Employee Benefits back issues from December 2007:
Ensure your benefits strategy lives up to ethical expectations.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not simply about having a heart of gold. Many organisations have adopted a CSR strategy because it can help to deliver business benefits. By building a reputation for operating in an ethical manner that takes into account the wellbeing ...
Friends Provident gears up to launch flexible benefits scheme next year.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Financial services firm, Friends Provident is to launch a flexible benefits scheme for its 4,100 employees within the next 12 months. It is also introducing online total reward statements and online pay slips to help ensure that all employees have a sound understanding of ...
KPMG offers staff chance to add bonus to pension.
Dec 13, 2007 ... KPMG has introduced the option for staff to sacrifice their annual bonus into their company pension scheme, ahead of the pre-Christmas bonus period. Under the scheme, employees have the option of sacrificing part or all of their annual bonus into their pension pot, making tax ...
Microsoft tests drivers' skills.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Microsoft plans to use psychometric testing to determine the appropriate training needs of individual company car drivers. The software company will pilot the initiative in the new year in a bid to reduce risk and promote driver safety across its 2,000-strong fleet. Test ...
BSkyB launches financial education programme.
Dec 13, 2007 ... BSkyB has launched a financial education programme with workshops, face- to-face advice sessions and online guides for its UK employee population. The step has been taken by the media firm to ensure a good return on its benefits investment, and to help staff understand ...
Hayward revamps flex.(BDO Stoy Hayward revamped its flexible benefits scheme for employees)(Brief article)
Dec 13, 2007 ... BDO Stoy Hayward has revamped its flexible benefits scheme to offer staff the chance to contribute into its occupational defined contribution pension from their flex allowance via salary sacrifice. To encourage saving, staff who decide to make extra voluntary contributions, will ...
Driver Hire funds cash plan to boost wellbeing.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Driver Hire, the national transport and logistics recruitment firm, has introduced an employer-funded healthcare cash plan to help its employees look after their health and wellbeing at work. Through the plan, employees can claim money back towards the cost of a range of ...
Discounts at McDonald's.
Dec 13, 2007 ... McDonald's has introduced discounts on Fujitsu-Siemens wireless-enabled laptops and O2 mobile phones for its 67,000-strong workforce. Staff will be able to sign up for discounted line rental and pay-as-you- go mobile phones six times a year, and have until the end of January ...
3D Entertainment considers moving staff into GPP plan.
Dec 13, 2007 ... 3D Entertainment Group is considering closing its stakeholder pension scheme in the new year and moving staff into its group personal pension (GPP). The move follows the introduction last month of a voluntary benefits scheme provided by PeopleValue. The bar ...
Wragge puts info online.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Wragge & Co plans to move its total reward statements online from March to give employees continuous access to a list of their perks throughout the year, instead of just on an annual basis. The legal firm has delivered total reward statements to staff in paper form for the ...
NHS Trust offers e-learning.
Dec 13, 2007 ... The Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has introduced online training courses for staff to give them the opportunity to boost their skills. The Home Training Initiative gives staff the chance to take out a free loan of home computing equipment from the scheme's ...
Coach firm in cash reward.
Dec 13, 2007 ... National Express has axed plans to use costly pre-pay credit cards to reward staff and has instead opted to credit special staff accounts with the equivalent of a cash sum. Managers at the coach firm can reward high-performers with a branded cheque for any sum. Awards of over ...
First Direct turns to web as social link-up.(Firstdirect gives employees social networking facility)(Brief article)
Dec 13, 2007 ... First Direct plans to add an online social networking facility to its intranet site, to encourage employees to interact and make use of the discounted events and trips that are available. Employees will be able to use a "buddy up" facility on the bank's intranet to post a ...
PEOPLE MOVES: Fujitsu enlists Hawkins.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Fujitsu Services has appointed Lindsay Hawkins as pensions communication and projects manager. Hawkins previously held the role of pensions and benefits manager at banking and investment firm Societe Generale. Hawkins said ...
PEOPLE MOVES: Lambert to join BLG.(appointment of Adam Lambert in Barlow Lyde & Gilbert)(Brief article)
Dec 13, 2007 ... Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) is taking on Adam Lambert as partner in the employment and pensions department. Lambert, who starts his new role in the new year, said he is eager to work with BLG's large client base. "[With] BLG's ...
PEOPLE MOVES: Accor opts for Hardman.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Accor Services' sales and marketing director, Derrick Hardman, has been promoted to managing director of Capital Incentives & Motivation, the reward arm of the Accor ...
Coca-Cola plans to convert drivers to 'greener' vehicles.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Coca-Cola Enterprises is considering a number of new initiatives designed to shift drivers to greener vehicles and help reduce the impact that its 1,200-strong fleet has on the environment. The drinks manufacturer aims to reduce its fleet's CO2 emissions from its current ...
Zurich puts hols online.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Zurich Financial Services is introducing an online holiday booking system for employees and line managers in a bid to cut down on administration. From January, line managers will be able to input employees' holiday entitlement into a central online system. Staff will be able to ...
Retailers use raft of perks this yule.
Dec 13, 2007 ... High-street retailers across the UK are putting perks in place to help boost employee motivation during the busy pre-Christmas period. Supermarket chain Asda will provide all staff with a personalised Christmas card, a free festive meal at their workplace canteen, #5 for every ...
HML issues staff statements.
Dec 13, 2007 ... HML has launched paper-based total reward statements so that employees can see the full value of their benefits. The provider of outsourced third-party mortgage administration services is providing its workforce of more than 1,900 employees with the statements following an ...
ANALYSIS: Pension buy outs hot up?
Dec 13, 2007 ... As Emap off-loads two of its defined benefit plans, does this mark a new trend among larger employers? Emap's decision to off-load its two largest defined pension (DB) schemes, with combined assets of #170m, to insurance company Paternoster has not only removed its DB ...
Search online at Cohpa for occupational health provision.
Dec 13, 2007 ... The Commercial Occupational Health Providers Association (Cohpa), the occupational health trade body, plans to launch an online search facility by the end of the year that will enable employers to identify which provider best suits their specific needs. Employers will be able ...
Crack-down on bikes?(United Kingdom. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs would investigate employeers as they are adhering to bike-to-work schemes)(Brief article)
Dec 13, 2007 ... HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is set to investigate and make an example of employers that run tax-efficient bike-to-work schemes outside of the rules, according to one tax expert. Staff must use their bike for at least part of the journey between home and work, or between ...
Denplan pilots interactive workshops on dental care.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Dental care provider Denplan is piloting a workplace-based interactive dental workshop for staff which, if successful, would be bolted on to its existing dental offering for its large corporate clients. As part of the service, a Denplan dentist will visit an employer and ...
IN BRIEF: Health Shield revamps healthcare cash plan.(Brief article)
Dec 13, 2007 ... Health Shield is revamping its corporate healthcare cash plan product in January following a benchmarking exercise. The new-look cash plan will include a health and wellbeing benefit that offers members allergy testing and smoking cessation therapy. Employees will also be able ...
IN BRIEF: Northgate's green slips.(Northgate HR has launched a service that uses recycled paper for P60 forms)(Brief article)
Dec 13, 2007 ... Northgate HR has launched a service that provides employers with P60 forms and payslips on recycled paper to help organisations adopt more environmentally-friendly practices. The new product is targeted at companies that print a large number of payslips and P60s for employees ...
IN BRIEF: Chevin fuels efficiency.(Brief article)
Dec 13, 2007 ... Fleet software provider Chevin Fleet Solutions has launched an online fuel calculator that demonstrates the impact of fuel efficiency measures on the total fleet fuel bill. Fleet managers are required to type in their annual ...
IN BRIEF: Fifth of staff choose not to correct overpayments.(overpaid employees did not inform to employer)(Brief article)
Dec 13, 2007 ... A fifth of employees (20%) have not informed their employer when they have been overpaid, according to the Understanding payroll survey conducted by ADP Employer Services and YouGov. However, just 2% said they didn't report a shortfall in their pay when they ...
IN BRIEF: Drivers' lack of vision.(working women use contact lenses glasses while driving)(Brief article)
Dec 13, 2007 ... One-in-12 (8%) male company car drivers do not use contact lenses or glasses while driving even though they need them. The Driving attitudes survey from Alphabet has also revealed that 3% of women who drive company cars regularly, do so without wearing glasses or contact lenses when ...
IN BRIEF: DC contributions.(average combined contribution rates to the defined contribution)(employee benefit program )(Brief article)
Dec 13, 2007 ... The average combined contribution rates to the defined contribution (DC) schemes at the UK's largest firms has risen by a full percentage point to 14.7% of salary in the last year. According to Watson Wyatt's 2007 FTSE 100 defined contribution pension scheme survey, such contribution ...
Senior managers more engaged than other staff.(survey on employees engagement in work anf their growth)(Survey)(Brief article)
Dec 13, 2007 ... Employees' job roles have an impact on engagement with senior managers being more engaged than colleagues in professional or support roles. Only 14% of professionals and 18% of support staff are highly engaged in their job, compared with 41% of senior managers, according to a study of ...
Health insurance valued.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Finance professionals value health insurance more highly than their company pension overall, according to the Robert Half International Financial directions survey 2007. When 5,200 financial professionals identified the perks they value from a predetermined list, health ...
Speculation over future of delayed Single Equality Bill.
Dec 13, 2007 ... The omission of the Single Equality Bill from last month's Queen's speech has prompted speculation that the legislation has met with negative feedback during consultation on the green paper which included plans to extend employers' responsibility. The Employers' Forum on ...
CASE LAW - TUPE: Court of Appeal confirms Tupe decision.(court case Jackson v Computershare Investor Services)(Case overview)
Dec 13, 2007 ... The court of Appeal has confirmed that, on a sale of a business, the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (Tupe), transfer employees to the new owner with continuity of employment and their existing terms and conditions, but without any additional right to ...
Biofuel plans put before Commons.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Government plans to reduce the taxable benefit on green vehicles that run on bioethanol fuel or a mixture of bioethanol fuel and unleaded petrol, have been laid before the House of Commons. A statutory instrument will amend the Income Tax (Car Benefits) (Reduction of Valuation ...
LETTER: Darling changes to SAYE.(Letter to the editor)
Dec 13, 2007 ... Well done, Alistair Darling, In his bungling attempts to penalise the private equity industry, the Chancellor has managed to more than treble the tax on some employees. Approximately 1.7 million UK employees are making monthly savings through a save-as-you-earn (SAYE) scheme. ...
LETTER: Turning staff off with online tactics.(Letter to the editor)
Dec 13, 2007 ... I am increasingly concerned at the number of 'benefits experts' who are pushing employers into using online communication as a way of engaging employees. People like dealing with people and if an employer wants to engage with staff, this is the path they should take. We are ...
LETTER: Healthy moves for workplaces.(Letter to the editor)
Dec 13, 2007 ... Under the new tax rules that came into force in August 2007, health screening is exempt from benefit-in-kind tax if made available and funded for all employees. In my opinion, any exemption for organisations looking to provide health screening or any general healthcare benefit is a good ...
LETTER: Opt for quality not quantity.(Letter to the editor)
Dec 13, 2007 ... For many voluntary benefits providers, the message [of putting the customer first] has been interpreted to mean that what the customer wants is a plethora of discounts and services. This focus has seen quantity placed into precedence over quality and we are forced to ask whether voluntary ...
BENEFITS SURGERY: Christmas parties.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Q. As an employer, what are my obligations with regards to the staff Christmas party? Are there any tax breaks I can take advantage of? A. Employers have a duty of care towards employees at work social events such as the staff Christmas party. They should be aware of health ...
VIEWPOINT: Green, safe fleets make good business sense.(using lquefied petroleum gas by company cars to save environment)
Dec 13, 2007 ... Every week it seems another survey is published warning those of us involved in the management of company cars that we must take the environment and road safety more seriously. Green is obviously the 'new black' as far as fleets are concerned, and the government has now finally ...
VIEWPOINT: Personal accounts require financial assistance.(UK government issued a new pension system so that employer could get some amount of finance for business)
Dec 13, 2007 ... The comprehensive and integrated package of reforms that the government is currently implementing is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform the UK's pension system. Over the last few years, broad support for this package has been achieved across the political spectrum and among ...
VIEWPOINT: Up close and personal.(ocuupation overview of Barry Hoffman emplyee of Charteris)(Occupation overview)
Dec 13, 2007 ... Barry Hoffman, head of HR at Charteris, believes HR professionals need a wide-reaching knowledge across sectors if they are to become business leaders Barry Hoffman's experience in management and consultancy work has played an integral role in his ability to improve the ...
PENSIONS: Realise what's at stake.
Dec 13, 2007 ... All too often employees in stakeholder schemes simply plump for the default investment option due to a lack of interest and knowledge, so should employers provide more education, asks David Woods Selecting which fund to invest in through a stakeholder pension scheme can be a ...
INTERNATIONAL: Incentives to work.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Spanish employers could benefit from the introduction of retirement laws encouraging staff to stay in work longer and the growth of flexible working, says Nick Golding The problem of people living longer and the impact it has on pensions is not just hitting the UK. In Spain, ...
CARS: Transferring the risk.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Contract hire schemes can help employers to predict the cost of funding their fleet over a set period of time and remove the hassle of having to dispose of vehicles, says Nick Golding As the future of cash-based employee car ownership plans (Ecops) continues to hang in the ...
HEALTHCARE: Get a little bit more.
Dec 13, 2007 ... In a push to increase take up, group income protection schemes are commonly being bundled with additional healthcare cover, but Debbie Lovewell questions whether the extras really add value Employers have historically focused on cost when buying group income protection as there ...
LEGISLATION: Look into 2008.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Corporate manslaughter and statutory holiday entitlement laws may hit employers next year, says Victoria Furness While benefits managers have spent the last couple of years frantically preparing for pensions simplification and busily complying with a raft of family-focused ...
LEGISLATION: Is there a future for salary sacrifice?
Dec 13, 2007 ... From next April, an increase in national insurance (NI) thresholds will make the business case for salary sacrifice arrangements even more attractive. Yet many benefits experts fear that as more employers adopt salary sacrifice schemes, thereby reducing the amount of overall NI ...
LEGISLATION: CASE STUDY - BT in line for legal changes.(Case study)
Dec 13, 2007 ... In anticipation of next year's legislative changes, BT's reward team is focused on ensuring the structure of its benefits package is optimised to minimise risk. Jim McInally, HR director, reward and employee relations, explains: "The next area we are looking at is the tax ...
HEART OF GOLD: A caring side?
Dec 13, 2007 ... Corporate social responsibility goes beyond goodwill to deliver business benefits in the war for talent, says Kate Donovan A good corporate social responsibility (CSR) record is now almost a pre- requisite for long-term business success. In recent years, organisations have come ...
CASE STUDY: Enviros offsets CO2.(Case study)
Dec 13, 2007 ... As an environmental consultancy, Enviros reflects its values in its benefits package. Via its flexible benefits scheme, for example, employees can offset their carbon emissions. The perk enables staff to calculate how much they would need to contribute to offset their carbon ...
Case Study: Coda offers Shariah fund in GPP.(CODA Group PLC offers pension fund for religious purpose)(Brief article)
Dec 13, 2007 ... Coda demonstrates its corporate social responsibility credentials through benefits by matching charity donations from staff and offering them a pension fund that meets their religious needs. It offers staff a Shariah-compliant fund in its group personal pension (GPP) plan. The ...
EMPLOYER PROFILE: Healthy recruiting.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Charity Cancer Research UK uses total reward to make the most of what it has to offer in the war for talent, says Amanda Wilkinson Working for a worthy cause certainly has its appeal. However, charities are unable to rely solely on the desire of people to give something back ...
EMPLOYER PROFILE: Cancer Research at a glance.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Cancer Research UK is the world's leading independent organisation dedicated to cancer research. It was formed in 2002 following a merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. Its work spans four key areas: understanding the biology of cancer, ...
CAREER PROFILE: Tom Russell - Cancer Research.
Dec 13, 2007 ... When Tom Russell joined Cancer Research UK, he not only moved into the charity sector for the first time, having previously worked for Volvo and Safeway, but also switched from practising general HR to reward soon after. Having joined the charity in a general HR role as ...
EMPLOYER PROFILE: CASE STUDY - Final salary pension attractive.(Case study)
Dec 13, 2007 ... Catherine Meaden, head of external affairs and campaigning, has been with Cancer Research UK since July 2006 and values the season ticket loan offered by the charity. "It is so much better than having to queue up each week. "It saves me around #140 a year ....
MARKET TRENDS: Motivation voucers.
Dec 13, 2007 ... The debate continues over paper vouchers versus electronic cards as technological growth offers more reward options, says David Woods TECHNOLOGICAL advances in recent years have helped transform the motivation voucher market which, historically, has not been the most innovative ...
PRODUCT IN FOCUS: Financial Education.
Dec 13, 2007 ... New forms of communication such as pod and webcasts are helping employers to provide generic financial education, says Nick Golding Financial education is used to provide information to staff about a range of personal finance issues. It is distinguished from financial advice by ...
VOLUNTARY BENEFITS: Add value over choice.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Voluntary perks have an important role to play in adding value to a package, but cost is no longer the big issue it once was, says Debbie Lovewell When Employee Benefits last conducted research into voluntary benefits in 2005, employers' main reason for offering such schemes ...
VOLUNTARY BENEFITS: Healthy gains for PMI.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Healthcare perks such as private medical insurance and life assurance have risen in popularity, while pensions remain a priority, says Debbie Lovewell WITH increasing levels of sickness absence and the debate over who should be responsible for the nation's health rarely out of ...
VOLUNTARY BENEFITS: Altered confidence in salary sacrifice.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Concerns around the complexity of salary sacrifice schemes appear to have abated and such perks have undergone substantial growth, says Debbie Lovewell The government's removal of the tax break around its home computing scheme last year dealt a severe blow to the benefits ...
VOLUNTARY BENEFITS: Employers see charges increase.
Dec 13, 2007 ... As increasing numbers of employers pay for voluntary benefits plans, they may look to negotiate direct with local suppliers to help keep costs down, says Debbie Lovewell The last few years have seen a substantial rise in the number of employers that pay a fee for their ...
VOLUNTARY BENEFITS: Technology's growth boosts voluntary plans.
Dec 13, 2007 ... As technology advances, employers can make use of personalised communications and detailed management information, explains David Woods The phrase 'we live in a changing world' has become something of a cliche, but it is true in the field of voluntary benefits. Technological ...
VOLUNTARY BENEFITS: Cadbury Schweppes.
Dec 13, 2007 ... Cadbury Schweppes moved its voluntary benefits scheme online in August. Prior to this, it produced a paper booklet for staff explaining the perks that are available. Sally Tobin, UK employee benefits adviser, says: "We made this change in order to increase the choice for ...