Due to an ageing population the number of working carers is set to increase. Dawn Lewis discusses how employers can mitigate the potential impact to their business.
There are currently around six million carers in the UK, more than three million of whom also have a job. The number of working carers is steadily growing and catering for them is going to become a more pressing issue if businesses want to retain key skills.
A caring problem
At the...
Ensuring that employees strike the right balance between their home and work life can be difficult. Here is some advice you could offer them to effectively do this.
Setting the boundaries
Set clear demarcation lines between work and home life. If staff need to work at home, tell them...
Cutting the cost of benefits is top of the agenda for employers, according to research from Mercer.
Due to the financial instability in 2011 many organisations are now questioning the feasibility of maintaining their workplace health schemes. Nearly 85 per cent of HR...
Employee benefits providers have welcomed an indication from David Cameron that plans to abolish child benefits for higher-rate taxpayers will be reconsidered.
The proposal to scrap the relief for any household which has an individual earning above the £42,745 threshold...
Employee benefits packages are one of the biggest incentives an employer can offer. Once enrolled in a scheme it is important employees are continually informed about developments and messages are reinforced. Here are some tips to help effectively do this.
Survey employees
It...
Employees want more flexibility and variety when
it comes to their benefits, according to research
from Mercer.
The findings showed that traditional elements of a package scored poorly when it came to motivation and engagement. However, those that provided a good work–...
Lisa Gregory looks at why some employee benefits are preferred over others and how the industry has changed.
Given the economic downturn of recent years, it seems timely to take stock of how employee benefits have been impacted overall and the emerging prominence of certain benefits. The landscape has undoubtedly changed, but which benefits have grown in popularity and which have become casualties of...
One size doesn’t always fit all when it comes to reward. Andy Philpott explains how organisations can shape a benefits package in order to deliver real results.
Organisations today are operating in a climate in which they need their people to perform and be engaged within the business. This is essential in order to remain competitive in the current business and economic environment.
As many firms cope with the recession, their employees work hard,...
As the cost of living rises, Richard Davies outlines the benefits available to employees and how these can generate valuable savings.
Recent statistics from the Centre for Economic and Business Research reveal that the average family will be £910 worse off this year due to rising costs in household bills. With inflation for 2011 set to reach the highest since 1992 at 3.9 per cent and pay rises at levels well below this,...
Do you have a burning payroll question?
Parental leave
Q I have received a request for parental leave from one of our employees. She is asking to take leave of one day, but I seem to recall that the minimum period was one week?
A The basic statutory entitlement for qualifying employees, who have...
Richard Morgan considers how family-friendly benefits are continuing to evolve.
When we think of family-friendly benefits most of us will no doubt start the list with childcare vouchers and then quickly run out of inspiration.
However, one of the key trends emerging over the last few years is the importance of recognising how employees’ families can take...
Lynne Keeble discusses the importance of engaging working parents and how this can be achieved.
The UK has some of Europe’s most parent-friendly systems that enable working parents to enjoy a positive work–life balance and feel truly engaged with their employer, their peers and their work. A growing number of employers are winning the battle to engage, attract and retain working...
