All Employee Benefits articles in Web Issue – Page 809
-
ArticleIFS Proshare appoints new head
Gabbi Stopp has been appointed the new head of IFS Proshare. She succeeds Alan Scott, who has held the position in an interim capacity since August 2014, pending the appointment of a long-term successor.Stopp will join the employee share scheme industry body on 7 April.Her previous positions include account director ...
-
ArticlePension Schemes Bill receives Royal Assent
The Pension Schemes Bill that enables the introduction of the government’s pension reforms has received Royal Assent.It is the final piece of legislation bringing into force the upcoming pension flexibilities on 6 April 2015.Together with the Taxation of Pensions Act, which became law in December 2014, it introduces a number ...
-
ArticleDWP begins Fit for Work national roll-out
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has started to roll out its Fit for Work service to workplaces.General practioner (GP) referrals have commenced in Betsi Cadwaladr and Sheffield and will expand across England and Wales. From 9 March, over 200 GP practices are able to refer individuals who have ...
-
ArticleCompany car tax rates to rise more slowly
Budget 2015: Company car tax rates for ultra-low emission cars will increase more slowly from 2019/20 than previously announced. Chancellor George Osborne also announced in his 2015 Budget that rates for other cars will increase by three percentage points.The appropriate percentage of list price subject to tax will increase by ...
-
ArticleSantander drives take up of salary sacrifice car scheme
Santander plans to use its benefits communications to increase take up of its salary sacrifice car scheme.Speaking in a session titled ’The evolving world of salary sacrifice cars - now and in the future’, at Employee Benefits Connect on 4 March, Elliot Rees-Davies, reward director at Santander, said that, since ...
-
ArticleCBT offered to staff referred to Fit for Work
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is to be offered to employees who have been referred to the Fit for Work service by their employer or GP. The offer, which was announced in the Budget report, will see employees with mental health concerns offered CBT through a free online service from early ...
-
ArticleSteve Webb urges employers to consider pension freedom choices
Employers and their staff should avoid rushing to make decisions around the new pensions freedoms coming into force on 6 April, and consider the date as the start of a journey rather than a deadline, according to Steve Webb, minister for pensions, speaking at Employee Benefits Connect 2015. “The chances ...
-
ArticleWork and Pensions Committee recommends single pensions regulator
A single pensions regulator and an independent commission will need to be set up to help protect pension savers when the new pension flexibilities come into effect from April 2015, according to a report by the Work and Pensions Committee.Its Progress with automatic-enrolment and pension reforms report highlighted that an ...
-
ArticleGE rolls out new retirement communications strategy
GE is in the throes rolling out a new retirement communications strategy to help communicate the new pension freedoms available to staff from 6 April. It is part of a flexible retirement policy that the organisation, which specialises in energy, healthcare, aviation and transport services, implemented last year. Michelle Newton, ...
-
Article
Financial disengagement could limit success of pension reforms
Financial disengagement among people approaching retirement could threaten the success of the government’s pension reforms, according to research by the Strategic Society Centre.Its Defined capability: pensions, financial capability and decision-making among retirees research found that among respondents aged 55 to 64, only one in three with defined contribution (DC) pension ...
-
ArticleLess than half of employers offer enhanced maternity leave
Less than half (48%) of UK employers offer enhanced maternity pay to staff, according to research by Wolters Kluwer and Croner.the Croner reward employee benefits report, which surveyed 127 employers, found that the most commonly offered enhances scheme was 12 to 13 weeks at full pay.The research also found that ...
-
ArticleVodafone to launch global maternity policy
Vodafone Group is to introduce a mandatory minimum global maternity policy across 30 countries by the end of 2015. Women working at all levels across the multinational telecommunications group will be offered at least 16 weeks fully paid maternity leave.Staff will also receive full pay for a 30-hour week for ...
-
Case StudiesAsda boosts sharesave take-up
Simon Bell, senior reward manager at the supermarket behemoth, explains: “Our sharesave scheme plays a key part of our reward strategy and we openly encourage participation throughout our organisation from hourly-paid and salaried colleagues to board members.”Before designing its 2014 sharesave campaign, Asda carried out face-to-face research with a broad ...
-
AnalysisHow to boost share plan take-up
If you read nothing else, read this:Last April, the government increased sharesave and share incentive plan (Sip) savings limits from £250 to £500 per month for sharesave and from £125 to £150 for Sips.Organisations with Sips are entitled to employer national insurance contribution (NIC) savings and employers are also required ...
-
ArticleEmployee Benefits digital magazine - March 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 March 2015).How to createan integerated financial wellbeing strategy toupport business needs. Read more in ...
-
ArticleOne in five have no savings
One in five (19%) people in the UK have no savings, according to research from pension, life and investment firm Scottish Widows.However, The Savings Report 2014, which surveyed 5,144 UK adults through YouGov, did find that 33% of respondents are saving more than they were two years ago.The study also ...
-
Article?BBC staff paid £228 million to work unsociable hours
BBC employees were paid over £228 million to work unsociable and unpredictable hours in 2014.Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act show that thousands of BBC employees take home an average of almost £4,000 on top of their basic salaries as a reward for working irregular hours.Some 7,941 BBC ...
-
ArticleEB Connect to discuss global online benefits scheme surge
Global online benefits are gaining in popularity, with greater numbers of employers implementing a strategy across their global workforce. In a session at Employee Benefits Connect on 4 March entitled, ‘Global online benefits: myth or reality?’, Martha How, partner reward and benefits at Aon Consulting, will discuss their global prevalence ...
-
ArticleMcDonald’s, Halfords and Santander among best employers
Halfords, Santander and Zenith are among the top 100 best employers to work for, according to The Sunday Times.The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For 2015 ranked lingerie retailer Bravissimo in its list, as well as Hymans Robertson, Bibby Financial Services, White Stuff, BMW UK, The Perfume Shop and ...
-
Supplier article
Another growing blip on the pensions radar…
So what is the automatic transfers project, why is it being introduced and what does it mean for employers?To understand the necessity of this issue, we need to consider how automatic enrolment (AE) has changed the dynamics of workplace pensions in the UK. Before 2012, it could be argued that ...