to change on taxation of travel and subsistence?
The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) has been asked by the government to visit these rules and update the guidance to meet the way in which employees presently work. We await the issue of its updated guidance.These rules set out what is considered an employee’s ‘base’ for tax purposes. It ...
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ArticleObesity ruling could lead employers to make 'reasonable adjustments'
This could be an alarming cause for concern for employers given that more than 64% of adults are classed as being overweight or obese in the UK, according to the Overseas Development Institute.The ECJ found in the case of Karsten Kaltoft v Billund, in which a childmider who weighed 25 ...
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ArticleMost talked-about news on the website in March 2015
The total number of employers fined for failing to comply with their workplace pensions duties totalled 169 by the end of 2014, according to figures from The Pensions Regulator (TPR).“The message from The Pensions Regulator is loud and clear. Not complying is not an option. The crackdown is crucial to ...
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Article4% say their employer conducts cancer awareness initiatives
Just 4% of employee respondents say that their employer has run a health initiative relating to cancer, according to research by Bupa to highlight World Cancer Day on 4 February.However, its study of 4,000 UK employees and 1,000 UK employers of higher managerial level, as well as 12,800 staff and ...
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ArticleMorrisons consults on closure of DB pension schemes
Morrisons is to consult with staff on the closure of its defined benefit (DB) pension schemes.The retailer’s proposed changes would mean that members of its career average revalued earnings (Care) schemes would stop building up benefits through that scheme. Benefits already accrued by staff will remain in the scheme until ...
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ArticleSports Direct faces bonus claims from zero-hours staff
Sports Direct is facing a claim from nearly 300 employees that were not eligible to participate in its bonus scheme because they were on zero-hours contracts. The employees were excluded from the retail organisation’s bonus arrangements, which paid out some £160 million worth of shares to 2,000 permanent employees. In ...
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AnalysisBenefits to support sensitive health issues
If you read nothing else, read this…Support for staff with sensitive health problems include exercise, healthy eating and counselling.Staff have a right to confidentiality under the Human Rights Act 1998, and therefore in most cases do not have to disclose personal medical information to their employer. Eating disorders and mental ...
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OpinionStewart Allanson: Employers must prepare for the workforce revolution
New technologies and increasing mobility are revolutionising the workplace, with huge implications for employers.Not since the industrial revolution of the late 18th and early 19th century has there been such far-reaching change and now, just as then, there is tremendous opportunity mixed with unprecedented risk.Smartphones and devices are the biggest ...
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Case StudiesAker Solutions benchmarks benefits globally
The company benchmarks its benefits package on a global basis in order to better understand what the market norms are in each of the countries in which it operates.Philip Hutchinson, head of reward at Aker Solutions, says it is all about combining a global philosophy with local principles; combining a ...
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Case StudiesNorton Rose Fulbright focuses on mental health
The global law firm launched its mental health awareness strategy in October 2014. In the week running up to World Mental Health Awareness Day it held a series of lunchtime talks for staff in conjunction with providers including Bupa and Roodlane Medical, as well as local GPs and gyms. These ...
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ArticleWinners of the Corporate Adviser Awards 2015 announced
Employee Benefits’ sister publication, Corporate Adviser, announced the winners of its annual awards on 4 February at the Lancaster London Hotel.Capita Employee Benefits was named corporate adviser firm of the year, while corporate adviser small firm of the year was awarded to Orb Employee Benefits.The winners also included:Pension adviser of ...
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ArticleCo-Operative Group to roll out loan for home rental deposits
The Co-Operative Group is one of the first employers to offer the government’s new interest-free loan to help employees pay for a deposit on a rented home.The retail organisation will offer the scheme, which is being rolled out across the UK, to its 70,000-plus employees to help staff pay their ...
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Supplier article
Johnson Fleming announces details of its next webinar
Auto-enrolment provided UK businesses with an array of challenges in 2014, and with the Pensions Regulator starting to bare its teeth as the first fines were issued, businesses were put under more pressure to ensure their scheme remained compliant.Johnson Fleming’s webinars were there to lend a helping hand. The company ...
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ArticleTop 10 most read stories this week
The top 10 most read stories on employeebenefits.co.uk from 29 January-5 February 2015:1. John Lewis reviews DB and DC pension schemes2. 169 employers fined for auto-enrolment non compliance3. Dirty offices lower productivity4. ITV staff to ballot for strike action over pay5. Alastair Kendrick: Are the rules about to change on ...