At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 31 January – 6 February 2020
The headlines you might have missed between 31 January – 6 February 2020.
Tate Britain roasted for £39,500 ‘head of coffee’ role while tension brews over pay
Employee Benefits: Art gallery Tate Britain is looking for a new ‘head of coffee’ to join its workforce, and is offering the successful applicant a full-bodied salary of £39,500 a year. Read story
Bluefruit Software staff own 51% stake under new employee-ownership trust
Employee Benefits: Cornwall-based technology organisation Bluefruit Software has given its 75 employees 51% ownership of the business, using an employee ownership trust (EOT). Read story
Uber attempts to be free of employee responsibility
HR Magazine: Ride-hailing company Uber is reportedly trying to establish a new category to exonerate itself of any responsibility for its employees. Read story
Scottish health secretary demands 'decisive action' on NHS pensions
Professional Pensions: Scottish health secretary Jeane Freeman has written to chancellor Sajid Javid demanding he find a solution for heavily-taxed senior NHS workers in his upcoming Budget. Read story
Half of contractors would ask for a pay rise and benefits if found to fall within IR35, survey finds
People Management: Organisations told to plan for higher costs and increasing demands from freelancers for employment rights. Read story
Santander UK, Pepsico and Ovo Energy certified as top employers for 2020
Employee Benefits: Banking organisation Santander UK, food and beverage manufacturer Pepsico, and utilities business Ovo Energy are among the 92 employers certified as 2020’s top employers in the UK and Ireland by the Top Employers Institute. Read story
£2.23 billion withdrawn using flexible pension rules in quarter four of 2019
Employee Benefits: In quarter four of 2019, 327,000 individuals made a total of 828,000 pension withdrawals, amounting to £2.23 billion overall, according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Read story
Guy’s and St Thomas’ gains living wage accreditation after extending rates to all staff
Employee Benefits: From April 2020, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, which employs 17,100 members of staff, has announced its commitment to pay all employees rates that at least match the London living wage, and to require all external contractors to do the same. Following this commitment, the trust has gained accreditation as a living wage employer. Read story
Imperial College Healthcare ends outsourcing and improves base pay for 1,000 service staff
Employee Benefits: 1,000 outsourced employees working at five hospitals belonging to Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust are to receive a pay increase and access to improved terms and conditions, after winning the right to be directly employed. Read story
HR pay rises despite 'rocky year'
HR Grapevine: According to a wealth of new data released by Reed HR, compensation across the HR industry grew last year, despite a generally rocky year for the sector. Read story
What is employee absence costing businesses?
Cover: According to recent research by Viking Office Supplies, 56% of workers in the past year have pulled a sickie, costing UK businesses £5.6bn, despite the Office of National Statistics seeing a decline in office sick days in the past few years. Read story
FCA waters down proposals for full fee disclosure on workplace pensions
Corporate Adviser: Workplace pension providers will no longer have disclose to members full fees — including transaction costs — for all fund options, after the industry lobbied the regulator for a change in these rules. Read story
One in three employers fail to promote healthy lifestyles
Corporate Adviser: A third of employers are failing to offer support for the physical wellbeing of staff, according to new industry research from Group Risk Development (Grid). Read story
Universities set for further USS strike action
Professional Pensions: The University and College Union (UCU) has announced a further 14 days of strike action at 74 UK universities in a continuing dispute about pensions and pay. Read story
HR salaries grow slower than other business functions, survey finds
People Management: People professionals saw their wages increase less than 2 per cent last year, mainly driven by pay boosts at the top, but experts say this is a long-standing issue. Read story
Three-fifths of employers plan to invest more in digital health products
Employee Benefits: More than three-fifths (62%) of UK employers are likely to invest more in digital health products over the next five years, according to research by Mercer Marsh Benefits. Read story
Accelore Group pays 289 employees $152,755 in back wages
Employee Benefits: Texas-based logistics organisation Accelore Group, operating as Accelore Solutions and contracted with Amazon to provide package delivery services, has paid $152,755 (£117,419) in back wages to 289 employees to resolve violations of the overtime requirements under the US Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Read story
Two NHS trusts pilot health and wellbeing platform for 11,000 employees
Employee Benefits: Two NHS trusts are piloting a new employee health and wellbeing platform for their combined 11,000 employees. Read story
“Top employers” in UK and Ireland announced for 2020
Workplace Insight: More than 600 business and HR leaders gathered at London’s Hilton on Park Lane on 30 January 2020 as the Top Employers Institute, an international certifier recognising excellence in employee conditions, revealed its list of certified UK and Ireland top employers for 2020. Read story
What more can employers do to support employees with cancer?
Employer News: On World Cancer Day (4th February)[i], Howden Employee Benefits & Wellbeing asks if employers are doing enough to support employees diagnosed with cancer and suggests measures they could take to creating healthier workplaces. Read story
Advisers ‘remain concerned’ over DB transfer advice remedies
Pensions Age: Advisers remain concerned that proposed regulatory changes from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will reduce the supply of defined benefit transfer advice, according to Aegon. Read story
Why company culture should be included in your business model
HR News: Craig Hall is Operations Director at digital marketing agency Glass Digital. Since helping to found the company, he’s been responsible for maintaining their employee-centric culture in every aspect of their day-to-day operations. In this article, he shares his perspective on creating a strong company culture. Read story
Jobs In Europe – Which Country Pays The Highest Salaries
HR News: Totally Money have created an interactive report looking into a number of European cities to see how they compare when it comes to job salaries. The study also allows you to see the average weekly working hours and the average paid holiday from each country across the continent. Read story
Office friendships more effective than pay rises for retention
HR Review: Employees are ten times more likely to stay in a job due to friendships in the office over a pay rise. Read story
Can a glass of water boost wellbeing at work?
HR Review: Just under three-quarters of workers feel their overall wellbeing would increase if they had better access to water at work. Read story
TPR conducts AE spot checks at large employers
Corporate Adviser: The Pensions Regulator is conducting spot checks among the UK’s largest employers to ensure they are meeting their auto-enrolment obligations. Read story
Two-fifths do not think their benefits package meets the needs of all generations
Employee Benefits: More than two-fifths (44%) of employers do not believe that their benefits packages meet the needs of all generations present within the workforce, according to research by Aon. Read story
Cathay Pacific asks staff to take unpaid leave due to Coronavirus outbreak
Employee Benefits: Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific has asked its staff to take three weeks of unpaid leave, to help it address the impact of the current Coronavirus outbreak. Read story
'Transparent' business posts EVERY employee's salary online
HR Grapevine: One US firm, although not covered by UK legislation, has been publishing pay since 2013. At Buffer, a Californian social media manager firm, all 86 workers have their salaries published online in order to, as Buffer claims, promote greater gender parity. Read story
Salary, Flexibility & Company Culture are key to retaining executive level talent in UK workplaces
Employer News: New research, conducted by executive search firm Novo, found that 14% of people are currently considering a new job, even in these uncertain times. Interesting, this figure skyrockets five-fold for those at executive level, with 70% currently seeking a new executive role. Read story
Govt estimates additional police pension costs at £316m
Pensions Age: The government has estimated the additional costs to police pensions from employer contributions will total £316m in 2020/21. Read story
How employers can help older workers shine in their golden years
Incentive and Motivation: There is a lot of conversation around racial and gender bias in the workplace at the moment, and this is absolutely something to be applauded. But, one of the biggest issues still rarely discussed is age discrimination. Businesses need to understand that age discrimination is not only illegal in most cases, but it also has a huge negative impact on the workplace. Read story
Now: Pensions posts strongest YOY returns
Corporate Adviser: Now: Pensions, the master trust that has sat at the bottom of the workplace pension default performance tables for several years, delivered the sector’s strongest performance in the year to Q3 2019, for growth phase investors. Read story
Government urged to act on pensions' ambiguous approach to climate risk
Professional Pensions: The UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF) says pension scheme trustees are failing to comply with their investment duties around ESG and need government intervention to get back on track. Read story
Most workers are unaware of pension pot size
Professional Pensions: More than half (54%) of workers do not know the size of their pension pots, according to research by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA). Read story
Two in five people don't know women are legally entitled to equal pay, survey reveals
People Management: Charity warns current laws are poorly understood by businesses and calls for update to pay discrimination legislation. Read story
Smarkets launches new mental health initiative for 85 employees on Time to Talk Day
Employee Benefits: Peer-to-peer trading platform Smarkets has launched a new initiative called tête-à-tête, aimed at helping improve the mental health of its 85 employees. Read story
Finland to equalise parental leave allowances
Employee Benefits: Finland’s government will equalise all parental leave, regardless of gender, to give working fathers more time to spend with their children and to promote gender equality. Read story
Nine in ten active savers now in DC master trusts
Pensions Age: Over 16 million people have saved £38.5bn into master trusts, an increase from 13.4 million in 2018, new data from The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has revealed. Read story
Do you know what benefits your employees need?
HR News: Almost half of sandwich carers don’t tell their employer about their caring responsibilities. Read story
The UK’s total missing pension pots are valued at 37 billion – some could be yours
HR News: A consumer survey revealed 24% of all UK adults under 55 said they may have lost track of one of their pensions. Those aged between 25-34 are most likely to have lost track of a pension, with 29% believing they’ve lost track of a pension and a further 10% saying they weren’t sure if they had or not. Read story
Adopting a people-first strategy is the secret to driving employee performance in 2020
Incentive and Motivation: A recent survey conducted by global leader in talent acquisition and managed workforce solutions, Guidant Global and people-centred performance tool , OpenBlend, revealed that 82% of businesses have made improving their people-first approach a core priority within their organisations for 2020. Read story