Business Reporter

In this issue we look at the pay gap between the ‘thinkers’ and the ‘doers’ in British business with leading experts giving their views. We also look at the reward schemes some companies are using to attract, and indeed keep, the best talent. From ‘chocolate bars and surfing lessons, to free cars and wellbeing seminars’. [...]

Health cash plans can be a creative way to compensate staff and even raise company productivity when a pay rise is not guaranteed While testing economic conditions persist in the UK and worldwide, there is good news from at least one sector: new research shows that the health cash plan industry is prospering as more [...]

If you plan well and engage your employees, automatic enrolment can help you breathe new life into your company pension scheme Between October 2012 and 2017, depending on the size of your payroll, your business must begin to automatically enrol particular employees into a pension scheme that meets certain standards, and make contributions on their [...]

There are plenty of talented people out there, but how can you get them to work for you? Setting development plans, seeing potential and offering job variety are just a few tips for the top Without employees, an organisation simply wouldn’t exist. And without talented and motivated employees, an organisation has no hope of flourishing [...]

While pay rises may not be an option again this year for many companies, employers can give employees the tools to help them save money and plan for a brighter future It is a given that you diligently study during your school years to get your head around some complicated mathematical concepts – algebra being [...]

Salary sacrifice for cars benefits employer and employees; it’s an attractive perk to entice and retain staff and is more cost-effective for workers than using personal income Businesses have been relying on cars to attract, motivate and retain key talent since the days of the Model T Ford. And now, thanks to the inherent tax [...]

Process-driven recruitment that relies on technology to sift through masses of applicants can be too blunt a tool to spot the right candidate, as companies are starting to realise Talent-acquisition strategies are adapting to the post-credit crunch reality. Recruitment practices, which have become more process-driven and technology-dependent over the years, are now – counter-intuitively perhaps [...]

Employers should think more creatively about how they use their existing pay pot to retain their talent Pressure on the pay bill is challenging employers to use their reward budgets as effectively as possible to ensure staff remain motivated and engaged. A recent survey for Hay Group found two-thirds of organisations intend renewing their reward [...]

The government wants more firms to consider employee ownership – or at least to issue shares to staff. We really all could be in it together Seldom has employee ownership been so politically fashionable. The Tories want employee-led mutuals and co-ops to run public services; the Lib Dems have turned to the model in their [...]

Does linking reward to performance pay off? With strong opinions on both sides, the argument looks set to rumble on Anyone who thought the financial crisis might wobble the half-century old corporate love affair with performance-related pay might have to reconsider. In fact, with concerns about performance topping executive worry lists, firms are looking to [...]