Money worries and mental health: what can businesses do?
We are a nation that heavily relies on borrowing money – and this does not look set to change anytime soon. But what is the impact of financial debt on health and wellbeing? It’s not uncommon for people to feel stressed as a result of their financial situation. And this in turn has been strongly […]
Workplace technology: is BYOD worth the risk?
BYOD (bring your own device) is a rapidly growing trend in modern workplaces, but there are inherent challenges for employers to overcome to make it work. With today’s consumerisation of IT products, it’s no surprise that potential talent is now gravitating towards organisations permitting the use of personal electronic devices for work. This movement, dubbed […]
Employee benefits: the changing face of company perks
The millennial workforce has different priorities and concerns to previous generations, so it stands to reason that the perks companies offer to engage and retain them should change too. Many would agree that company perks and benefits can make all the difference to employees today, especially creative or valuable ones. Whether it is the opportunity […]
Small company super-glue: how to grow up without growing apart
A micro business doesn’t need to talk about culture to have it perfectly formed. When you are a bunch of folks starting-up, you’ll have found a very natural super-glue. As a business owner scaling up, sticking together is altogether harder. Here is how to navigate from micro-business into fully-fledged SME without losing the magic of […]
Employee engagement: how to achieve a workplace benefits culture to be proud of
If engagement with your employee benefits schemes is low, there are steps you can take to improve this. Here’s a handy guide to transforming your workplace benefits culture. Workplace benefits are a vital part of your employee engagement strategy, impacting all sorts of areas including the attraction and retention of staff, as well as […]
Employee engagement: the new rules for 21st century teams
Creating a happy, loyal workforce without the need for beer and beanbags. There are many studies that have shown the commercial benefit to an organisation of happy workers – they stay in the job longer, work more efficiently and better together and take less stuff from the stationary cupboard. Spend time nosing through Glassdoor or […]
Employee wellbeing: the increasing appetite for digital health benefits
Digital tools are transforming the world of employee benefits, so it’s essential that organisations stay ahead of the curve to reap the rewards of this. Financial and mental wellbeing have both been revolutionised by the introduction of EAP services, instant access to online blogs and the availability of anonymised employee data to aid employers in […]
Pension transition relief: why HR needs to understand it
Pension transitional relief is probably not a phrase that is regularly bandied about in HR circles. But it arguably should, considering the potentially negative impact on senior hires if its not factored into the recruitment process. It could mean the difference between a successful or failed hire. And that, in turn, will inevitably have implications […]
Employee benefits for SMEs: all about the little things
How do small medium enterprises (SMEs) provide a benefits package which is right for their teams, doesn’t break the bank and helps retain their best talent – and why is the right benefits package so important? Is it all about the cash? Working for a company is sometimes just seen as giving over your time […]
Will 2018 be the year for multi-generational flexible benefits?
There can be no doubt that today’s workforce looks and works differently to that of just 10 years ago. For instance, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in workers over 65 remaining in employment – from 5.5% in 1992 to 10% in 2016 – and are now seeing up to four generations in the workplace. From […]
Improving pensions comms: a creative nudge
Last week auto-enrolment hit the ‘1 million-business’ milestone. And with over 9 million UK employees eligible for auto-enrolment it’s time to look at how organisations can effectively communicate updates to pensions regulations to their teams. Let’s start with a little Nudge. The UK’s a long-time believer in Nudge – the theory of positive reinforcement to […]
Global employee benefits: what should international companies be offering their workforce?
As an increasing number of employees live, work and travel abroad, the right employee benefits matter more than ever. This is especially the case as access to local healthcare systems is becoming ever more complicated and restricted, largely due to the burden of ‘the big three’: diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Accordingly, there’s growing recognition that […]
Auto-enrolment: the great British success story. But how do we maintain the momentum?
The pensions experiment launched by the Government nearly six years ago has become a great British success story. Nine million people are now saving into a workplace pension, which in many ways is a huge achievement in combating a looming savings crisis. This month marks a significant milestone in auto-enrolment policy, with the end of […]
Improving pensions engagement: what’s HR’s role in 2018?
One of the growing areas of concern for HR professionals is how financially prepared their employees are for retirement. Typically, lack of employee interest in pensions and savings is a major challenge. HRs face a fresh hurdle this year as the minimum contribution required for qualified schemes s rising from 6 April – a move […]
Benefits uptake: are you doing enough?
Providing employee benefits serves many purposes for organisations including motivation, retention and recruitment of staff. They’re also an important part of building an employee centric culture, where staff feel valued and looked after. There’s plenty of evidence that they matter a great deal to staff too. Research by CV Library shows that 62% of employees […]
Family friendly benefits under threat from new gender pay rules
Despite new rules propelling the gender pay gap into the spotlight, Sodexo Engage’s Iain McMath believes employers must continue to fly the flag for family-friendly benefits to help working parents. The countdown is on; by April, businesses with 250 or more employees will have to publish their gender pay gap in a move that’s likely […]
Pensions communications: change the what, not the how
How can we improve our organisation’s pension communication? The aim of this article is not about making a case for better pension communication. That shouldn’t be difficult. Put simply, from an employer perspective, poor pension communication will make it less likely that members will understand their company’s pension offering. And without understanding, it is unlikely […]
Pensions communication: helping employees differentiate between DC and DB
Pension promises have changed over the last few years. Not many employees are still building up a guaranteed benefit based on a fraction of their salary multiplied by years of service – known as a defined benefit (‘DB’) pension. Most new employees are now automatically enrolled into workplace pension schemes that offer defined contribution (‘DC’) […]
Benefits take-up – the why of getting it right
The employee benefits market in the UK is highly developed. Employees have been getting support with living and welfare costs from their employers since the 1950s and I don’t see it changing. Increasingly, benefits are supplementing or replacing State support which is the most significant macro change in the landscape in recent years. Employee engagement, […]
How and why wellbeing proactivity pays
A proactive approach to employee wellbeing shouldn’t just be for the privileged few, says Courtney Marsh, Commercial Director of Health Shield. No matter the size of your company or budget, it can be a reality for all. Everyone’s talking about wellbeing these days. Yet how many employers are still paying lip-service to it? And how […]
