All articles by Zoe Wickens – Page 143

  • Maternity protection
    Opinion

    Michelle Hobbs: Maternity protections are on their way

    2023-05-10T08:00:56Z

    The Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Bill is expected to receive its final reading in the House of Lords imminently, and should be passed into law soon.The bill aims to extend current protections from redundancy for expectant and new mothers, and introduce new protections for those taking and returning from ...

  • Naked Energy
    Article

    Naked Energy names head of people

    2023-05-10T08:00:04Z

    British solar heat tech firm Naked Energy has appointed Alex Mitchell (pictured) as head of people as of this month.Mitchell has more than 20 years of experience working in HR, a degree in human resources management and a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) qualification.Prior to founding HR consultancy ...

  • HIT Training employee owned
    Article

    HIT Training becomes majority employee owned

    2023-05-09T10:46:42Z

    Training and apprenticeships provider HIT Training has become employee owned through the creation of an employee ownership trust (EOT).The EOT, which will benefit the employer’s employees across its HIT Training, Connect2Care and Executive Development Network divisions, now owns 61% of the organisation on behalf of staff.All employees are eligible to ...

  • South East Coast Ambulance Service launches mental health app for staff
    Article

    South England ambulance staff strike in pay row

    2023-05-09T10:06:49Z

    South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust and South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust staff have commenced further strike action from today (9 May) as a result of an ongoing pay dispute.The employees, members of trade union Unite, will walk out from midday to 10pm at picket lines in Portsmouth, ...

  • Thomas Cook
    Article

    Thomas Cook completes £900 million pension buy-in

    2023-05-09T09:50:26Z

    Travel business Thomas Cook has completed a £900 million bulk purchase annuity buy-in transaction for its UK pension scheme.Aviva insured the defined benefit (DB) pension liabilities for more than 12,500 scheme members following the liquidation of the business in 2019. There were 12,693 members in total, consisting of 8,421 deferred ...

  • musculoskeletal support
    Analysis

    Why musculoskeletal support should be a priority for employers

    2023-05-09T05:00:55Z

    Repetitive movements, using a computer, poor posture and sitting at an inadequate desk without back and neck support can lead to poor musculoskeletal health and related sickness absences.Acute back pain, for example, becomes chronic after 21 days, which can significantly impact an employee’s physical and mental health, and their ability ...

  • BT-gives-staff-£1500-Covid-19-bonus
    Case Studies

    BT Group offers preventative musculoskeletal support

    2023-05-09T05:00:37Z

    Telecommunications organisation BT Group aims to ensure that preventative measures are in place before any employee develops a musculoskeletal condition.The group employs 80,000 members of staff in the UK, which includes office-based employees, engineers and sales employees, who work both in the office and at home.BT uses a model called ...

  • Kellogg’s HR director
    Article

    Kellogg’s hires UK and Ireland HR director

    2023-05-04T08:00:14Z

    Manchester-based Kellogg’s has appointed Melanie Bowes (pictured) as HR director for the UK and Ireland to oversee its people strategy across the UK and Ireland.Having relocated from Melbourne, Australia for the role, Bowes will oversee a team of two employees responsible for the execution of people plans for the British ...

  • Shireen-Shaikh-sit-desktop-small
    Opinion

    Shireen Shaikh: The right to request predictable work patterns

    2023-05-03T08:00:50Z

    Casual, temporary and agency workers will have new rights and protections if a government-backed private member's bill, the Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill, becomes law. In particular, the right to request a more predictable working pattern might relate to the number of hours they work in a week, the ...

  • gift card rewards
    Article

    EXCLUSIVE: 33% of staff motivated by gift card rewards

    2023-05-02T08:00:47Z

    A third (33%) of UK employees said that gift card rewards from their employer motivate them to be more productive, according to research from global payments and financial services technology solutions provider Fiserv.The UK prepaid consumer insights survey explored whether employers giving gift cards to reward employees boosted retention ...

  • Staffbase chief people officer
    Article

    Staffbase hires chief people officer

    2023-05-02T08:00:29Z

    Employee communications platform provider Staffbase has appointed Neil Morrison (pictured) as chief people officer.Morrison has more than 15 years of experience in human resources and talent management, and was appointed to lead Staffbase’s efforts to ensure talent and culture become strategic drivers for its growth agenda.According to the employer, it ...

  • Cadent menopause friendly
    Article

    Cadent accredited as menopause-friendly employer

    2023-04-28T10:03:20Z

    Gas distribution network Cadent has been awarded menopause-friendly accreditation due to its practices that embrace menopause in the workplace.Established by Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace, the accreditation process assesses employers via an independent panel. Organisations must demonstrate evidence of their effectiveness through their culture, policies and practices, training, engagement, facilities ...

  • Ovo Energy reports mean gender pay gap of 20.1%
    Article

    Ovo Energy launches flexible bank holidays

    2023-04-28T09:40:37Z

    Energy supplier Ovo Energy has introduced a flexible bank holiday policy to allow staff more choice when taking time off throughout the year.This applies to all UK 2023 bank holidays apart from Christmas Day, New Year and the King’s Coronation, which remain fixed.According to the employer, the policy was introduced ...

  • top10news21-27April
    Article

    The top 10 most-read articles between 21 - 27 April 2023

    2023-04-28T08:00:41Z

    The top 10 most-read articles on www.employeebenefits.co.uk between 21 - 27 April 2023 were: TGI Fridays scraps free meals for employeesNvidia, Lindt and Confused.com named UK’s Best Workplaces 2023Amazon and Wells Fargo named top US employers for 2023Quarter of women undergoing fertility treatment face unfairness at workMajestic increases wages and ...

  • Jobilla wellbeing
    Article

    Jobilla plants smart green walls to make wellbeing blossom

    2023-04-28T08:00:34Z

    Something for the weekend: Talent acquisition business Jobilla has equipped its Berlin office with Nordic smart green wall technology in order to grow its employees’ mental and physical wellbeing.Jobilla first worked with Finnish indoor nature technology firm Naava five years ago, after it designed and installed the walls in its ...

  • coastline housing
    Article

    Coastline Housing receives living pension accreditation

    2023-04-28T08:00:03Z

    Cornish charitable housing association Coastline Housing has received living pension accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation.Launched last month, the living pension is a voluntary savings target for employers who want to help workers build up a pension that will provide enough income for everyday needs in retirement. The target is ...

  • Chessington World of Adventures
    Article

    Chessington World of Adventures gives engineers 13.53% pay rise

    2023-04-27T11:02:12Z

    Credit: Lukasz Sadlowski / Shutterstock.comEngineers employed at theme park Chessington World of Adventures have called off planned strike action after accepting an improved pay offer of 13.53%.The dispute was a result of the engineers, responsible for ensuring the park's safety systems are fully operational, seeking a pay increase in line ...

  • Nestle Walt Disney
    Article

    Nestle and Disney win Best Employers health and wellbeing award

    2023-04-27T10:48:41Z

    Credit: Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.comFood manufacturer Nestle, technology firm Adobe and The Walt Disney Company are among those businesses recognised with the Best Employers excellence in health and wellbeing award.US-based health and benefits authority Business Group on Health awarded the accolade to a total of 50 large employers, including American ...

  • Royal College Midwives pay
    Article

    Royal College of Midwives accepts NHS pay deal

    2023-04-27T10:09:52Z

    Members of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) in England have voted to accept the NHS’ latest pay offer, following a consultation earlier this week.A total of 57% of eligible RCM midwife and maternity support workers voted to accept the deal and 43% rejected it, with an overall turnout of ...

  • Metro Bank director
    Article

    Metro Bank appoints director of colleague experience and inclusion

    2023-04-27T08:00:08Z

    Metro Bank has appointed Chit Ghee Yeoh (pictured) as director of colleague experience and inclusion.Yeoh joined the business in 2014 as head of internal audit and will move over to her new role in the autumn.With over 20 years’ experience in banking and accounting, Yeoh previously held a number of ...