At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 31 August - 6 September 2018

The headlines you might have missed between 31 August- 6 September.

Millennials seeking more pensions support from employers
Money Marketing: More than half of millennials want their employer to do more to explain pensions and benefits, Prudential research shows. Read story

85% think employers have a responsibility to raise awareness of pension scams
Employee Benefits:  The majority (85%) of respondents think that employers have a responsibility to raise employee awareness of pension scams. Read story

Almost two-thirds cite pay as the primary reason they come to work
Employee Benefits: Almost two-thirds (62%) of UK employee respondents cite pay as the primary reason they come to work, compared to 49% of respondents across Europe, according to research by human resources management software provider ADP. Read story

University of Strathclyde to roll out wellbeing and sustainability programme
Employee Benefits: The University of Strathclyde is rolling out an employee wellbeing and sustainability programme to all employees in October 2018, following a successful five-month pilot period. Read story

PWC launches flexible working recruitment programme
Employee Benefits: Professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) has launched a recruitment programme that enables candidates to choose their own working patterns, in order to attract a more diverse workforce. Read story

Whitbread promises contribution to DB scheme after Costa Coffee sale
Professional Pensions: Whitbread has pledged to use proceeds from its proposed £3.9bn sale of Costa Coffee to Coca-Cola to make an additional contribution to its defined benefit (DB) scheme. Read story

Worries about pay fuel presenteeism
HR Magazine: The majority of people will still go to work when they are unwell out of fear of not being paid, according to research. Read story

The top 10 dream jobs... and their salaries
HR Grapevine: What did you want to be when you grew up? Many of us will fondly remember pretending to be an astronaut or a pop star – or others may have had more realistic daydreams like becoming a police officer or a teacher. Read story

Aon highlights tech 'megatrends' shaping employee benefits landscape
Health Insurance Daily: Aon has identified 16 technology “megatrends” that are now impacting rewards, benefits and engagement. Read story

Most employers face barriers in collecting data to calculate ethnicity pay gap
People Management: More than half (51 per cent) of employers feel they face barriers when it comes to collecting ethnicity data, which means they could face problems calculating their pay gap should it become a legal requirement. Read story

UK workers more motivated by pay
HR Magazine: The UK workforce is more motivated by money than other European countries, suggesting low engagement. Read story

FTSE 100 pension schemes slip back into deficit
Professional Pensions: The UK's 100 largest listed companies saw their combined defined benefit (DB) funding level fall by 80 basis points during August, according to JLT Employee Benefits. Read story

Jadu gains living wage accreditation
Employee Benefits: Technology and creative services organisation Jadu has been accredited as a living wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation. Read story

A third of managers are trained to spot mental health issues in the workplace
Employee Benefits: Around a third (35%) of manager respondents in the UK have received training to help spot mental health issues in the workplace, according to research by office stationery supplier Viking. Read story

Eskom awards three-year pay deal for permanent staff
Employee Benefits: South African electric utility organisation Eskom has agreed a three-year pay deal with trade unions representing its permanent employees. Read story

Ombudsman finds Royal London misread own death benefit discretion rules
Professional Pensions: The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO) has determined against Royal London in a case where death benefits were paid out to a member's ex-girlfriend. Read story

Nine in 10 people affected by 'scourge of cold callers’
Professional Pensions: More than half of savers are worried about the government's delay to initiate a ban on cold calling, Aegon says as its research also reveals 91% have received them. Read story

Childcare costs rise three times faster than wages
HR Magazine: Working parents with children under five have seen nursery fees rise three times faster than their wages over the past decade, according to the TUC. Read story

Top 10 HR questions August 2018 – Brexit and executive pay ratios
HR Magazine: While progress has been made in some areas of the Brexit negotiations, including agreement on the rights of EU citizens currently in the UK, “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed” still applies. Employers are looking to keep up to date with developments on how Brexit will affect them. Read story 

Radioactive PR launches four-day working week
Employee Benefits: Gloucestershire-based public relations agency Radioactive PR has this week (Monday 3 September 2018) implemented a four-day working week for its 10 employees. Read story

Government confirms support for industry-led pensions dashboard
Employee Benefits: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has re-confirmed its support for the creation of a pensions dashboard built by the pensions industry. Read story

Iress launches paid leave entitlement for parents of children starting primary school
Employee Benefits: Global software organisation Iress has launched a new fully paid starting school leave entitlement for its 1,800 global employees, to enable working parents to better support children starting primary school. Read story

Aviva to stop admin services for 200 DB schemes
Money Marketing: Aviva will stop providing in-house administration and actuarial services to the 200 defined benefit schemes working with its Norwich office from June next year, Money Marketing can reveal. Read story

Field: Lack of fee transparency 'like Hillsborough cover-up' and leaves pension savers 'deeply depressed’
Professional Pensions: Asset managers' failure to provide clear transaction costs incurred in pension funds leaves savers "deeply depressed", Frank Field says. Read story

Concerns remain over govt support for dashboard after McVey's statement
Professional Pensions: The government's announcement that it will support the industry in delivering the pensions dashboard has been met with mixed reaction, after months of uncertainty about the project's future. Read story 

ECJ rules PPF compensation must amount to 50% of members' benefits
Professional Pensions: A landmark ruling in the European Court of Justice means the PPF must now revisit how it calculates members' benefits. James Phillips explores the impact. Read story

ONS: DC membership up 20% in 2017 but contribution rates fall by 19%
Professional Pensions: Occupational pension scheme membership hit a record high in 2017, with more than 41.1 million people saving through the workplace, latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data reveals. Read story

Half of employees cite that workplace stress negatively affects their home life
Employee Benefits: More than half (54%) of respondents cite that stress from work negatively affects their home life at least once a week, according to research by project management application service provider Wrike. Read story

44% believe they are not on track for retirement
Employee Benefits: Two-fifths (44%) of respondents believe they are not on track for retirement, according to research by global investment management business BlackRock. Read story

Freelancers experiencing isolation and mental illness
HR Magazine: A quarter (25%) of freelancers have experienced depression and a fifth (21%) suicidal thoughts due to loneliness, according to Epson research. Read story