At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week
The headlines you might have missed between 9 - 15 September 2016
Zero-hours contracts criticised for benefiting business, not staff
HR Magazine: The number of people on zero-hours contracts has risen by 20% since the same time last year. Read story
Employees say employers are responsible for retirement planning
HR Magazine: More than half (54%) believe it is their employer’s responsibility to help them plan for retirement. Read story
Deloitte US introduces paid family leave programme
Employee Benefits: Audit, tax services and consultancy organisation Deloitte has introduced a new family leave programme for its US-based staff, allowing employees to take up to 16 weeks of fully-paid leave to provide care for family. Read story
75% are not encouraged to check their pension at work
Employee Benefits: Three quarters (75%) of respondents are not actively encouraged by their employer to check their workplace pension during working hours, according to research by Aegon. Read story
What will the ombudsman’s appeal interventions look like?
Professional Pensions: The Pensions Ombudsman will participate in more appeals where there is a wider public interest, but how far will the service go? James Phillips reports. Read story
Transfer values climb 7% to ‘eye-watering sums’
Professional Pensions: Xafinity has issued a scam warning to trustees after transfer values continued to swell over August. Read story
Airline employee wins sex discrimination case after flexible working request refused
People Management: Managers wouldn’t negotiate her hours because of “detrimental effect on the business”; case could force all airlines to review how they allocate shifts, say legal experts. Read story
Low shared parental leave take-up is due to pay rate, says research
People Management: It’s been over a year since the introduction of Shared Parental Leave (SPL) in April 2015, so why are mums still left holding the baby in the majority of families? Read story
David Hutchins: Why pension and investment costs should be separated
Corporate Adviser: Investment and admin costs should be separated to ensure members are not short-changed through the management of their pot, says David Hutchins, lead portfolio manager, multi-asset solutions EMEA at AllianceBernstein. Read story
Lisa penalty and charges fears grow
Corporate Adviser: The launch of the Bill to legislate for the Lifetime Isa has been met with fears that the new product will be beset with charges and penalties that could make it unattractive and complex to customers. Read story
Aon and WTW join pension dashboard pilot scheme
Corporate Adviser: Aon and Willis Towers Watson are amongst the group of providers working with the Treasury to launch a prototype pensions dashboard by March 2017. Read story
HMRC buys more time on EU VAT issue
Pensions Expert: HM Revenue & Customs has delayed its guidance on alternative solutions for employers seeking to recover value added tax on defined benefit pension administration costs, prompting speculation that a decision will not be made until Brexit negotiations advance further. Read story
Is the new Lisa bill signal or noise?
Pensions Expert: The government last week released its Savings (Government Contributions) Bill, ending speculation about the death of the lifetime Isa and raising questions about the future of pensions policy. Read story
Can (and should) employers ditch bonuses?
HR Magazine: Some employers are ditching bonuses. But is this a good idea and what are the legal implications? Read story
Organisations expand policies to accommodate needs of workforce
Reward Guide: Parental leave policies are changing in an effort to better suit organisational objectives. Read story
Minister invites HMRC to consider investigation into pay practices at Hermes
Employee Benefits: Courier organisation Hermes may be the subject of an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) following allegations around its employment practices, including pay for couriers. Read story
34% feel there is too much choice when saving for retirement
Employee Benefits: Just over two thirds (34%) of respondents believe there is too much choice when it comes to saving for retirement, according to research by Willis Towers Watson and Nottingham University Business School. Read story
Government extends pensions VAT deadline
Employee Benefits: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has extended the deadline to implement revised methods for the deduction of VAT on pension costs. Read story
Pension dashboard ‘ready by spring’, says Treasury
Professional Pensions: A pension dashboard prototype will be launched by 11 providers next spring, the Treasury has said. Read story
Primark's owner falls into pension deficit
Professional Pensions: Associated British Foods (ABF) expects its defined benefit (DB) scheme to have a £200m deficit by the end of 2016 due to tumbling bond yields. Read story
How trustees of small schemes can champion ESG
Professional Pensions: Contrary to common belief, getting fund managers to take account of ESG factors is not necessarily out of bounds for smaller schemes. Michael Klimes finds out how trustees can do it. Read story
Melanie Lane: Festive reward messages should be inclusive
Employee Benefits: It is important that employers are sensitive to all employees’ religious and secular beliefs over the Christmas period. Read story
Majority of employees work in their lunchbreak
Health Insurance Daily: British workers’ lunch hours are dying out, with the majority continuing to work despite not being paid for it. Read story
68% go to work when ill
Employee Benefits: More than two thirds (68%) of employee respondents go into work when they are unwell, according to research by CV Library. Read story
Post Office denies ‘bribing’ workers to halt strikes
People Management: Employer says £3,000 bonus is not dependent on staying off picket line – but could be compromised by prolonged industrial action. Read story
Long-term pay protection for disabled employees can be a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act
People Management: But what is reasonable depends on the circumstances of each case. Read story
PPF 7800 deficit almost doubles in a year
Professional Pensions: The total funding level of the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) 7800 index has worsened for the fourth month in a row, after further gilt yield falls. Read story
Pensions dashboard: A high-profile flop or the start of a pensions revolution?
Professional Pensions: The government has announced a pensions dashboard will be launched by March next year. But, as Jonathan Stapleton says, the prototype version will have significant limitations and will need to overcome a range of hurdles. Read story
Ignoring hidden charges is ‘easy’ and ‘profitable’
Professional Pensions: It is “easy” and “profitable” for the fund management industry to ignore the problem of excessive hidden charges says David Pitt-Watson. Read story
Danby Bloch: HMRC’s hand grenade on salary sacrifice
Money Marketing: HM Revenue & Customs lobbed a small grenade into the world of tax-efficient remuneration in a quiet week in August, while most HR managers, employee benefit consultants and many other employees were sunning themselves on beaches. Read story
PLSA launches decumulation kitemark
Corporate Adviser: The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association has launched the Retirement Quality Mark (RQM), a new kitemark fordecumulation products. Read story
Gareth Hopkins: California does auto-enrolment – the easy way
Corporate Adviser: California is on the cusp of its own auto-enrolment revolution says GJH Pensions director Gareth Hopkins. And it looks considerably simpler than the UK’s. Read story
Two thirds of employees go to work when they are unwell
Health Insurance Daily: The average employee only takes between one and two sick days a year, with 68% saying they feel guilty for taking sick days. Read story
Care workers sue over not being paid minimum wage
HR Magazine: UNISON is taking a local council and care provider to court over failing to pay the minimum wage. Read story
RAA could be on the cards for British Steel scheme following 'collapse' of special deal to change pension law
Professional Pensions: The British Steel Pension Scheme could seek to use a regulated apportionment agreement (RAA) if the government shelves controversial plans to change pensions law to help the scheme. Read story
Treatwell flies global workforce to Barcelona for team-building holiday
Employee Benefits: Hair and beauty online appointment booking organisation Treatwell took 400 of its global employees to Barcelona for a two-day trip aimed at increasing team collaboration and engaging staff with the business. Read story
7% of hospitality staff are comfortable talking to their employer about mental health
Employee Benefits: Just 7% of hospitality employee respondents would feel comfortable talking to their employer about their mental health, according to research by Pizza Hut and Mental Health UK. Read story
Bank of England reports 18.7% gender pay gap
Employee Benefits: The mean pay for female employees in 2016 stands at £50,278 a year, compared to £61,807 a year for male employees. This is an increase on the £48,945 and £60,940 respectively recorded in 2015. Read story
Britain's Healthiest Workplace named
Cover: The 2016 Britain's Healthiest Workplace winners have been revealed and the awards have recognised Nomura International Plc as the healthiest large workplace. Read story
Working Forward initiative aims to end workplace pregnancy discrimination
People Management: Alliance can help change perceptions but it’s not a ‘magic silver bullet’; government input is needed, say campaigners. Read story
Demand for pension engagement highlights opportunities for advice
Reward Guide: 54% of employees believe their employer has responsibility to help them plan for retirement but 75% feel they aren’t being actively encouraged. Read story
62% feel unjustified bonuses cause resentment among staff
Employee Benefits: Almost two thirds (62%) of UK finance professional respondents feel that unjustified bonuses cause resentment among colleagues, according to research by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). Read story
Post Office staff strike over pensions and job cuts
Employee Benefits: Post Office employees who are part of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and managers who are members of trade union Unite are taking part in strike action today (Thursday 15 September 2016) in a dispute over pensions and job cuts. Read story
‘Trivial commutation’ tops most misunderstood pension terms table
Corporate Adviser: ‘Trivial commutation’ is the UK’s most misunderstood pension term, with 97 per cent of pension scheme members not understanding what it means. Second most misunderstood is ‘EPA’ – effective pension age – not understood by 94 of members, followed by ‘partnership pension account’ which goes over the head of 90 per cent of members. Read story
Post-Brexit pension dos and don’ts
HR Magazine: What to do or avoid when it comes to decisions about your organisation's pension scheme post-Brexit. Read story
Tax relief reform ‘attractive’ for chancellor in Autumn Statement
Professional Pensions: A single rate of tax relief could be “far too attractive” for chancellor Philip Hammond to not consider introducing through his Autumn Statement says Iain Anderson. Read story
John Lewis’s pension deficit rises 54.4%
Professional Pensions: John Lewis Partnership’s defined benefit (DB) deficit has increased to £1.5bn as the company reveals a 15% profit fall for the second half of the year. Read story
Pensions to be supplemented by other vehicles to increase saving.
Professional Pensions: Workplace pensions should be supplemented with other savings vehicles if employees are to save adequately for retirement according to an industry panel. Read story
Pensions dashboard won’t work without engagement
Professional Pensions: A targeted approach to stimulate engagement is vital if the pensions dashboard is to be a success according to a Dutch regulator. Read story
How to repurpose a health and wellbeing strategy to help manage musculoskeletal disorders
Employee Benefits: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) can affect all demographics within an organisation’s workforce, so exploring how an existing health and wellbeing strategy can be utilised to support employees is a wise move. Read story