How to: Make the most of your fleet management
Fleet management requires tailored solutions that go beyond one-size-fits-all packages. Effective fleet providers should understand your organization’s needs, offer diverse financing options, and provide comprehensive services like maintenance and accident management to maximize cost efficiency and employee satisfaction.
HRZone talks ‘company cars’ with FleetNews
Fleet decision-makers identify cost control and health and safety compliance as top concerns for company car management. With 85% of companies failing basic safety checks and corporate manslaughter legislation still unclear, businesses must balance budget pressures with risk management responsibilities.
Legal view: Company cars – benefit or burden?
Company car schemes remain popular despite tax changes, but businesses must implement clear policies covering eligibility, insurance, maintenance responsibilities, and usage rules. A comprehensive car policy protects employers legally while addressing key issues like driver permissions, expense allocation, and vehicle management through leasing or direct ownership.
Opinion: Spicing up the reward mix with company cars
Company cars represent 20-25% of household income, making them a highly valued employee benefit. HR often struggles to align car schemes with broader reward strategies due to outdated policies, multiple stakeholder influences, and lack of fresh strategic review.
Thinking ‘green’
Making a company car fleet more environmentally friendly requires evaluating whether vehicles are necessary, selecting lower-emission models, and considering broader impacts like manufacturing costs and fuel alternatives like diesel, LPG, and hybrid options.
Employee car ownership – the best option?
Employee car ownership can be costly, requiring significant deposits and ongoing expenses for insurance, servicing, and maintenance. While cash allowances seem attractive to both employers and employees, they create tax complications, VAT reclaim issues, and employer liability concerns under corporate manslaughter legislation, requiring strict policies and oversight.
Car Watch: Getting up to speed with best practice
Effective fleet safety requires a customized approach tailored to each business’s unique needs. Rather than implementing blanket policies, companies should analyze their specific data—fuel consumption, accident rates, mileage—to identify problem drivers and target interventions strategically, ultimately reducing costs and improving safety outcomes.
Getting into gear: Picking the best
Discover how to choose the right company car by understanding tax implications, CO2 emissions, and pricing strategies. Learn why discounts don’t reduce taxable value and how to find the best tax efficiency through fuel type and vehicle specifications.
Company cars – payroll issues explained
When introducing company cars to payroll, you must understand tax implications and proper documentation. Employee earnings over £8,500 trigger tax charges on car availability, requiring P46 and P11D forms. Accurate vehicle information and pricing at purchase are essential to avoid costly year-end adjustments.
How to: Use an HR Consultant
Discover the benefits of hiring an HR consultant for projects, staffing gaps, and strategic initiatives. External HR professionals bring specialized expertise, fresh perspectives, and objective decision-making while saving organizations time and money through outsourced projects and flexible engagement.
Member wire #91 – HRZone members applaud legal triggers
HRZone members support new UK employment regulations introduced at common commencement dates in April and October to reduce administrative burden. A survey shows 58% approval for the staggered implementation schedule, though some employment experts question its effectiveness.
Payroll Tip: Car tax allowances
Essential user allowances paid to employees for business car use should be included in total mileage allowance payments and only reported on P11D if they exceed the statutory maximum (40p per mile for first 10,000 miles, 25p thereafter). Taxing these allowances through payroll as gross pay is incorrect and can result in overpayment of tax and NICs.
Union Academy set to reform training
The Trades Union Congress unveiled plans to establish a new union academy to overhaul worker training in England, offering courses from basic skills to MBAs through a helpline and website. The academy will function as a think tank and research centre, building on unions’ success in helping over 100,000 workers return to learning since 1998.
Skills shortage goes global
A global skills shortage is constraining business growth, with nearly 70% of employers citing training as key to retaining staff, according to Grant Thornton’s 2005 International Business Owners Survey. New Zealand, Russia, and Australia report the most acute workforce shortages amid rising employment demand.
Capital is ‘stress-city’
London workers experience the highest workplace stress in Britain, with 78% reporting frequent stress and 72% saying it negatively affects their home life. A Peninsula survey reveals Manchester has the lowest stress levels at 41%, while most employers aren’t adequately addressing the problem.
Running scared of an Equal Pay Review?
An Equal Pay Review need not be daunting and could save money long-term. While companies often fear the cost and findings, consultants suggest reviews typically reveal modest pay adjustments averaging 6%, making them a worthwhile investment in legal compliance and fairness.
The Couch!? guide to golden sitcoms
Explore The Couch?! guide to golden-age British sitcoms, featuring classics like Allo Allo, Are You Being Served, and The Good Life. Discover the beloved shows and iconic characters that defined television comedy with stars like Richard Briers, Penelope Keith, and John Inman.
Diversity fuels economy
Research by the Equal Opportunities Commission finds a direct link between workplace diversity and economic health, with skills shortages in construction, plumbing, and engineering linked to under-representation of women. The study shows most employers believe diverse hiring brings positive business benefits.
How Did I Get Here? Joe Espana, MD of Performance Equations
Joe Espana, Managing Director of Performance Equations Ltd, is an organizational change and leadership development consultant specializing in diagnostic work and strategy execution. With roots in British Airways’ 1980s turnaround, he helps senior teams identify root causes of underperformance and build business cases for HR initiatives.
‘Binge-working’ damages health
Half of working parents experience poor work-life balance due to “binge-working,” which damages health by reducing exercise and healthy eating, according to Working Families charity. The report finds 45% lack workplace flexibility, while experts warn long hours reduce productivity and increase stress and ill health.
