At a glance: reward and benefits headlines this week 17 - 23 August 2018

The headlines you might have missed between 17-23 August.

46% believe a good work-life balance is their organisation’s top engagement driver
Employee Benefits: More than two-fifths (46%) of respondents believe that having a good work-life balance is the top engagement driver at their organisation. Read story

Menzies Distribution completes £75m pensions buy-out
Employee Benefits: Logistics organisation Menzies Distribution has completed a £75 million pensions buy-out transaction for Section B of its defined benefit (DB) pension scheme, the Menzies Pension Fund. Read story

TPR used enforcement powers 43,700 times to tackle pensions non-compliance in Q2
Employee Benefits: The Pensions Regulator (TPR) used its enforcement powers for pensions auto-enrolment non-compliance 43,700 times between April and June 2018, compared to 35,862 times last quarter, according to research by TPR. Read story

Extracurricular clubs rank as most popular employee benefit
Employee Benefits: Extracurricular clubs, such as arts and crafts sessions and book clubs, rank as the most popular employee benefit, with a perceived value score of 97.57 out of 100, according to research by engagement and motivation organisation Perkbox. Read story

New Zealand government awards 30% pay rise to address pay equity claim
Employee Benefits: The New Zealand Ministry of Education is to award a pay increase of up to 30% to 329 school support employees to address a pay equity claim. Read story

Legal-ease: Home working considerations
HR Magazine: The responsibilities of both employer and employee when considering home working arrangements. Read story

How to score yourself the pay rise you deserve
HR Grapevine: Few people turn up to work not expecting to get paid. We exchange our valuable time with our bosses and managers in order to get our hands on cold, hard dosh at the end of the month. Read story

Early evidence shows workers have taken increased pensions contributions ‘in their stride’
People Management: Experts say exodus from auto enrolled pensions schemes is unlikely – but concerns remain over next year’s increase. Read story

Mental health support would improve employee loyalty - Health Shield
Cover: Over half of employees feel they would take less time off work if employers looked after their mental wellbeing. Read story

Five lesser known maternity rights women must be aware of
Personnel Today: With statistics suggesting autumn is the most popular season to give birth, Beverley Sunderland clarifies some lesser known maternity rights that often get misinterpreted or overlooked. Read story

Low-income families’ earnings do not cover basic needs
Personnel Today: Families with two parents working full time at the national living wage are 11% (£49 per week) short of the income needed to afford an acceptable standard of living, it has been claimed. Read story

Younger staff hit by company expenses
HR Magazine: In the face of slow wage growth and high debt, Generation Z employees find being out of pocket from expenses unfair. Read story

Grad salaries frozen for almost a decade
HR Magazine: As university choices come into focus for young people across the UK, the outlook for the graduate job market is mixed. Read story

29% cannot explain how company cars impact upon their taxes
Employee Benefits: Under a third (29%) of respondents cannot explain how having a company car impacts on their taxes, and simply accept the amount that comes out of their pay packet, according to research by vehicle supply organisation OSV. Read story

Prospect members reject five-year Ministry of Justice pay deal
Employee Benefits: Employees working at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) who are members of the trade union Prospect have voted to reject a five-year pay deal because of corresponding changes to their employment terms and conditions. Read story

NHS Scotland awards three-year pay deal to 60,000 staff
Employee Benefits: The NHS in Scotland has agreed a three-year pay deal for 60,000 employees who are members of the trade union Unison. Read story

Over half of asset managers may miss cost disclosure deadlines, finds LCP
Professional Pensions: Some 56% of defined contribution (DC) asset managers do not believe they will have transaction cost information in time for pension funds' March year-end statements, according to Lane Clark & Peacock (LCP) research. Read story

Strengthening TPR's powers in corporate events will require extra resources, warns industry
Professional Pensions: Proposed changes to The Pensions Regulator's (TPR) notifiable events framework so it can be more proactive when corporates make changes will create a very challenging workload, it has been said. Read story

Surrey County Council launches cycle to work scheme
Employee Benefits: Surrey County Council has launched a cycle to work scheme as part of its new employee benefits platform for 23,000 employees. Read story

A third of large employers use health and wellness promotions to reduce absence
Employee Benefits: Almost a third (32%) of organisations with 250 or more employees use health and wellness promotions to control absence levels and improve attendance, making this the most popular method among larger employers, according to research by Group Risk Development (Grid). Read story

Hensel-Roth joins Intermediate Capital Group
Employee Benefits: Antje Hensel-Roth has joined asset management firm Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) as head of human resources. Read story

The rise of the mental health officer: Positive change or quick fix?
HR Magazine: Recent research has shown the percentage of stress-related absence in the workplace has doubled in the past year, rising from 5% in 2017 to 10% in 2018. Read story

Reducing physical inactivity in the workplace
HR Magazine: Physical inactivity is costing the UK around £7.4 billion a year and the NHS almost £1 billion alone. Read story

British workers reject nine to five working
HR Magazine: More than half of UK adults (58%) want to move away from traditional working patterns, according to research by McDonald’s. Read story

Co-op embroiled in equal pay tribunal with former HR Chief
HR Grapevine: The Co-op Group has been taken to a tribunal by its former HR Chief who alleges she was sacked because she warned the company it could be paying men and women differently for the same roles. Read story

Rituals Cosmetics sees 62% of staff log on to employee engagement platform in five weeks
Employee Benefits: Home and body cosmetics organisation Rituals Cosmetics has seen 62% of its 160 employees in the UK and Ireland log on to its employee engagement and reward platform in five weeks. Read story

Moma agrees new contract offering lowest paid employees 4% pay increase
Employee Benefits: Professional and administrative staff at The Museum of Modern Art (Moma), who are members of the union UAW Local 2110, have voted to approve a new contract that will see the lowest paid quarter receive a pay rise of 4% or higher. Read story

Volkswagen Mexico awards two-year pay deal to 10,000 staff
Employee Benefits: Car manufacturer Volkswagen has awarded a two-year pay deal to 10,000 blue-collar employees based at its Mexico operating site who are members of the SITIAVW trade union. Read story

L&G conducts £300m longevity swap
Professional Pensions: Legal & General (L&G) has entered the small scheme longevity insurance market after completing a £300m longevity swap with a pension fund. Read story

Job adverts that omit salary details fuel pay gaps
HR Magazine: Employers that don't include pay information in their adverts could be contributing to unequal pay, according to the Young Women’s Trust. Read story

Real weekly earnings £13 lower than before the financial crisis
Personnel Today: Real average earnings are £13 per week lower than they were a decade ago and there are still significant “employment gaps” among some disadvantaged groups, according to analysis by the Resolution Foundation. Read story

A powerful pensions regulator alone cannot stop Carillion-style scandals, government told
People Management: Providing the pensions watchdog with more punitive powers would not, in itself, stop another scandal like Carillion or BHS, industry experts have advised the government. Read story

Half of employers do not have a financial wellbeing strategy
Employee Benefits: Almost half (49%) of employers do not have a financial wellbeing strategy in place for their employees, according to research by pensions and investment consultancy Barnett Waddingham. Read story

52% of employees at law firms are engaged with their organisation
Employee Benefits: Just over half (52%) of employees who work at law firms are engaged with their organisation, according to research by professional services organisation Aon. Read story

John Lennon airport employees strike in pay dispute
Employee Benefits: Around 80 employees who work at John Lennon airport in Liverpool, and who are members of the GMB trade union, are beginning strike action today (Thursday 23 August 2018) in a dispute over pay. Read story

Government concedes EU pensions loss in no-deal Brexit scenario
Professional Pensions: More than 300,000 pensioners may lose access to their pensions if the UK is unable to agree a Brexit deal, the government has conceded. Read story 

Dominic Chappell takes £10m BHS bill to court
Professional Pensions: Former BHS owner Dominic Chappell will contest the £9.5m bill demanded by The Pensions Regulator (TPR), the watchdog has confirmed. Read story

One in five employers aware of staff falling victim to pension scams
Professional Pensions: Just under 20% of firms know of one or more employees that have been victims of a pension scam, a Barnett Waddingham study has found. Read story

Industry slams lack of detail on regulator's new powers
Pensions Expert: Plans to reinforce the regulation of defined benefit schemes in the UK lack depth and may not have been able to prevent the pensions scandals that have rocked the industry in recent years, according to industry experts. Read story

RSPCA warned over six-figure 'age discrimination' pay-off
HR Grapevine: The RSPCA has received an official warning from the Charity Commission following a six-figure pay-off to a former Chief Executive - BBC reports. Read story

The workplace benefits Gen Z REALLY want
Incentive and Motivation: To mark a fresh wave of Generation Z graduates entering the workforce for the first time this summer, new research has revealed what businesses can offer to attract and retain them. Read story