All articles by Zoe Wickens – Page 215

  • top-10-news-3-December-9-December
    Article

    The top 10 most-read articles between 3 December – 9 December 2021

    2021-12-10T08:55:36Z

    The top 10 most-read stories on employeebenefits.co.uk between 3 December – 9 December 2021 were: Aviva launches electric vehicle salary sacrifice schemePoundstretcher gives staff 10% pay riseHC-One launches new pay and reward schemeTesco warehouse and driver staff to strike in pay rowAnchor to pay staff real living wage rates5% of ...

  • TSB extends mental health support to friends and families of staff
    Article

    TSB introduces new staff support and leave package

    2021-12-09T10:57:15Z

    Retail bank TSB has announced a?new?employee??support package for?new parents, those affected by parental or pregnancy-related bereavement?and those experiencing menopause or infertility.The policy will enable new primary and co-parents, as well as adoptive parents, to take up to a year of leave to spend with their child, with 20 weeks at ...

  • Rae-Avatar-Barnett
    Article

    Laing O’Rourke hires new head of people for Europe

    2021-12-09T09:43:34Z

    Laing O’Rourke has appointed Rae Avatar Barnett as head of people for its Europe hub, which includes operations in the UK and the Middle East.Avatar Barnett joins the construction business from energy firm Centrica, where she has worked since 2009 in the HR delivery, commercial transformation and talent management departments.As ...

  • employee-ownership
    Article

    Zaha Hadid Architects establishes employee benefit trust

    2021-12-09T09:04:18Z

    Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has converted to an employee ownership model by establishing an employee benefit trust (EBT).According to the 42-year-old architecture business, which has 500 global members of staff and will not award shares out of the EBT to any individual employee, the new structure means it will have ...

  • pension
    Article

    Pandemic forces 300,000 women out of workplace pensions

    2021-12-09T09:02:15Z

    Some 300,000 women were unable to make any savings towards a workplace pension in the last year due to the impact of lockdowns, home schooling and increased domestic responsibilities during the pandemic, research has revealed.Workplace pension provider Now: Pensions’ new report Pandemics and pension inequality, created in collaboration with the ...

  • benefits
    Article

    40% of staff at small firms would leave job for better benefits

    2021-12-09T09:02:12Z

    Four in 10 employees at small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the UK would consider leaving their employer to gain better employee benefits, according to a survey.Employee benefits provider Unum UK’s poll of 2,000 adults found that 40% of employees believed employee benefits were a key influencing decision on whether ...

  • reflection-on-reward-strategies
    Analysis

    How have reward strategies changed in 2021 and what might the new year bring?

    2021-12-09T06:00:43Z

    Ultimately in 2021, reward professionals had to keep on the pulse of what employees wanted and needed more than ever.Employers can offer discount schemes and salary sacrifice schemes to those looking to keep costs low and boost their financial wellbeing, as well as providing support for those wanting to bolster ...

  • Ian-Hodson-column
    Opinion

    Ian Hodson: 2022 will be the year to reset reward strategies

    2021-12-09T06:00:43Z

    Covid-19 (Coronavirus) has certainly impacted the last couple of years, and for many agendas has served as an accelerator in respect of its impact on the ways we work, our wellbeing priorities and how we interact with our colleagues and balance work and home.I believe 2022 will give reward professionals ...

  • Charles-Cotton
    Opinion

    Charles Cotton: Flexible working should be a focus point in 2022

    2021-12-09T06:00:36Z

    Reward professionals have been busy responding to an increasingly tight labour market in the latter half of 2021. While skill and labour shortages have been felt across the board, they have been most acute in hospitality, haulage, health and social care, with bonuses and pay increases being used to counter ...

  • Aviva and Standard Life Aberdee gain living hours accreditation
    Article

    Aviva launches electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme

    2021-12-08T09:05:33Z

    Insurance giant Aviva has introduced an electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme for its 16,000 UK employees.Under the initiative, workers can give up part of their pre-tax income in return for the opportunity to drive a fully electric vehicle such as a Nissan Leaf or Mini Electric for a two or ...

  • 33% of employers have reviewed their sick pay policy due to Covid-19
    Article

    Sick pay is too low for around one-third of staff

    2021-12-08T09:04:37Z

    Around one-third of UK workers have sick pay that is too low to meet basic living costs, or no protection at all, according to research.The Trades Union Congress (TUC) conducted an online survey of more than 2,000 workers earlier this year that showed many didn't qualify for statutory sick pay, ...

  • Tescos Ireland employees recognised for efforts by being given 10% bonus
    Article

    Tesco warehouse and driver staff to strike in pay row

    2021-12-08T09:01:41Z

    Tesco warehouse workers and lorry drivers have announced plans to stage a series of strikes in the weeks leading up to Christmas in a dispute over pay.More than 1,000 of staff at depots in Antrim and Belfast in Northern Ireland; Livingston, Scotland; and Didcot and Doncaster in England, will take ...

  • Jeremy-Harris
    Opinion

    Jeremy Harris: What are the long-term consequences of the pensions pay gap?

    2021-12-08T08:55:53Z

    During a House of Lords debate on 22 November 2021, following a question posed by Labour life peer Lord Sikka about the UK government's efforts to tackle entrenched gender pay inequality, the pensions gap was highlighted as an issue of major concern.The pensions gap, it was noted, contributes to societal ...

  • Enable-Scotland
    Article

    Enable Scotland ups staff pay to £10.40 an hour

    2021-12-07T10:45:35Z

    Social care charity Enable Scotland has increased its basic rate of pay to £10.40 per hour for its 2,000 members of staff as of this month (December).The wage rise, which goes beyond the Scottish government-funded increase to £10.02, means that the basic contracted rate of pay for the organisation’s care ...

  • Disability pay gap in the UK stands at 20% for 2020
    Article

    Poll: Just 8% of employers publish disability pay gap

    2021-12-07T09:05:04Z

    Employee Benefits poll: Fewer than one in 10 organisations currently publish their annual disability pay gap, according to our research.Only 8% of respondents to an online survey said they made the data available to the public on a regular basis.A further 33% are considering reporting on disability pay while the ...

  • Gender pay gap submissions down 50% on last year
    Article

    Gender earnings gap still high at 40%

    2021-12-07T09:03:01Z

    The average mid-working-age UK woman earned 40% less than her male counterpart in 2019, research has revealed.The study, which was carried out for the Institute for Fiscal Studies' (IFS) Deaton Review of Inequalities, found the gender earnings gap was just 13 percentage points lower than in the mid-1990s.The authors found ...

  • UPHD accuse Uber over new sick pay policy provided to UK drivers
    Article

    Uber loses High Court bid to challenge worker rights ruling

    2021-12-07T09:01:46Z

    The UK High Court has refused transport business Uber’s application to declare its gig-economy business model lawful following the Supreme Court’s ruling on its worker rights and transport regulation.In February this year, the Supreme Court ruled against Uber and confirmed that its drivers were entitled to statutory protection under employment ...

  • Poundstretcher
    Article

    Poundstretcher gives staff 10% pay rise

    2021-12-06T09:04:03Z

    Retailer Poundstretcher is to reward established employees with a 10% pay rise in recognition of their hard work throughout the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.From 1 January 2022, those who have been members of staff at the business for a full year will receive the hike in their basic annual salary.This will ...

  • Participate in exclusive healthcare benefits research to enter a prize draw
    Article

    The Calico Group offers paid leave for fertility treatment

    2021-12-06T09:02:03Z

    The Calico Group has introduced additional support for staff experiencing miscarriage, menopause and fertility treatment.From this month (December), employees at the Burnley, UK-based support services provider can benefit from 10 days of paid special leave if affected by pregnancy loss or fertility treatment, and flexible arrangements if going through the ...