http://www.personneltoday.com/en-gbWed, 01 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2012/02/01/58309/incentives-required-to-improve-employee-healthcare-benefits.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2012/02/01/58309/incentives-required-to-improve-employee-healthcare-benefits.html The majority of employers would like to see tax breaks introduced in order to encourage firms to invest in private medical insurance, new research argues. More than <A href="https://www.simplyhealth.co.uk/sh/pages/media-cWed, 01 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2012/01/25/58287/government-issues-amended-timetable-for-pensions-auto-enrolment.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2012/01/25/58287/government-issues-amended-timetable-for-pensions-auto-enrolment.html The Government today issued amendments to the timetable against which employers must enrol their staff in workplace pension schemes. The Government says that the amendments have been made in order to allow smaller businessWed, 25 Jan 2012 15:41:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2012/01/24/58283/cable-announces-plans-for-action-on-executive-pay.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2012/01/24/58283/cable-announces-plans-for-action-on-executive-pay.html The Government's plans for an overhaul of the executive pay system have been announced. The proposals were first outlined in September 2011 by business secretary Vince Cable and more detail has been provided in a speech giTue, 24 Jan 2012 12:02:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2012/01/20/58279/private-sector-pay-deals-reach-three-year-high.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2012/01/20/58279/private-sector-pay-deals-reach-three-year-high.html Private sector pay bargaining got off to a good start in January as pay rises hit their highest level in three years, despite remaining stagnant throughout much of 2011. This is according to XpertHR's latest pay trends repFri, 20 Jan 2012 00:01:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2012/01/04/58255/communication-key-to-motivation-during-subdued-pay-awards.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2012/01/04/58255/communication-key-to-motivation-during-subdued-pay-awards.html Employers need to review staff communications about the economic pressures on pay in order to keep them motivated when awards are constrained, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has warned. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:34:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/12/31/58248/salary-sacrifice-vat-changes-four-things-employers-need-to-know.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/12/31/58248/salary-sacrifice-vat-changes-four-things-employers-need-to-know.html On 1 January 2012, new rules on the VAT treatment of certain benefits provided under salary-sacrifice schemes will come into force. The changes follow a ruling in the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that, where an employerSat, 31 Dec 2011 13:50:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/12/20/58232/benefits-packages-still-a-priority-for-employers.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/12/20/58232/benefits-packages-still-a-priority-for-employers.html Despite the pressure on budgets caused by the downturn, more than four employers out of five are continuing to protect staff with competitive health and benefits packages, latest research has suggested. The <A href="http:Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:30:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/12/16/58228/vast-majority-of-pay-awards-lag-behind-inflation.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/12/16/58228/vast-majority-of-pay-awards-lag-behind-inflation.html Pay awards are continuing to lag well below inflation, with just 2% of settlements keeping up with the retail prices index (RPI) in 2011, research has found. According to XpertHR's latest <A href="http://www.xperthr.Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:43:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/12/06/58207/four-employers-in-five-exceed-statutory-obligations-for-sick-staff.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/12/06/58207/four-employers-in-five-exceed-statutory-obligations-for-sick-staff.html More than four-fifths (81%) of employers provide sick pay above the statutory entitlement, according to research published by Unum and Personnel Today. Further, two-thirds of organisations said that they continue to pay theTue, 06 Dec 2011 10:20:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/12/02/58203/unions-lose-cpi-pensions-battle-in-high-court.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/12/02/58203/unions-lose-cpi-pensions-battle-in-high-court.html Public sector unions have lost their High Court battle over alterations to how pensions are calculated. George Osborne announced in his emergency Budget in June 2010 that, with effect from April 2011, pensions would bFri, 02 Dec 2011 16:21:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/11/29/58188/autumn-statement-pay-cap-and-further-job-losses-for-public-sector.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/11/29/58188/autumn-statement-pay-cap-and-further-job-losses-for-public-sector.html The Chancellor of the Exchequer's autumn statement has delivered some bleak news for the public sector, with higher job losses than previously forecast and confirmation that pay awards in the sector will be restrained to an average of 1% fTue, 29 Nov 2011 16:01:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/11/28/58187/pensions-auto-enrolment-to-be-delayed-for-small-businesses.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/11/28/58187/pensions-auto-enrolment-to-be-delayed-for-small-businesses.html Businesses with fewer than 50 employees will not have to auto-enrol staff into pension schemes until 2015, the Government has confirmed. Minister for pensions Steve Webb confirmed in Parliament today that auto-enrolment foMon, 28 Nov 2011 16:43:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/11/18/58162/one-third-of-employers-freezing-pay.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/11/18/58162/one-third-of-employers-freezing-pay.html The number of employers freezing pay has crept up in the three months to the end of October 2011, with almost three pay packets in 10 (28%) frozen, compared with 25% in the last rolling quarter. This is according to tFri, 18 Nov 2011 10:09:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/11/15/58150/accept-pay-cuts-or-face-redundancy-care-staff-told.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/11/15/58150/accept-pay-cuts-or-face-redundancy-care-staff-told.html Social care staff at housing association Family Mosaic will be told to accept "massive" pay cuts or lose their jobs. This is according to public sector union Unison, which said that the London- and Essex-based housing assoTue, 15 Nov 2011 15:48:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/11/08/58134/union-accuses-government-over-misleading-pension-figures.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/11/08/58134/union-accuses-government-over-misleading-pension-figures.html The Government has been accused of using misleading figures in an attempt to manipulate public opinion in the debate over public sector pensions<Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/11/03/58127/unison-strike-ballot-could-be-fatally-flawed.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/11/03/58127/unison-strike-ballot-could-be-fatally-flawed.html EXCLUSIVE The Unison ballot, in which members voted yes to a strike over public sector pensions, could be "fatally flawed", meaning that employers could put a stop to the planned "dThu, 03 Nov 2011 15:58:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/10/28/58098/executive-pay-in-ftse-100-companies-jumps-by-49.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/10/28/58098/executive-pay-in-ftse-100-companies-jumps-by-49.html FTSE 100 executive directors pocketed a 49% increase in remuneration in 2010, bringing the value of their salary, bonuses and other incentives to an average of £2.7 million. While salaries rose by 3.2%, bonuses increased bFri, 28 Oct 2011 09:34:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/10/24/58083/culture-secretary-jeremy-hunt-criticised-for-recruiting-unpaid-interns.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/10/24/58083/culture-secretary-jeremy-hunt-criticised-for-recruiting-unpaid-interns.html Cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt has been pilloried by campaigners after advertising for unpaid interns. The culture secretary was found to be advertising for multiple "constituency interns", offering to pay travel expenses onMon, 24 Oct 2011 15:30:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/10/24/58081/hr-leads-push-to-outsource-pensions-administration.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/10/24/58081/hr-leads-push-to-outsource-pensions-administration.html HR managers are more interested in outsourcing pensions functions following the closure of defined benefit schemes, according to research published today. A survey from Mercer and Chatham Partners was conducted among 87 prMon, 24 Oct 2011 15:25:00 GMThttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/10/24/58076/government-and-unions-judicial-review-battle-begins-over-cpi-pensions-change.htmlhttp://www.personneltoday.com/Articles/2011/10/24/58076/government-and-unions-judicial-review-battle-begins-over-cpi-pensions-change.html The UK's largest public sector unions will open up a legal front tomorrow in their continuing row with the Government over pensions reform. Six unions - Unison, Unite, Public and Commercial Services Union, the Fire BriMon, 24 Oct 2011 10:54:00 GMT