At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 9-15 November 2018

The headlines you might have missed between 9-15 November.

Half do not believe Morrisons should be held liable for data breach
Employee Benefits: Half (50%) of respondents think that Morrisons should not be held partly liable for the data breach of its employees’ payroll information. Read story

Moneysupermarket Group signs up to voluntary living wage
Employee Benefits: Price comparison organisation Moneysupermarket Group has been accredited by the Living Wage Foundation for paying all colleagues and regular contracted staff at or above the voluntary living wage. Read story

FDM Group and UBS recognised as 2018’s top employers for gender diversity and flexible working
Employee Benefits: Professional services firm FDM Group, multinational investment bank UBS (pictured) and construction and engineering business Morgan Sindall Construction and Infrastructure are among the organisations that have been recognised at the 2018 Top Employer Awards, run by employment agency workingmums.co.uk. Read story

Zurich launches new employee benefits and portal for 5,000 UK staff
Employee Benefits: Insurance organisation Zurich has updated its employee benefits offering for 5,000 UK employees, as well as launched an employee benefits portal to better support the organisation’s agile working culture and multigenerational workforce. Read story

Lesley Titcomb: Industry cannot rely on TPR to act as sole policeman
Professional Pensions: The sector has to look after its own reputation and should not rely solely on the watchdog, The Pensions Regulator's (TPR) chief executive says. Read story

Wellbeing: Why measuring VOI is better than ROI
Corporate Adviser: Assessing ROI for wellbeing solutions is hugely problematic. VOI – value of investment – is a better way to look at wellbeing interventions, hears Suzanne Clarkson. Read story

Hot topic: Worker share schemes
HR Magazine: Shadow chancellor John McDonnell recently set out plans that would oblige large firms to offer worker share schemes. Read story

One third don’t know unequal pay is illegal
Personnel Today: One third of employees do not know it is illegal to pay men and women differently for equal work, the Fawcett Society has found. Read story 

How far away is the pensions dashboard from becoming a reality?
Pensions Expert: A complete and up-and-running pensions dashboard could be years away, according to experts, as implementation and credibility concerns come to the fore. Read story

Stop keeping pay a secret if you want to solve gender inequality, employers are told
People Management: HR professionals should think about how they justify pay decisions, as new research suggests employees are unaware of their right to talk openly. Read story

Court ruling blocks final salary pension transfers
Corporate Adviser: Schemes block transfers after high court rules that pension schemes must equalise GMP benefits. Read story

Stop asking candidates to disclose salary, say employers
Personnel Today: Three-quarters of hiring managers think the gender pay gap could be reduced if interviewees were not asked to disclose their salary, according to research from recruitment company Major Players. Read story

Most adults feel they missed out on financial education
Money Marketing: Over three quarters of UK adults said they did not received financial education at school, but most wish they had. Read story

Flexible working tops list of most desired benefits for SME employees
Employee Benefits: Flexible working tops the benefits wishlist for employees at UK small to medium enterprises (SMEs), according to a study by financial adviser Drewberry. Read story

Scottish council workers reject offer of 3% pay increase by COSLA
Employee Benefits: Scottish council workers have rejected the offer of a 3% pay rise for those earning less than £80,000 a year. Read story

Oxford City Council announces living wage rise to £10.02 an hour
Employee Benefits: Oxford City Council has announced that the Oxford hourly living wage will rise from £9.69 to £10.02 in April 2019. Read story

Interest in pension performance transparency jumps by nearly 20 points
Professional Pensions: Just under three quarters of defined contribution (DC) members are interested in seeing how their pension scheme's performance compares to others in the market, according to AllianceBernstein. Read story

Three to five years until CDC is up and running, says industry
Professional Pensions: It will take between three and five years before collective defined contribution (CDC) schemes are up and running, despite the government launching a consultation on the provision. Read story 

Computershare acquires employee share plan administrator Equatex
Employee Benefits: Employee share plan provider Computershare has completed the acquisition of Zurich-based Equatex from Montagu Private Equity, following regulatory approval. Read story

Employers report pay increase expectations of just 2% for the year ahead
Employee Benefits: According to the autumn 2018 Labour market outlook report by the CIPD and the Adecco Group, employers report median basic pay increase expectations of just 2% for the period up to September 2019. Read story

Advertised salaries fall for fifth consecutive month in September 2018
Employee Benefits: Advertised salaries in the UK are showing a fifth consecutive month of negative growth, according to the latest data from job website Adzuna. Read story

Ford upgrades parental leave policy for US salaried staff
Employee Benefits: Automobile organisation Ford has upgraded the parental leave policy offered to its 29,000 salaried employees in the US. Read story

NEST rolls out sidecar savings trial
Professional Pensions: The research unit of NEST has launched its sidecar savings trial and revealed the organisations that will be taking part in the research. Read story

Early retirement hits 23-year low: ONS
Corporate Adviser: The number of people taking early retirement continues to plunge, with predictions that figures could hit zero by 2035. Read story

Employers 'not taking wellbeing seriously enough’
Cover: Two in three do not provide mental health and musculoskeletal support to employees. Read story

Cautious welcome for plans to overhaul gig economy workers’ rights
People Management: Government leak suggests new legislation will also end ‘Swedish derogation’ rules affecting agency workers. Read story

Nearly a third say demand for flexible working is biggest challenge for employers
Employee Benefits: The biggest workplace issues facing employers across the globe are skills shortages (49%) and the demand for flexible working (30%), according to a study by HR and employment law firm alliance Ius Laboris. Read story

Film studio Aardman transfers to employee ownership
Employee Benefits: Bristol-based film studio Aardman, best-known for animations Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, has transferred into employee ownership. Read story

Timpson to be first employer to trial ‘sidecar savings’ auto-enrolment model
Employee Benefits: Shoe repair organisation Timpson will be the first employer to trial a new ‘sidecar savings’ model for auto-enrolment, launched by Nest Insight. Read story

Lord Myners calls for fresh review into investment decision-making
Professional Pensions: Jonathan Stapleton reports on why Lord Myners believes there needs to be a new review of the investment principles. Read story

UK workers need to save less for retirement than other countries, finds research
Professional Pensions: Fidelity International has created global retirement savings guidelines to help employers and employees understand how much is needed to save for retirement, writes Kim Kaveh. Read story

Average DB scheme able to meet 93% of benefits, says LGIM
Professional Pensions: A typical defined benefit (DB) scheme was able to meet 92.9% of its accrued pension rights as of 30 September, according to Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM). Read story

Seven out of 10 workers say wellbeing issues overlooked in workplace
Corporate Adviser: New research find mental health and musculoskeletal problems are often not adequately addressed. Read story

DC members want more transparency on fund performance
Corporate Adviser: Significant increase in members who want more information on company pensions and how they compare to rival products. Read story

How can employers manage changes in childcare provision?
Personnel Today: The long-standing Childcare Vouchers scheme ended on 4 October and has been replaced by the government’s Tax-Free Childcare scheme. How can employers navigate the new incentive and communicate the changes to staff? Julie Barker from Hawk Incentives looks at the options. Read story

Disability and ethnicity pay gap reporting should be made mandatory
Personnel Today: Employers should be required to produce a “fair pay report” that considers pay differences based on disability, ethnicity and gender, to build upon the success pay reporting has had on reducing the gender pay gap, according to a think tank. Read story

EAT upholds decision that Addison Lee drivers are workers
Personnel Today: Addison Lee has lost its claim at the Employment Appeal Tribunal that its drivers were self-employed. Read story

More than half of SME workers are stressed - Drewberry
Cover: A survey by Drewberry has found 55% of SME workers are stressed or regularly feel stressed. Read story

Pensions secretary resignation leaves savings policy ‘vacuum’
Professional Pensions: Pensions experts have expressed concerns over the future of long-term policy making as work and pensions secretary Esether McVey steps down from her position. Read story

Pay growth rate of 0.9% in last quarter was highest since December 2016
Employee Benefits: Regular pay in real terms, namely adjusted for inflation, increased by 0.9% between July to September 2017 and July to September 2018, according to the UK labour market report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This represents the highest pay growth rate since October to December 2016. Read story

TPR used enforcement powers 38,095 times to tackle non-compliance in Q3
Employee Benefits: The Pensions Regulator (TPR) used its enforcement powers to deal with pensions auto-enrolment non-compliance 38,095 times between July and September 2018, compared to 43,700 times in the previous quarter, according to its latest compliance and enforcement quarterly bulletin. Read story

£50bn of buy-ins need restructuring after GMP equalisation ruling
Professional Pensions: Insurers are set to face a "flood of requests" from pension schemes for buy-in contracts to be restructured to allow for guaranteed minimum pension (GMP) equalisation, Aon warns. Read story

Firm must pay £700,000 of pension contributions after benefit miscalculation
Professional Pensions: The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has ordered a firm to pay back more than £700,000 of pension contributions after it miscalculated the amounts due for more than a year. Read story

Employer healthcare costs ‘to rise 6.3%’
Corporate Adviser: Employer healthcare costs are predicted to rise by 6.3 per cent in the UK next year, while globally the increase is predicted to be 7.6 per cent. Read story

Employers should report ethnicity and disability pay gaps, says think tank
HR Magazine: Pay transparency should be extended to cover ethnicity and disability pay gaps, according to a report from the Institute for Public Policy Research. Read story