Pensions Regulator explains new role
The Pensions Regulator has presented its new remit and powers to an National Association of Pension Funds conference, as it prepares to take over from Opra as the regulator of pensions in the UK next month.Mr Justin Wray, manager of strategy formulation at the Pensions Regulator, explained to NAPF members that the new regulator’s remit […]
Colborn’s Corner: Pensions – whose crisis is it?
In the second in a new series, Quentin Colborn, an independent HR consultant looks at the pensions deficit and wonders whether employers wouldn’t better serve workers’ needs by offering cash for bricks and mortar. Pensions are still a very topical issue with much debate about fund deficits and the future, if there is one, of […]
Review: Outdoor and Experiential Learning
Title: Outdoor and Experiential Learning – An holistic and creative approach to LearningAuthor: Andy Martin, Dan Franc, and Daniela ZounkováPublisher: GowerISBN: 0-566-08628-XPrice: £49.50Reviewer: Mike TaylorIf you are involved with experiential learning, whether with youngsters or managers, then this book will certainly speak to you, but whether you would find it was good use of £49.50 […]
Government gets tough on corporate manslaughter
Corporate manslaughter will become a new criminal offence if the Bill, announced yesterday by Home Secretary Charles Clarke becomes law.If senior management ‘grossly fail to take reasonable care for the safety of employees or others’ they will face prosecution.According to the government, this tackles the key problem with the current law: the need to show […]
How to: Make the most of your fleet management
In today’s competitive business environment, human resources departments are becoming increasingly time poor giving them little opportunity to search for new and competitive financial offers, especially in fleet management, writes Sean Bingham, Director of New Business, Bank of Scotland Vehicle Finance. The good news is that the fleet services’ sector has become increasingly crowded, meaning […]
HRZone talks ‘company cars’ with FleetNews
John Maslen is Editor of FleetNews, a magazine targeted at fleet decision-makers within the UK; Annie Hayes spoke to him about current market trends and the future of company cars. Corporate manslaughter – a cause for concernAccording to Maslen, 18,000 core fleet decision makers, operating around 460,000 vehicles can’t be wrong. This group put money […]
Legal view: Company cars – benefit or burden?
Alison Wallace, head of employment practice at Steptoe & Johnson explains how to manage the use of mobile phones while driving, understand corporate manslaughter and phase out company car benefits, legally. The acquisition of a company car was once the aspiration of many employees. It was a highly prized and valuable benefit if fully expensed […]
Opinion: Spicing up the reward mix with company cars
Car-related expenditure typically represents 20-25% of total household income which explains why employees welcome the option of company car provision with open arms; Paul Roberts of Momentum Consultancy Services (part of Lex Vehicle Leasing) explains how HR can get the company car element of the reward mix right. Far too many car schemes fail to […]
Thinking ‘green’
It goes without saying that any discussion on making a company car fleet more environmentally friendly must start by asking whether some or all of the cars in the fleet are necessary at all. By Nick Bell, GoodCorporation We have already seen changes in UK tax to make use of private cars for business use […]
Employee car ownership – the best option?
Swapping the company car for cash may seem like an opportunity not to be missed but as many employees have found all that glitters is not gold; Nick Phillips of Provecta takes a closer look at employee car ownership. When the car was chosen for you, it was easy. Now employees need to be sure […]
Car Watch: Getting up to speed with best practice
Malcolm Noyle for Lloyds TSB autolease, calls for a bespoke approach to managing driver and fleet safety. Health and safety is now an enormous issue for all businesses, HR professionals and UK fleets. Businesses should be taking all the necessary steps to protect their workforce. Over the past twelve months, the Government has started to […]
Getting into gear: Picking the best
Rupert Russell, publisher of www.comcar.co.uk, a specialist company car tax website looks at the quagmire of company cars and explains how to choose the right one. Employers should provide help and guidance to staff choosing a company car.Firstly it is important that the employee gets maximum satisfaction from such an expensive resource, and does not […]
Company cars – payroll issues explained
If you are responsible for the payroll and company cars are suddenly introduced, then don’t despair, you may even find that the tight structure is easier to control than payments for private car use. The simple availability of a car for private use is sufficient for the full tax charge to apply, and so there […]
How to: Use an HR Consultant
By Sandra Beale of SJ Beale HR ConsultBringing an HR consultant into your organisation can often be the only way to get a particular objective achieved; Sandra Beale looks at the how to of using such services. It may be a project that needs to be delivered such as a recruitment campaign, a compensation and […]
Member wire #91 – HRZone members applaud legal triggers
================================================================ HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 91 22 March 2005 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** 1. Editor’s Comment: Budget 2005 – High fives from HR? 2. Running scared of an Equal Pay Review? 3. How Did I Get Here? Joe Espana, MD of Performance Equations 4. The Couch!? guide […]
Payroll Tip: Car tax allowances
These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Q: How should essential user allowances that are paid to employees who use their own cars for business purposes be reported? A: Payments of mileage allowances are only reported for tax purposes on […]
Union Academy set to reform training
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) outlined plans yesterday for the creation of a new union academy, which it says will “radically overhaul” training offered to workers in England. The academy will offer guidance on training for employers and employees with courses ranging from basic skills to MBAs, with training advice available from a new helpline […]
Skills shortage goes global
The global economic upturn means skills shortages are being felt across the world, with more than two-thirds of businesses citing training as a way of retaining employees, according to a new report. Grant Thornton’s 2005 International Business Owners Survey (IBOS) found that 28% of the 6,000 business owners surveyed said that the availability of a […]
Capital is ‘stress-city’
It’s official, London is the most stressful place to work in Britain while Manchester is the least stressful.A survey conducted by Peninsula employment law firm reveals that when asked ‘are you often stressed at work?’ 78% of Londoners admit they are and furthermore 72% say that stress has a negative impact at home.Other regional ‘stress’ […]
Running scared of an Equal Pay Review?
An Equal Pay Review need not be scary – and might save you money down the line. The interim findings of the Women and Work Commission were that, despite the Equal Pay Act, measures are needed to plug a pay gap which is more than 40% for part-time workers and 18% for full-time employees; Tom […]
