At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week
The headlines you might have missed between 2-8 October.
Veolia unveils global employee share scheme
WSB: Veolia is launching a global share scheme for its 120,000 employees in 20 countries worldwide. Read story
Benefits thinking: Why the UK should get used to Treasury driving pensions policy
WSB: George Osborne has been having a big say in pensions policy since Budget 2014. Owain Thomas explains that this could be set for a further five years. Read story
Tate and Lyle Sugars boosts pension contributions via salary sacrifice
Employee Benefits: Some 90% of Tate and Lyle Sugars’ employees have taken up pensions salary sacrifice since the arrangement was launched in July 2015. Read story
30% offer age-related wellness programmes
Employee Benefits: Around a third (30%) of respondents offer age-specific wellness programmes for their staff, according to a study by Mercer. Read story
37% of absence due to mental health issues
Employee Benefits: More than a third (37%) of absence notifications in 2014 were due to mental health issues, according to figures from Legal and General. Read story
Stuck in a transfer tangle
Corporate Adviser: Regulation around transfers out of pensions – DB or DC – is stretching the adviser/client relationship to breaking point. John Lappin reports. Read story
The writing on the wall for old reward technology
Corporate Adviser: The writing is on the wall for old reward technology systems, says B2E Technologies managing director James Markham. Read story
Isa set-up fails to win over pensions crowd
Pensions Expert: The industry has broadly rejected a wholesale shift of the current pension tax system towards an Isa-style approach, but some have woven together several ideas in an attempt to better incentivise saving. Read story
Shared parental leave to be extended to grandparents
HR Magazine: Shared parental leave will be extended to grandparents, the government has announced. Read story
Osborne to force LGPS into six ‘wealth funds’ to invest in UK infrastructure
Professional Pensions: The Local Government Pension Scheme’s (LGPS) 89 funds will be pooled into six British wealth funds to invest billions in infrastructure, the Chancellor has revealed. Read story
Aon launches DC master trust
Professional Pensions: Aon Hewitt has joined the crowded defined contribution (DC) master trust market, launching a service aimed initially at existing schemes with £20m or more in assets. Read story
Coventry City Council supports staff who foster
Employee Benefits: Coventry City Council has introduced a Fostering Friendly policy designed to support employees who apply to become foster carers. Read story
Less than a quarter feel in control of their pension
Employee Benefits: Less than a quarter (23%) of respondents feel in control of their pension, according to research by Hymans Robertson. Read story
Do performance incentives work?
WSB: Businesses are increasingly using incentive schemes to motivate staff and improve workplace productivity. But do they work? Read story
TPR to cut DC code in half
WSB: The Pension Regulator’s revised code of practice for defined contribution (DC) schemes to be consulted on later this year will be half the length of the current manual. Read story
Over 75% of managers see increase in male mental health concerns
Cover Magazine: Over three-quarters (79%) of management have reported an increase in the number of male employees citing stress and anxiety as reasons for absence, according to research by Health Assured. Read story
The cost impact of an ageing workforce
Employee Benefits: What does this ‘greying’ of the workplace mean for benefits, especially age-weighted group risk benefits? Read story
Bernard Casey: The challenges of an ageing workforce
Employee Benefits: When it comes to the challenges surrounding the ageing workforce, [many employers] will be interested in how compensation strategies will have to be adapted. And behind all this is the question of whether older workers are as productive as their younger counterparts, more productive or less productive. And, if they are, in what ways. Read story
Pensions freedom: Six stats from the first six months
Professional Pensions: Pensions freedom is six months old - to mark the occasion the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has released its six top facts to emerge from the reforms. Read story
Willis UK CEO says Towers Watson merger is 'full steam ahead’
WSB: Willis Employee Benefits UK CEO Tony Powis is "not concerned" about the legal bid to block the consultant's merger with Towers Watson. Read story
Employers fear poor savings will delay retirements
WSB: Nearly half of UK employers (49%) are worried about older workers deferring retirement due to inadequate savings - with the majority fearing the situation will get worse. Read story
Schemes spared £3bn hit as judges reject survivor benefits equalisation claim
Professional Pensions: Schemes will not have to equalise survivor benefits for widowers and same sex partners after an appeal in the Walker vs Innospec case was dismissed today. Read story
Eight LGPS funds in talks over South West regional CIV
Professional Pensions: A group of local government pension funds in the South West are exploring pooling all their investments into a £19bn regional Collective Investment Vehicle (CIV). Read story
One in three of schemes do not review fiduciary managers
Professional Pensions: More than one in three schemes that use a fiduciary manager has no formal process to review their relationship according to an annual survey from Buck Consultants at Xerox. Read story
SurveyMonkey and Visa introduce genetic testing scheme
Employee Benefits: Instacart, SurveyMonkey and Visa are among a number of organisations in the US that have signed up to a new benefits scheme giving employees access to genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer risk. Read story
29% to increase spend on technology
Employee Benefits: More than a quarter (29%) of respondents will spend more on benefits technology in 2015 than they did in 2014, according to research by Thomsons Online Benefits. Read story
80% of pension cash withdrawals made by under-65s - ABI
Corporate Adviser: Four out of five cash withdrawals from pensions made in the first six months of the pension freedoms have been made by people under the age of 65, according to new figures from the Association of British Insurers. Read story
LGBT inclusion at King Digital Entertainment
HR Magazine: Employee-led LGBT inclusion activity is strong at King Digital Entertainment, and it's supported by HR every step of the way. Read story
CNH Industrial keeps communication simple
Employee Benefits: CNH Industrial aims to keep communication for its 71,192 staff as simple as possible, to avoid overcomplicating its employee benefits. Read story
Home Retail Group boosts share scheme uptake
Employee Benefits: Home Retail Group, which owns retailers Argos (pictured), Habitat and Homebase, has boosted engagement with its employee sharesave scheme by increasing its communications around the benefit. Read story
California acts to bridge gender pay gap
Employee Benefits: The California Fair Pay Act was signed into law by Californian governor Jerry Brown to strengthen equal pay legislation in the state. Read story
Civil partner pension benefits need not be equalised
Personnel Today: Pension schemes will not be required to pay backdated benefits to civil partners of their members, due to a Court of Appeal ruling. Read story
EAT rules on pensions discrimination case
Employee Benefits: The Court of Appeal has ruled against a retired worker in his bid to see his husband receive the same pay out from his pension scheme in the event of his death as a spouse of the opposite sex would be entitled to. Read story
Talarius launches staff recognition portal
Employee Benefits: Talarius has introduced an employee recognition portal to encourage employee suggestions and reward staff for sharing ideas. Read story
31% attend work with an infectious illness
Employee Benefits: Almost a third (31%) of employees have gone into their place of work with an infectious illness, according to research by office supply chain Staples. Read story
Over-50s workforce hits record levels
WSB: Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that 302 in every 1,000 adults employed during the first two quarters of 2015 were aged 50 or more. Read story
Admiral extends private healthcare benefit
WSB: Admiral is introducing a voluntary option to the company's private medical insurance (PMI) scheme following requests from staff to widen the benefit. Read story
Tesco pension deficit grows as minimum wage rise hits £500m
WSB: The funding level of Tesco’s defined benefit (DB) pension scheme has fallen yet again as it revealed meeting the national living wage would cost it £500m. Read story
Recognition takes centre stage at Shop Direct
HR Magazine: A peer-to-peer recognition scheme is boosting engagement at multi-brand online retailer Shop Direct. Read story
British Steel scheme deficit falls 84% after unions accept contribution cap
Professional Pensions: The funding deficit of the British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS) has dropped from £550m to £90m as a result of cost cutting measures agreed following tough negotiations. Read story
DC schemes urged to double contribution rates
Professional Pensions: Concerns have been raised about low defined contribution (DC) saving rates as the number of DC savers exceeds active defined benefit (DB) membership for the first time. Read story
Pension Wise staff redeployed amid low take-up
Money Marketing: Pension Wise guidance staff who do not have appointments booked are being redeployed, Money Marketing can reveal. Read story
Ellipse to launch 'next generation' Sick Pay product
Cover: The product, Sick Pay Complete, is designed to help employers deal with workplace absences by providing an online absence management system, TeamSeer, alongside long-term disability insurance for employees. Read story