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At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 11-17 October 2019

Your quick-read round up of the reward and benefits stories appearing in the press in the past seven days.

The headlines you might have missed between 11-17 October. 7F0D-1570956701_headlinesMAIN.jpg

Employees say receiving a gift card would make a company more of a desirable place to work
HR Review: More than half of workers say that a company that rewards their workforce with a gift card or cash bonus at regular intervals is a more desirable place to work and that they are more likely to apply for a job at such a company. Read story

UK employees feel their boss ‘does not care’ about their wellbeing
HR Review: More than one third of UK workers feel their employer “does not care” about their mental or financial wellbeing. Read story

Dramatic rise in employers looking to switch provider, Aviva finds
Professional Pensions: The number of employers and advisers looking to change their pension provider has increased by nearly two thirds this year, according to research by Aviva. Read story

OTS outlines demands for pension tax system overhaul
Professional Pensions: The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) has called on the government to review its “complicated” pension tax measures and simplify engagement with the system. Read story

Pensions tax relief to 'cost' government £40bn this year
Professional Pensions: The government will pay out £21bn in income tax relief for pension contributions this tax year, while national insurance relief payments will rise to £18.7bn, according to statistics from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Read story

Parents urge employers to publish flexible working policies
People Management: Employers have been urged to be more transparent about their flexible working and other family-related policies, as a poll of working parents found doing so would make them overwhelmingly more attractive to potential candidates. Read story

Dreams launches sleep action plan to support 2,000 UK-based employees
Employee Benefits: Bed and mattress retail and manufacturing business Dreams has launched a new action plan to help its 2,000 UK-based employees improve their sleep. Read story

Think tank recommends that employers publish wage and progression data
Employee Benefits: Independent think tank The Social Market Foundation (SMF) has recommended that organisations publish data on wages, career progression, training budgets and HR practices in order to influence remuneration decisions and mitigate low pay. Read story

Norton Rose Fulbright improves newly qualified associate pay by £7,500
Employee Benefits: Law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has increased pay for its newly qualified associate population, improving wages by £7,500. Read story

More than two-thirds of employees would value access to mental health first aiders
Employee Benefits: More than two thirds (69%) of UK employees, and 80% of those aged between 18 and 24, would value having mental health first aiders at their office, according to research by Thomsons Online Benefits. Read story

No surprises expected in Pensions Bill
Pensions Age: The industry does not expect any surprise inclusions in the Pensions Bill, which is due to be announced in the Queen’s Speech on Monday (14 October). Read story

Two-fifths of UK employees at ‘breaking point’ due to stress levels
HR Review: This is according to research conducted by the Chartered Accountants’ Benevolent Association (CABA),  the charity supporting the wellbeing of chartered accountants and their families, which found that 40 per cent of workers are close to breaking point. Read story

ESG divestment set to take place on global scale
Pensions Expert: Climate change activism and trustee awareness of ESG has led schemes to divest from fossil fuels, figures released today show. Read story

Cricket Australia introduces paid parental leave policy for players
Employee Benefits: National governing body Cricket Australia has introduced a new paid parental leave policy for its professional cricket players, offering up to 12 months of paid parental leave for birth mothers. Read story

32% do not actively measure sickness absence levels
Employee Benefits: Overall, 32% of respondents are either unsure of, or do not actively measure, their organisation’s sickness absence levels, according to research by Employee Benefits. Read story

Governor of Florida to increase starting salary for more than 101,000 teachers
Employee Benefits: Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis has announced plans to increase the minimum starting salary for teachers in Florida, raising annual wages from $37,636 (£29,941.88) to $47,500 (£37,789.34). Read story

Workers Want Four-Day Working Week
HR News: A survey conducted by office furniture supplier, Viking, has highlighted that workers want to move to a four-day working week. Read story

Back to basics... Awarding bonuses
HR Magazine: Our back to basics series brings you top tips from industry experts on the bread and butter areas of HR. Read story

New pensions bill could see master trusts offer CDCs
Corporate Adviser: Collective defined contributions schemes could be opened up as an option for master trusts, if the new Pension Schemes Bill becomes law. Read story

Queen's Speech confirms pension schemes bill for TPR, CDC and dashboards
Professional Pensions: A pension schemes bill is set to be laid in parliament in the coming weeks after the government announced a wide-ranging suite of reforms in the Queen’s Speech today. Read story

More than a quarter of staff are afraid to tell their employer about poor mental health
Employee Benefits: More than a quarter (26%) of respondents are afraid to tell their employer when they are suffering with poor mental health, according to research by CV Library. Read story

Sharpak staff vote to accept pay deal awarding an extra £769 a year
Employee Benefits: More than 185 members of staff at food packaging organisation Sharpak, based in Bridgwater, Somerset, have voted to accept a new pay deal which adds £769 to their annual pay. Read story

Gender equality progress remains slow in EU, report claims
Workplace Insight: The EU continues its snail’s pace when it comes to gender equality progress, according to the latest Gender Equality Index from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) shows that the EU’s score for gender equality is up just one point to 67.4, since the 2017 edition. Read story

ESG: Not an SEP
Employer News: What is ESG – and why is it so important to the future of UK Workplace Pensions?   Steve Herbert, Head of Benefits Strategy at Howden Employee Benefits, discusses this important topic. Read story

Top home working tips as 4 million UK employees work from home
HR Review: More than 4 million or one in seven UK workers are putting an end to their daily commute and deciding to work from home. In light of this Aviva, a British insurance company has issued some home working tips for employees. Read story

DWP to fix 'unintended' PPF rules in pension schemes bill
Professional Pensions: The government will change the law to allow the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) to aggregate pensions for the purposes of calculating compensation. Read story

Pensions industry has 'lack of clarity' on members' retirement needs
Professional Pensions: Estimates of the amount of money needed for a ‘modest’ retirement can vary by up to £500,000, according to research from Aon. Read story

Remote working can increase stress and reduce wellbeing
Workplace Insight: Remote working is becoming more popular than ever. A study released by the Swiss office provider IWG found that 70 percent of professionals work remotely at least one day a week, while 53 percent work remotely for at least half of the week. Read story

Employers choosing baby boomers over 'snowflake' generation
Cover: Thirty-six percent of employers would choose someone from the baby boomer generation compared to a fifth (20%) who would opt for a millennial, a study of 1,000 small-to-medium enterprise (SME) owners by Benenden Health has revealed. Read story

Thomas Cook pension scheme not expected to enter PPF
Pensions Age: The Thomas Cook Pension Plan is not expected to enter the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) as it is estimated that it has enough assets to provide benefits to its members in excess of PPF levels. Read story

64% of UK businesses are unwilling to meet the rising demand for flexible pay
HR News: Research supports that financial wellness initiatives and flexible pay options have on employee productivity and retention. These programmes are gaining traction yet 64% of British are yet to any make significant changes. Read story

Royal Mail workers vote for strike action
HR Magazine: The Communication Workers Union claims Royal Mail is breaking the "progressive" agreement on pay, pensions and working hours reached last year. Read story

James Coney: Coca-Cola, Costa Coffee and pensions’ net loss for employers
Corporate Adviser: Coca-Cola’s bid for Whitbread’s Costa Coffee shows how the net pay debacle can blow up in an employer’s face. It’s time for the government to act says Sunday Times money editor James Coney. Read story

NEST grows membership by nearly 30% in one year
Professional Pensions: The number of members to have ever used NEST rose by 28% over the 2018/19 fiscal year to 31 March, according to its research arm, NEST Insight. Read story

PLSA publishes retirement living standards to help savers 'picture their future'
Professional Pensions: The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has unveiled a retirement living standards tool to help members engage with their pension and set retirement targets. Read story

Fathers struggle to get the flexible work they need, says survey
People Management: Men face many of the same problems with work-life balance as women, and may switch jobs as a result. Read story

Total pay has increased by 1.9% in real terms since August 2018
Employee Benefits: Total pay for employees in the UK, including bonuses, grew by 1.9% in real terms during the period between June to August 2018 and June to August 2019, according to research by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Read story

Dentons and Network Rail commit to Mindful Business Charter
Employee Benefits: Law firms DAC Beachcroft and Dentons, financial organisation Nationwide Building Society and transport business Network Rail are among the 17 employers that have signed the Mindful Business Charter (MBC) in October 2019. Read story

Only 9% of younger employees prioritise retirement savings
Employee Benefits: Less than one in 10 (9%) of employees aged between 18 and 35 rank retirement savings as their number one priority, despite 66% of employers believing that pension schemes are a priority for all staff, according to research by Smarterly. Read story

FDIC introduces paid leave benefit for birth, adoptive and foster parents
Employee Benefits: US government agency the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has introduced a new paid parental leave policy, offering up to six weeks of paid leave for male and female employees. Read story

Travel and Transport extends employee stock ownership plan to 160 UK employees
Employee Benefits: Employee-owned global travel management organisation Travel and Transport has extended its employee stock ownership plan (Esop) to its 160 UK employees, in recognition of the business’ 73rd birthday. Read story

Why employers should support females facing menopause
Cover: Most women experience the menopause, yet it remains a taboo subject in many workplaces and not enough companies offer women the support they need, writes HR expert Jo Stubbs. Read story

Around 300,000 leave work because of mental health, minister claims
Personnel Today: An estimated 300,000 people with mental health conditions fall out of work every year, the minister for disabled people has claimed. Read story

PLSA 2019: Pensions Bill has cross-party support – Opperman
Pensions Age: Pensions Minister Guy Opperman has said the government is taking forward the Pensions Scheme Bill "with cross-party support”. Read story

35% of employees are STILL being asked to use their own money to pay for business expenses
HR News: A new report released today by payments experts, Caxton, has revealed the challenges posed by expense management processes and policies within many UK businesses – resulting in UK PLC facing £2.8bn in lost productivity each year. Read story

Brits could earn an average of £32,000 more a year by working abroad
HR News: British workers could boost their salaries by over £32,000 by relocating overseas, new research by Good Move has revealed. Read story