The importance of communicating your employee benefits package effectively
Learn more ways to improve your workplace wellbeing with The Ultimate Wellbeing Toolkit – a practical learning hub brought to you by financial protection specialists Unum, designed to equip HR professionals with the skills and knowledge they need to show employees that they are valued. At Benefex we understand the importance of communicating your employee benefits package effectively. […]
Workplace giving: new research sheds light on the gap between interest and action for Millennials
Modern workplaces increasingly recognise the need for a more flexible approach when it comes to how they reward and manage their staff, and in particular the expectations of a growing Millennial workforce. Many are adapting by offering flexible, individually-tailored benefits packages, but one area that has remained fairly static within this mix is the option […]
Who’s holding the organisational moral compass?
In an age where many of the tech companies in Silicon Valley espouse their great benefits such as 'bring your pet to work' or skateboard parks and, recently, the episode with egg freezing, whose responsibility is it to ensure that there is a moral compass guiding benefit packages or incentives offered to staff? Whilst companies […]
How to make company cars cost less with salary sacrifice
Company cars were once the sole preserve of senior management and sales executives. The way in which they were funded made them a direct cost to the business. However, a growing number of organisations are using the salary sacrifice model (an established and well-received principle in, for example, the pensions market), to offer more inclusive […]
Auto-enrolment pensions: An update
One year after automatic enrolment was introduced, the lessons and experiences of organisations that have already auto-enrolled are coming to light. This article looks at some of the more common pitfalls that can occur when introducing an auto-enrolment scheme. Planning too late: Auto-enrolment is a complicated process and it can take between six to twelve […]
What can we do about the rise of the ‘bleisure’ trip?
There’s a new buzz word in town. Like it or loathe it, but ‘bleisure’ is on the rise among the UK’s employees – following the American trend for rolling business trips and holidays into one. As many of us find ourselves increasingly time poor due to commitments in our personal and working lives, taking ‘bleisure’ […]
Do your rewards encourage staff loyalty? Looking at the future of employee rewards
This week we saw two great things happen for the U.K economy. Firstly, the BBC announced that the growth in the 2nd quarter of 2013 had reached .6%, outpacing initial economic forecasts according to the ONS. Secondly, we heard from Ernst & Young that UK GDP will accelerate to 2.2% in 2014, an impressive 1.1 […]
Analysis: Government changes to childcare vouchers
Following months of negotiation between the coalition parties, the recent Budget statement included an announcement regarding the future of Childcare Vouchers. Childcare vouchers are now likely to undergo changes from October 2015. So why is change happening, what does it mean for employers and employees, and should your company cease to offer this benefit in […]
How to take your employee benefits package to the next level
This was written by Amanda Flint, Reward and Incentive Partner, Grant Thornton UK LLP. With the deadlines for the government’s pension auto-enrolment scheme fast approaching for many businesses, now is a great time for organisations to review the benefits packages they offer. Rather than just being a token gesture, flexible and creative employee remuneration packages can […]
News: benefits packages stagnating as employees demand more
Benefits packages provided by employers are out of step with the needs of employees, according to new research commissioned by Unum from Populus and Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). UK employees are becoming increasingly risk averse because of the recession. Over three-quarters (77 percent) are concerned over financial security and are prioritising long-term financial security in […]
Poundland’s graduate shelf-stacker wins back-to-work ‘slavery’ appeal
Three judges in London have ruled key elements of the government’s back-to-work schemes are unlawful and have quashed them. University graduate Cait Reilly has won her Court of Appeal claim that requiring her to work for free at a Poundland discount store was unlawful. Reilly had been claiming jobseekers’ benefits since 2011 after […]
News: 1/3 of workers sleep with colleagues at the Xmas party
Even though just under a third of employees admitted to having had sex with a co-worker at the Christmas party, nearly three quarters don’t want to go this year. According to a poll of 1,000 UK staff undertaken by married dating website IllicitEncounters.com, three out of five also acknowledged having kissed someone that they work […]
Talent Spot: Community blogger, John Sylvester
Not everyone always understands John Sylvester. The problem is that, for most people, being a motivation and employee incentives specialist requires a bit of an explanation as to what it means. For instance, after struggling to fathom precisely what their dad did for a living, his two sons eventually hit upon the idea of […]
News: Starbucks’ move to cut staff benefits sparks fresh concern
Starbucks’ decision to cut paid lunch breaks, sick leave and maternity benefits has sparked concern among staff that they are being forced to help subsidise the coffee chain’s potential tax bill increase. According to the Guardian, on the same day last week that the House of Commons’ public accounts committee branded the firm’s tax avoidance […]
How to limit the financial risk of salary sacrifice schemes
As salary sacrifice schemes provide the opportunity to offer cost-neutral employee benefits, it’s no surprise that they are becoming an increasingly popular option for many businesses, especially as a way of funding high-value benefits such as company cars. As appealing as such schemes may seem, however, without a carefully thought through approach to management and […]
Case Study: Staff wellbeing measures cut sickness absence at Julia’s House
Julia's House is Dorset’s only hospice for children with life-threatening illnesses. It opened in 2006 and staff numbers have since grown from an initial 40-odd to 125 today. Despite the harrowing nature of the work, its employees are highly-engaged and, last year, it was awarded top slot in the charity and public sector category of […]
Ask the Expert: What benefits are included under a TUPE transfer?
The question I am currently working on a TUPE project and need some help on issues relating to terms and conditions of employment. Under TUPE law, I understand that an employee transfers under the terms and conditions of their employment. But my question is how do you determine what is contractual or not if, […]
News: MPs call for action over recruiters’ worker expenses schemes
A group of MPs stepped up pressure on the government today to crack down on the travel and subsistence expense schemes being imposed on temporary workers by some recruitment agencies in order to cut their tax bill. To this end, the five, who were led by Labour MP Michael Connarty, introduced an Early Day Motion […]
All you need to know about hiring a former drug or alcohol user
I’ve spent much of the last 17 years working with current and former drug users, homeless people and ex-offenders in London and Sheffield. Much of that time has been taken up helping them to access services, which include housing, treatment and mental health support, so that people have the necessary assistance to try and turn […]
News: Gender bias alive and well, survey finds
The average gender pay gap for UK executives stands at £10,060, with women also receiving less than half of what men are awarded in bonuses, according to the findings of the Chartered Management Institute’s (CMI) latest annual Gender Salary Survey. Despite government pledges to address inequalities between the sexes, the gender pay gap across the […]