At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 10-16 January 2020

The headlines you might have missed between 10-16 January.

Glenn Thompson: Tough questions on group risk
Corporate Adviser: Looking back at 2019, it is clear the group risk sector has not done enough to get its message over to employers and the government says Unum customer solutions director Glenn Thompson. Read story

Ian McKenna: Video killed the paper statement
Corporate Adviser: Personalised video communication is taking customer engagement to the next level says F&TRC director Ian McKenna. Read story

Former accountant fined for misleading TPR over workplace pension duties
Professional Pensions: The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has fined a former accountant £4,987 after he failed to enrol staff into a workplace pension scheme. Read story

Budget to deliver government findings on tapered annual allowance
Professional Pensions: The government’s review of the tapered annual allowance is underway with findings expected to be announced in the 11 March Budget. Read story

Landmark vegan case could disrupt pensions industry
Pensions Expert: A landmark ruling finding that veganism is a a philosophical belief will have a wider impact in the pensions industry, experts say, but warn trustees to avoid making knee-jerk changes to their schemes. Read story

Northumbria Police signs charter to support terminally ill staff
Employee Benefits: Northumbria Police and the Northumbria office of the Police and Crime Commissioner have signed the Trades Union Congress’ (TUC) Dying to Work charter, aiming to support terminally ill individuals among 5,092 police officers and staff. Read story

Barratt Developments gains living wage accreditation after extending to supply chain
Employee Benefits: Housebuilding organisation Barratt Developments, which has approximately 6,500 employees in the UK, has become an accredited living wage employer, as of 9 January 2020. Read story

Teesside University enhances parental leave benefits for 2,311 employees
Employee Benefits: Teesside University has made significant enhancements to its maternity, adoption and shared parental leave benefits, offering an additional 14 weeks at full pay, as part of its commitment to supporting the family life of its 2,311 employees. Read story

Television presenter Samira Ahmed wins equal pay case against BBC
Employee Benefits: In a unanimous judgment published today (10 January 2019), the London Central Employment Tribunal ruled in favour of BBC television presenter Samira Ahmed in relation to her sex discrimination pay claim against the BBC. Read story

How a financial planning firm made a four-day week work
Cover: Dennis Hall explains how shifting to a four day week has revolutionised working life at his advice business. Read story

Nearly half of over 55s have no plans on accessing pension
Pensions Age: Almost half of private pension holders approaching retirement age have no plans about how to access their savings, according to data from Canada Life. Read story

Lack of financial independence amongst over-55s highlights pension poverty
Pensions Age: More than a quarter (28 per cent) of people aged over 55 believe they will never be financially independent, according to King Street Wealth Management (KSWM). Read story

UK organisations failing to support their sales staff
HR News: Staff left in complex sales processes without support, hindering revenue growth and the move from product to service sales. Read story

Wellbeing strategies proven to boost productivity: report
Corporate Adviser: Nine out of 10 manufacturing companies investing in staff health and wellbeing have seen a productivity increase, according to a new report. Read story

Mineworkers' and British Coal schemes win rare US securities class action case
Professional Pensions: The Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme and the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme have been successful as lead plaintiffs in a US securities fraud case, securing a $350m (£270m) settlement. Read story

GMP rectification facing further delays after HMRC announcement
Pensions Expert: The government’s delayed timeline for confirming payments due under guaranteed minimum pensions reconciliation will be published soon, HM Revenue & Customs announced on Thursday, as it attempted to put an end to long-running confusion over partial payments. Read story

Two in five working parents feel compelled to put in extra hours at home
People Management: Campaigners call for flexible roles to be destigmatised, as survey finds ‘always on’ cultures undermine the ability to achieve work-life balance. Read story

Outsourced workers at University of Greenwich to receive 23% pay rise
Employee Benefits: Outsourced workers at the University of Greenwich, including cafe staff, cleaners, and security guards, are set to receive a pay rise to the London living wage of £10.75 per hour. Read story

1,100 RSPCA staff miss deadline to sign new contracts following pay concerns
Employee Benefits: Two-thirds of employees at animal welfare charity organisation the RSPCA have refused to sign new staff contracts, despite being asked to do so by 20 December. Read story

Debenhams ‘in talks’ with Aviva to offload executive pension scheme
Pensions Age: Debenhams is rumoured to be in talks with Aviva about a potential buyout of its executive pension scheme to guarantee its members’ future benefits. Read story

Is flexible working reserved for senior staff?
HR Review: Flexible working seems to be linked to seniority and higher salary as just under three-quarters of senior managers or directors enjoy this style of work compared to under half of the junior-level roles. Read story

Dominic Chappell ordered to pay £9.5m into BHS pension schemes
Professional Pensions: The Upper Tribunal has told Dominic Chappell he must pay £9.5m into BHS’ pension schemes after committing actions detrimental to their funding. Read story

TPR to consult on DB funding code in March; Trusteeship plans in February
Professional Pensions: The Pensions Regulator (TPR) will launch the first of a two-part consultation on a revised defined benefit (DB) funding code in March, it has told PP. Read story

Government announces £3m package to help homeless find work
People Management: Jobcentre staff will join outreach teams on the streets to advise rough sleepers on accessing support. Read story

KCJ awards non-smoking employees with four days of additional leave
Employee Benefits: Stratton-based logistics firm KCJ Training and Employment Solutions is rewarding non-smoking employees, amounting to four of its eight members of staff, with four extra days of annual leave per year. Read story

One in five UK employees banned from discussing pay with fellow staff
Employee Benefits: Nearly a fifth (18%) of employees have been told they are banned from discussing pay with fellow staff members, according to a poll conducted by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and GQR Research. Read story

Nationwide Building Society pilots return-to-work coaching programme for new mothers
Employee Benefits: Nationwide Building Society is piloting a new programme, provided by Return to Work, to give coaching to employees re-entering work following maternity leave, with a view to launching the scheme in full for its 17,000 employees later this year. Read story

Seasonal financial pressure worse than last year – Aegon
Cover: More British employees were under financial pressure during November and December than in the previous year, research from Aegon has revealed. Read story

IA warns WH Smith over executive's pension
Pensions Age: The Investment Association (IA) has issued a ‘red-top’ to WH Smith after it revealed its chief executive, Carl Cowling, is receiving a pension contribution of 12.5 per cent of his salary. Read story

Industry investing in workforce health and wellbeing with 90% of companies rewarded with productivity boost
HR News: With an alarming backdrop of ever-increasing skills shortages, rapid technological change and an ageing workforce, manufacturers are investing more than ever before in their employees’ health and wellbeing. Read story

Technology's workforce engagement potential remains untapped
HR Magazine: Three-quarters (76%) of HR professionals still use annual employee surveys to measure workforce engagement, according to real-time audience engagement app Vevox. Read story

UK: ‘One of seven countries that allows zero-hour contracts’
HR Review: Just last year (2019), Ireland banned zero-hour contracts with the TUC hoping the UK will follow suit. Read story

TPR: 700 DB schemes may never reach full funding
Pensions Expert: Forty-nine defined benefit schemes are in a parlous state with funding under 50 per cent of their liabilities, the latest data from the Pensions Regulator reveals. Read story

Pension funds increasingly focused on long income property
Professional Pensions: Pensions funds’ focus on long income property is increasing, with 84% of investors agreeing the level of investment in this area will rise over the next two years, according to research by Alpha Real Capital. Read story

Simpler pension statements must be compulsory
Professional Pensions: The government must now bow to pressure and allow providers to choose whether to send standardised, simpler pension statements, says Baroness Ros Altmann. Read story

Female apprentices face 5 per cent pay gap, government report finds
People Management: Experts say ‘depressing’ disparity partly caused by more men studying better-paid subjects, but ‘employer ignorance’ is also a factor. Read story

Nationwide pilots summer hours programme and invests $160 million in benefits
Employee Benefits: US-based Fortune 100 insurance organisation Nationwide has announced a $160 million (£123 million) investment to enhance its benefits and compensation package for its 30,000 employees. Read story

WNBA players receive enhanced maternity leave and 53% increase in pay
Employee Benefits: The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) have reached an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. Read story

One in three expect to retire with debt
Pensions Age: One in three UK savers are expecting to retire with an average debt of £17,460 this year, new research by Key has revealed. Read story

Post Office pension scheme plans buyout policy switch
Pensions Age: The trustees of the Post Office section of the Royal Mail Pension Plan (RMPP) are planning on converting their buy-in policy with Rothesay Life into a buyout policy. Read story

Half of employees seeking flexible working in 2020
HR News: Flexible working is the number one priority for the workforce of 2020, according to a new survey. Read story

Why tangible incentives won’t help you attract and retain top talent
Incentive and Motivation: Rob Cross, Founder and CEO of Muru Leadership explains why as leaders we should focus less attention on financial rewards and benefits, and concentrate instead on the role managers can play in creating a happy and motivated workforce. Read story

Half of Brits desire staff rewards in January over Christmas
Incentive and Motivation: Research by leading staff incentives and reward provider, Virgin Incentives, reveals that half (49%) of British workers would be open to receiving a reward in January instead of Christmas, with one in five (21%) answering ‘yes, definitely’. Read story

‘Gagging’ clauses preventing workers from challenging unfair pay
HR Review: Almost a fifth of employees are not allowed to discuss their pay with colleagues due to “gagging clauses”. Read story

Government must usher in decade of AE renewal
Professional Pensions: The government must take advantage of its majority to push through further reforms to auto-enrolment, says James Phillips. Read story

Government urged to set timetable for AE reform implementation
Professional Pensions: The Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA) has urged the government to set out a timetable for when it will implement its planned automatic enrolment (AE) reforms, and produce a timetable for increases in AE contribution levels. Read story

Treasury looks to 'raise tapered threshold to £150,000'
Professional Pensions: HM Treasury intends to give tax relief worth hundreds of millions of pounds to those earning over £110,000, it is being reported. Read story

TPR presses Church of England for shorter deficit recovery
Pensions Expert: The Pensions Regulator has dismissed the idea of the Church of England reducing its deficit contributions, after a change in the valuation method used for one of its defined benefit schemes resulted in a dramatic shortfall decrease. Read story

A quarter would take lower pay to work for environmentally-friendly businesses
Employee Benefits: Just over a quarter (26%) of UK employees would be willing to take a pay cut to work for an organisation that prioritises protecting the environment, according to research by Totaljobs. Read story

Hyatt Hotels gives 45,000 employees access to mindfulness app
Employee Benefits: Hyatt Hotels Corporation has committed to providing its 45,000 employees with access to a wellbeing and mindfulness app, which will be made available to staff across the organisation’s 220 global Hyatt-branded locations in early 2020. Read story

Unicef UK equalises parental leave for 300 employees
Employee Benefits: Unicef UK has equalised parental leave for its 300 employees, with the aim of acknowledging and supporting the equal role of each caregiver, and adding to the legal provisions within the UK. Read story

Employers shift focus to wellbeing and employee benefits
Workplace Insight: New research from Aon claims that employers have increased their strategic focus on both emotional and financial wellbeing programmes, while physical wellbeing programmes have remained largely static. Read story

Childcare is more expensive than a University Degree
HR News: The Government has released its Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents 2019, reporting a rise in the number of families that found it “difficult” or “very difficult” to meet their childcare costs. Read story

Real wage growth forecasted to dip
HR Magazine: UK workers are reportedly due an average pay rise of 3% in 2020, but higher than expected inflation will mean a real-terms increase of just 1%. Read story