At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 29 March - 5 April 2018
The headlines you might have missed between 29 March - 5 April.
Kirkland gender pay gap: Men are paid 68% more
The Lawyer: Kirkland & Ellis pays men 68.2 per cent more than women per hour, the latest gender pay gap figures reveal. Read story
47% believe pension freedoms have increased employee engagement
Employee Benefits: Under half (47%) of employer respondents believe that pension freedoms have led to employees being more engaged with their workplace pension, according to research by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Aegon. Read story
Direct Line Group to introduce new minimum salary and award free shares
Employee Benefits: Insurance organisation Direct Line Group is to introduce a new minimum salary for its 11,000 UK employees from 1 April 2018, as well as award a £500 free share to certain staff members. Read story
FinTru hosts health and wellbeing month to promote new benefits
Employee Benefits: Financial services outsourcing organisation FinTru has held a health and wellbeing month in order to promote its new employee benefits package to its 234 Belfast-based staff. Read story
Ikea reports a 6.9% mean gender pay gap for retail employees
Employee Benefits: Homewear retail organisation Ikea has reported a 6.9% mean gender pay gap for fixed hourly pay across 10,000 retail employees, and a 10.6% mean gender pay gap in favour of women across its 900 distribution employees. Read story
Royal Mail workers vote in favour of pensions deal; paves way for CDC
Professional Pensions: Postal workers have voted strongly in favour of a deal that includes plans to set up the UK's first collective defined contribution (CDC) pensions scheme, during a Communication Workers Union (CWU) ballot on 28 March. Read story
SJP reveals 47 per cent gender pay gap
Money Marketing: St James’s Place has revealed that its male employees are paid 47.2 per cent more than its female staff – one of the largest gender pay gaps reported by a firm operating in the investment sector. Read story
London workers lose out on pay rises because of housing costs
HR Magazine: In the last three months of 2017 around 290,000 people moved jobs, compared with 110,000 a quarter during the financial crisis, according to the Resolution Foundation's Earning Outlooks report. Read story
Gender pay gaps are as much about low pay as high pay
HR Magazine: As NHS Trusts publish their pay gaps it is clear that an equal pay system doesn't mean pay parity. Read story
How BT is promoting better pensions outcomes for its workforce
Reward: Employee engagement around pensions can be a thankless task, but at BT a financial education approach has yielded results. Read story
The gender pay gap is just the tip of the iceberg
Reward: Gender pay gap figures make harrowing reading, but when it comes to the reward landscape the problem is far worse, argues Sara Benwell. Read story
Government launches consultation into parental bereavement leave and pay
Personnel Today: The aim is to shape its Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill, which is currently being considered in parliament. Read story
Lifetime Isa one year on: Will a colourful product fade away?
Money Marketing: Enthusiasm for this tax-free savings offering has been muted among advisers and their clients. Read story
Gender pay figures: Latham reveals sky-high median bonus gap of 83%
The Lawyer: Latham & Watkins has a median bonus pay gap of 83 per cent, with its figures falling largely in line with those reported by US peers Kirkland & Ellis and White & Case. Read story
Could auto-enrolment into drawdown solve the pensions saving crisis?
Money Marketing: Freedom of choice at retirement is placing a huge financial responsibility on unsophisticated saver. Read story
Illegal opt-out firm in first TPR prosecution under Computer Misuse Act
Corporate Adviser: Managers of a recruitment firm accused of logging into the employee portal of their workplace pensions site to opt them out of auto-enrolment face prosecution by The Pensions Regulator (TPR). Read story
Employment status: Time to review off-payroll arrangements
Personnel Today: With greater scrutiny of employment status by HMRC, employers need to look carefully at their off-payroll labour arrangements, argues Hilary Stokes. Read story
How to address your gender pay gap
People Management: Employers have to get serious about equality if they want to tackle their pay gap, says Julie Dennis. Read story
Royal Mail to proceed with pay and collective DC pension scheme deal
Employee Benefits: Postal organisation Royal Mail is to proceed with its new pay and pensions structure after approximately 110,000 employees, who are members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) trade union, voted in favour of the agreement. Read story
The tax and legislation changes impacting reward from April 2018
Employee Benefits: Chancellor Philip Hammond has confirmed a number of measures that will affect the pay and benefits landscape. Read story
Sunderland Association Football Club reports an 85.1% mean gender pay gap
Employee Benefits: Sports organisation Sunderland Association Football Club (Sunderland AFC) has reported an 85.1% mean gender pay gap for fixed hourly pay. Read story
Insolvency Service puts six pension firms into provisional liquidation
Professional Pensions: The Insolvency Service has placed six firms overseeing 15 occupational pension schemes into provisional liquidation after an investigation. Read story
British Airways opens flexible benefits scheme
Professional Pensions: British Airways (BA) has opened a 'flexible' defined contribution (DC) scheme, offering a range of contribution rates and the ability to take cash payments in lieu of a pension. Read story
Terryberry acquires CottrillsReward
Employee Benefits: Global recognition provider Terryberry has acquired UK-based reward and recognition organisation CottrillsReward. Read story
Ryanair reports a 67% mean gender pay gap
Employee Benefits: Airline organisation Ryanair has reported a 67% mean gender pay gap for fixed hourly pay as at April 2017. Read story
Apple reports a 5% mean gender pay gap
Employee Benefits: Technology organisation Apple has reported a 5% mean gender pay gap for fixed hourly pay as at 5 April 2017. Read story
Your Workplace Pension wound up and absorbed by The People’s Pension
Corporate Adviser: More than 8,700 members of the Your Workplace Pension master trust have been absorbed into The People’s Pension, following a £20m merger that has just completed. Read story
Are employee benefits strategic HR?
HR Magazine: Given their link to wellbeing, retention and engagement is it time they were a strategic priority? Read story
What gender pay gap reporting really tells us
HR Magazine: Reporting is an opportunity to shine a stronger light on where gender pay disparity is really happening. Read story
What can HR and reward learn from Elon Musk?
Reward: Tech giant Elon Musk has quickly become one of the most accomplished innovators of his generation. Garry Nelson, commercial director at Zest Benefits outlines what HR professionals can learn from the tech billionaire. Read story
Weetabix's HR Director: Why gender pay matters, even if no one is watching
HR Grapevine: With just a few hours before the gender pay gap reporting deadline is up, many organisations with significant disparities will be facing scrutiny from their staff, the Government and the media. Read story
Companies still to report as gender pay gap reporting deadline looms
Personnel Today: At 8am this morning, around 8,900 companies had published theirs to the Government’s gender pay gap portal, of an estimated total of 9,000 eligible organisations. Read story
Barriers exist despite better workplace mental health support
Cover: Confidentiality concerns, privacy fears and letting family down all reasons employees do not reach out to employers for help, says RedArc. Read story
Government confirms childcare voucher scheme will close in October
Employee Benefits: The government has confirmed that the closure of the workplace childcare voucher scheme will be delayed until 4 October 2018. Read story
Government publishes report into pension freedoms
Employee Benefits: The Work and Pensions Committee has recommended that default pensions decumulation routes should be introduced in order to mirror the accumulation successes achieved by auto-enrolment. Read story
Karen Millen reports a 50% mean gender pay gap
Employee Benefits: Fashion brand Karen Millen has reported a 50% mean gender pay gap for fixed hourly pay. Read story
TPR's funding statement warns trustees to act on high dividends to protect members
Professional Pensions: Strong employers should consider contributing more money to reduce pension deficits over a shorter period of time, especially where they are paying out excessive shareholder dividends, the watchdog has said. Read story
More than a thousand businesses miss gender pay gap deadline
HR Magazine: High proportion publish in final hours, revealing 78% of businesses have a gap in favour of men. Read story
Is there such a thing as the wrong bonus?
HR Grapevine: Trying to motivate your workforce can be a tricky task. Recently, embattled air carrier United Airlines had to roll back an unpopular lottery scheme which replaced modest bonuses with the chance of winning a luxury car or six-figure sums. Read story
Gender pay gap: eight in 10 employers paid men more than women
Personnel Today: As the deadline for both private and public sector employers to report their gender pay gap passed, almost eight in 10 organisations paid men more than women. Read story
Upcoming auto-enrolment pension hike will feel like a ‘harsh jolt’ for employees
People Management: Increased contributions will lead to reduction in take-home pay, and some may opt out of workplace saving, experts say. Read story