At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week
Group life cover offering could boost attraction and improve staff loyalty
HR Grapevine: That’s according to new research from Canada Life Group Insurance, which also found that more than half of employers (55%) are considering introducing other benefits as they meet auto-enrolment standards. Read story
Lloyds Banking Group launches returners programme
Employee Benefits: The returners programme, which is aimed at those who have been out of the workplace for two years or more, offers roles with Lloyds at its offices in Halifax, London, Edinburgh and Manchester. Read story
Only 42% of FTSE 100 acknowledge mental health as an issue
Employee Benefits: The report also found that only four employers (Royal Mail, GlaxoSmithKline, Reed Elsevier and advertising and public relations firm WPP) met criteria for all workplace mental health aspects. Read story
Authorities come down hard on trustees involved in £19m scam
Professional Pensions: Omni Trustee Services Ltd had been managing £8.6m on behalf of members who had transferred into the Henley Retirement Benefit Scheme. Read story
Wages paid to illegal immigrants will be seized under new Immigration Bill
CIPP: A new Immigration Bill will introduce an offence of illegal working, making it clear to migrants who have no right to be here that working illegally in the UK is a crime, with consequences for their earnings. Read story
Heinz boosts flexible benefits take up
Employee Benefits: The food manufacturer took a ‘learn, see, change’ approach to guide more than 2,500 employees through the annual enrolment window in November 2014 to help them digest benefits and scheme information. Read story
Just 10% offer mental health training
Employee Benefits: The Jelf Employee Benefits and manufacturers’ organisation EEF study, which surveyed 345 employers, also found that 80% of organisations do not measure the cost of absence. Read story
Compensation for discrimination claim not taxable
Employee Benefits: A v The Commissioners for HMRC involved a dispute over whether a payment of £600,000 made under a compromise agreement should be taxed as “earnings” or whether it could be paid tax free. Read story
EEF calls for sick pay to be restricted to Fit for Work participants
Workplace Savings & Benefits: Statutory sick pay (SSP) should be restricted to only employees actively participating with the Fit for Work service (FfW), according to the body representing manufacturers in the UK. Read story
Why employees are feeling financial pain
Workplace Savings & Benefits: Research has found that those at the lowest end of the earning spectrum have been most severely hit by financial problems and are typically the most in need of support and advice to address their issues. Read story
Dentists opt for Aon’s Littleblue
Corporate Adviser: Aon’s Littleblue auto-enrolment solution has been selected by Denplan as a preferred solution option for its 6,500 member dentists across the country. Read story
BuroHappold Engineering taps into technology for global communications
Employee Benefits: The international engineering consultancy operates in around 24 offices around the world and so keeping employees up to date and aware of their benefits package is challenging. Read story
Fears over effect of pension freedoms
Pay & Benefits: More than a quarter of law firms fear people management issues as a result of the new pension freedoms. Read story
Northgate uses face-to-face comms for benefits rollout
Workplace Savings & Benefits: Northgate staff have saved more than £6,500 through the firm’s discount platform in the first month. Read story
Government will ‘name and shame’ providers creating barriers to freedoms
Workplace Savings & Benefits: The government has warned pension providers it is their responsibility to deliver the options promised by the ‘freedom and choice’ reforms. Read story
ABI warns against ‘blame game’ on access to pension freedoms
Workplace Savings & Benefits: The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has hit back at proposals that providers would be “named and shamed” for not offering the full range of pension freedoms. Read story
Visualsoft improves staff wellbeing
Employee Benefits: Visualsoft has seen an improvement in the health and wellbeing of its 200 employees in the past 12 months after introducing a number of new initiatives. Read story
No plans to communicate pension freedoms for 32% of law firms
Employee Benefits: Research by Portus Consulting and HR in Law found that 27% are concerned that they may face staff management issues due to the pension freedoms because employees may not be able to afford to retire. Read story
DC members may get surprise inheritance tax charge on drawdown
Professional Pensions: HM Treasury announced last September that DC members dying before age 75 would be able to leave any remaining drawdown funds to their survivors completely free of tax. Read story
Savers withdraw £1bn using pension freedoms
Money Marketing: Osborne says 60,000 people have utilised the new flexibilities in the weeks since they became available. Read story
Aviva to close three Manchester sites after Friends Life acquisition
Cover: A "large majority" of Aviva's 780 strong Greater Manchester workforce are set to be made redundant following the completion of the Friends Life acquisition. Read story
Santander offers CPR training to its 20,000 staff
Workplace Savings & Benefits: The company plans to educate all its 20,000 staff in CPR by the end of the year. Read story
Pension liberation fraud cases on the rise
Money Marketing: There were 758 cases of pension liberation fraud recorded last year, up by 5 per cent on the previous 12 months, according to figures compiled by Action Fraud and published by the Office for National Statistics. Read story
Deloitte among top employers for working parents
Employee Benefits: Cafcass, Centrica, Deloitte and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) are among the winners of the 2015 Top Employers for Working Families Special Awards. Read story
Asian and European cities most expensive for expats
Employee Benefits: Asian and European cities, particuarly Hong Kong, Zurich and Singapore, are among the most expensive cities for expatriate employees working abroad, according to research by Mercer. Read story
Treasury to consult on charge cap for access to pension flexibilities
Professional Pensions: Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions today the Chancellor said the Treasury's consultation will consider options to ensure people are not charged excessive early exit penalties. Read story
Luton Borough Council supports staff through the pledge
Employee Benefits: Luton Borough Council has pledged to improve the general health of its 3,000 employees by offering several health initiatives, including offering help to quit smoking and signing up to the Department of Health’s Public Health Responsibility Deal (PHRD) in 2013. Read story
Unlimited holiday great alternative to flexible working
HR magazine: Unlimited holiday could be a great alternative to flexible working for many businesses, director of EST Accountants Barry Esterhuizen told HR magazine. Read story
Admiral supports employee financial wellbeing
Workplace Savings & Benefits: Admiral is helping employees’ to boost their financial resilience by giving them a budget book to record their spending. Read story
Govt delivers £50m in free shares to Royal Mail staff
Workplace Savings & Benefits: Royal Mail employees will receive a further £50m worth of free shares – equivalent to an additional 1% ownership stake in the company. Read story
HSBC and Linklaters make mental health commitment
Employee Benefits: Financial Ombudsman Service, HSBC, KPMG, Lend Lease Europe and Linklaters are among employers that have made a commitment to addressing mental health in the workplace. Read story
35% of Gen Z expect a pension in their first job
Employee Benefits: Around a third (35%) of Generation Z (16-19 year olds) are expecting a pension as standard in their first job, according to research from employment services firm Adecco, conducted in March 2015. Read story
ONS reveals pay growth at highest level since 2007
People Management: Official figures out today showed that annual wage growth is at its highest since 2007 with average real term pay rises at 2.7 per cent, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Read story
Frank Field elected as chairman of the Work and Pensions Select Committee
Professional Pensions: Field - the Labour MP for Birkenhead who has long campaigned on pension issues - was elected in a secret ballot of all members of parliament in a poll which closed last night. Read story
HMRC suspends ROPS list following early access rule change
Money Marketing: HMRC has suspended the publication of its list of recognised overseas pension schemes because of recent changes that exclude funds allowing early access. Read story
Altmann canvassing views on single-tier losers
Corporate Adviser: Baroness Altmann has been sourcing views on winners and losers from the state pension reforms, suggesting changes could be made to the structure of the planned single-tier pension. Read story
State pension age review confirmed
Corporate Adviser: The government will review state pension age within the next two years, incoming pensions minister Dr Ros Altmann has told the House of Lords. Read story