Category Archives: Employee Relations

Compensation & Benefits, Employee Relations, Health & Welfare Plans, Human Resources, Management

Healthcare Outcomes Solutions Launches Patient Centered Enhanced Care Model to Reduce Healthcare Costs for Chronically Ill Patients of Self insured companies and improve their care

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Healthcare Outcomes Solutions (HOS), a company dedicated to reducing health care costs for self insured companies and their employees, recently launched its Patient Centered Enhanced Care model (PCEC). PCEC is a care coordination model designed to improve health care and reduce costs specifically for employee-patients, or their family members, with multiple chronic illnesses who are in a health plan offered by self-funded companies.

It is now common knowledge that approximately 5% of members of health plans account for about 50% of the cost. Multiple chronic diseases are the source of the majority of the cost in healthcare. The PCEC model enables self-funded businesses across the U.S. to offer coordinated care specifically for these member-patients. This service is offered to middle size or larger employers.

The PCEC model has been developed by healthcare experts and is grounded in extensive research of evidence-based and outcomes studies, many of which are available on the HOS website, www.healthcareoutcomes.net. The latest data on healthcare costs show that care coordination of the most chronically ill member-patients can reduce a company’s healthcare costs significantly.

We will work with companies to determine if the PCEC model is right for them. Affiliated healthcare accountants will examine a company’s current health care expenses, and HOS will determine the feasibility of reducing cost while improving care.

Via EPR Network
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John Lewis joins Capital Bonds network

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One of the UK’s leading retailers has joined the Capital Bonds network. John Lewis is now one of over 160 retailers where Capital Bonds are accepted.

Recipients can redeem the Bonds at a total of 37 John Lewis shops across the UK – 29 department stores and eight John Lewis at home shops.

Tim Ward, account manager, corporate sales at John Lewis comments: “At John Lewis we offer a vast choice of products for Capital Bonds holders with over 350,000 lines available in our shops. We feel this broad range ensures there is something for everyone and will appeal to a wide selection of recipients.”

Wayne Harrington, Head of Affiliate & Retail Partnerships at Edenred, adds:“It is a tremendous endorsement of our brand that such a major name in retailing has joined the Capital Bonds network.

“Capital Bonds are Edenred’s market leading multistore gift voucher, offering the greatest choice and convenience of all gift vouchers in the UK.

“They are easy to use as a business incentive, and the wide range of outlets where the vouchers can be redeemed make them perfect for employers who want to motivate their staff with a reward that suits them personally.”

Capital Bonds, administered by Edenred, has more retailers in its network than any other voucher of its kind, with 50 more retailers than any other multistore voucher as well as more than 450 independent retailers.

They are used by thousands of organisations throughout the UK in recognition of general performance and behavioural rewards, in employee recognition and reward schemes such as long service, in loyalty programmes, or as rewards in suggestion schemes, total rewards or sales incentives programmes.

Recipients can choose to use their vouchers at outlets that match their lifestyle requirements, and can purchase products for their home, enjoy employee discounts, experience fun days out with friends or use even their reward vouchers as part payment towards holidays and travel.

Via EPR Network
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Support For Working Parents To Address Cuts In Child Benefit

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Working parents can use salary sacrifice to reduce the impact of the recent cuts in child benefit announced in the Budget, according to Edenred, the UK’s leading provider of childcare voucher benefits.

The changes announced in the Budget will mean child benefit will now be withdrawn gradually from higher rate taxpayers earning between £50,000 and £60,000. The benefit will be reduced by one per cent for every £100 earned over £50,000 and completely removed for those earning over £60,000.

Under the Chancellor’s Budget, around 1.2 million families will now have their child benefit payments reduced. Around 840,000 of those households will lose all of the benefit. The other 360,000 will lose a portion of the benefit through the new tapering rule.

However, Edenred is advising working parents to use salary sacrifice for benefits such as childcare vouchers in order to reduce their taxable income to below the threshold and therefore offer a little more staff rewards.

Childcare vouchers are usually offered by employers via a salary sacrifice scheme which means they are taken from a parent’s pre tax salary and, depending on the rate of tax payer, are free from tax and National Insurance up to £243 a month. Both parents can claim these vouchers if their employer offers the scheme. The benefit for the company is also a lower National Insurance bill.

They can then be used for children up to 15 years, or 16 years if disabled, and can be spent on a wide range of activities such as afterschool clubs, holiday clubs, breakfast clubs, as well as nurseries, childminders and nannies. The age range covered by the vouchers means that parents of older children can also benefit.

Laura Czapiewski, product manager at Edenred, comments:
“With the Chancellor’s recent cuts to child benefit, many will be looking at ways to address this loss. The provision of childcare vouchers via a salary sacrifice scheme has multiple benefits – it serves to save a working parent tax and NI and could also help reduce their taxable income below the threshold that will be affected by the changes to child benefit.

“Any type and size of business can implement a childcare voucher scheme and it’s worthwhile for companies of all sizes, even if they have just one qualifying parent within the organisation. Parents should investigate if their place of work offers childcare vouchers.”

Edenred is the UK’s leading provider of childcare voucher benefits and has a website dedicated to childcare vouchers explaining how they work, the benefits and where to use them. See: http://www.childcarevouchers.co.uk/Parents/Pages/default.aspx

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Edenred Calls On Firms To Help Make Sure All Parents Benefit From Childcare Vouchers

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Edenred, the world’s leading name in employee benefits, incentives and rewards, has urged businesses to help ensure employees with older children don’t miss out on the benefits of childcare vouchers.

Many companies have a habit of promoting their family-friendly policies towards young families or mothers going on maternity leave, and as a result, many parents mistakenly assume that childcare vouchers are only for young children.

In actual fact, they can be used to pay for the care of children until the first September after their fifteenth birthday. For children registered as disabled, childcare vouchers can be used until the first September following their sixteenth birthday.

Laura Czapiewski, Edenred Childcare Voucher Product Manager, said: “It isn’t just working parents with young children that need support. Working parents with older children need support too.

“The needs of working parents do not end when children start school, and many parents agree that the pre-teen and teenage years can be the most challenging – emotionally and financially. However, many parents of older children are unaware of what they are entitled to.”

Childcare vouchers can be used to pay for a range of things, from nursery care through to holiday and community play schemes. Edenred offers discounts at a range of day and residential holiday clubs, allowing parents to make significant savings.

According to Ms Czapiewski, the key to ensuring parents of older children are able to take advantage of the benefits on offer is good communication.

She said: “When launching a family friendly benefit, it is tempting for businesses to use images of babies and toddlers in the promotion. However, good providers should supply an array of materials designed to attract the interest of parents of older children, using images and messages relating to preteens and teenagers.

“Two way communication is also very important. Surveying employees to find out the ages of their children can be useful because this allows businesses to properly tailor the benefits on offer to each employee. Once businesses have promoted a specific benefit to their employees, it is imperative that HR departments and line managers are fully aware of the scope of availability of these benefits so they can advise employees how and where they can be accessed.”

Via EPR Network
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Edenred joins with Partech International to promote innovation

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In line with its Invent 2016 strategy to prepare its expansion into new territories, Edenred recently announced a partnership with venture capital firm Partech International.

The Group is investing €15 million in the Partech International VI fund, which is raising an initial €100 million. The fund will invest in young, fast-growing companies involved in the digital economy and offering new web-based, e-commerce and e-marketing services as well as new payment media solutions.

The investment will enable Edenred to explore new opportunities in adjacent sectors. Edenred will also be able to track emerging developments, with the goal of anticipating changes that impact its shareholders: client companies, employees and affiliates.

Through its support for high potential companies, Edenred – in keeping with its pioneering spirit – has made innovation a priority driver of future growth.

Edenred UK

Edenred in the UK
Edenred helps organisations engage and motivate people for enhanced performance through the provision of flexible benefits, incentive and motivation solutions, expense management and communication services. It has 260 employees, 18,000 private and public sector clients, 1,000,000 users and 75,000 affiliates throughout the UK.

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Edenred gets into Christmas spirit with charity activities

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Three UK community projects received early Christmas presents thanks to employee benefits and motivation experts Edenred.

As part of the company’s ‘Eden for All’ day, all 243 employees across the three UK offices participated in a series of festive fundraising events to support community-based charities.

The London office donated food and clothing to St Margaret’s, a local drop in centre offering support for older people. Most of the elderly who attend the centre live alone and are on benefits.

The Pimlico-based office also collected toys for the Bayswater project in North London. The Bayswater project supports valuable families with housing issues or who are on a low income. They help and advise families in the local community to ensure their children are well cared for. The toys were then presented to the children as presents at their Christmas party.

Edenred’s office in Chester also held a toy collection in aid of the Cornel Clyd project, which meets the short term care requirements of young people whose needs cannot be met in a family environment.

Andy Philpott, Sales & Marketing Director at Edenred UK, comments:
“The Eden for All day is an established part of the calendar and a great way to support local charities and get involved in the communities near our offices. The day forms part of our year-long programme of CSR activity and is a valuable way to motivate our staff and encourage team working across different departments.”

‘Eden for All’ is an annual event held across Edenred offices worldwide, in 40 countries and is part of a wider programme of events and initiatives that support and encourage bonds with local communities.

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Edenred – The Only Employee Benefits Provider In The UK To Achieve Hat Trick Of International Accreditations

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Edenred (Employee Benefits) is the first provider of employee benefits products and services to earn three top ISO accreditations. These are the ISO9001, ISO14001 and ISO27001 certifications.

It was recently awarded the ISO/IEC 27001:2005, the international best practice framework, and is one of only 477 companies in the UK and 7346 worldwide to achieve this The certificate covers areas including; security policy, risk assessment, communications and operations management, access control, information systems acquisition, development and maintenance, business continuity management and compliance.

Andrew Watson, Information Security Manager at Edenred, commented:

“The security of our client information is critical to our future success and the ISO 27001 certification will play a crucial role in enhancing the trust and confidence in our services, people, processes and technology and deliver value to our customers and business partners.”

These accreditations with further boost the popularity and trust for the Edenred brand who provide a wide range of staff benefits, communication and incentives and rewards schemes for both employers and employees, these are particularly popular around the Christmas period when staff are looking to stretch their rewards and benefits for Christmas shopping with products such as multi store vouchers.

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Edenred Announce Christmas Selection 2011

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Employee benefits company Edenred has recently announced its new and improved line of Christmas reward products for 2011, which are guaranteed to be a hit with employers and employees alike.

Choosing the right gift for staff at Christmas can often prove to be a daunting task, as there are so many different options to choose from and so many people to choose a gift for. So this year, Edenred has tried to help its clients by framing its Christmas Reward options in a simple selection box. Now, customers can discover the options that are available, make their selection and enjoy their reward.

Edenred has included many of its most popular gift choices in the Christmas Reward selection, such as capital bonds, compliments cards, store gift vouchers, experience cards, total reward statements, wine and dine vouchers and Christmas hampers.

Andy Philpott, Marketing Director of Edenred said: “At Edenred we understand that, sometimes, the difficulty in selecting the right reward can be down to having too much choice. To tackle that, we’ve launched our great new reward platform, called Compliments Select, which will allow our customers to let their employees and clients choose their own Christmas gift.

“We’re really excited about Compliments Select and we’re confident that it will let our customers give their employees exactly what they want. It can allow you to issue almost any kind of reward to any recipient in any location instantly, so Compliments Select lets you give a reward to all your employees, channel partners and customers using a single online platform, all at the click of a button.”

Employees will be able to go online and redeem their reward by browsing the many options available to them and selecting exactly what they want. Compliments Select will deliver ease and convenience to Edenred customers and choice and value for employees, as well as improved performance and ROI for organisations, making it the ultimate reward.

If current or prospective customers of Edenred do face any difficulties in choosing the ideal gift, Edenred has a trained team of advisors available to help customers decide between the different options available. And, having chosen a reward product, customers will also be able to take advantage of the support that Edenred can offer when implementing incentives and rewards and employee benefits to ensure they deliver maximum ROI, whichever option is selected.

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Edenred Plans Two Major Launches For Employee Benefits Live

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Edenred will expand its range of online solutions by launching a major new employee incentives and rewards option and a state-of–the-art benefits platform for employees to visitors to Employee Benefits Live 2011.

Visitors will have the opportunity to learn how Compliments Select, an exciting new addition to Edenred’s highly successful Compliments range of incentive, reward and recognition vouchers, cards and e-cards, will provide the ultimate in employee choice in the run up to Christmas and beyond.

Edenred’s new Employee Savings portal will be the most user-friendly platform on the market. Extensive user-journey analysis and testing have ensured that employees can easily access and select the savings they want. This approach helps to maximise usage and savings and so helps employees to extend their spending power and the employer to maximise ROI.

Andy Philpott, Sales & Marketing Director of Edenred commented: “Online delivery is driving major change in the reward and benefits markets. While we already have superb online solutions such as Webcentiv, Total Reward Statements and our Flexible Benefits platform, these innovations will be further major assets to employers motivating and rewarding their staff pre- and post- Christmas and next year.”

Find out more about these innovations at stand 113 at Employee Benefits Live, or contact Veeraj Lutchman tel 0843 453 4406; or email sales@edenred.com.

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Edenred – The Only Employee Benefits Provider In The UK To Achieve Hat Trick Of International Accreditations

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Edenred (Employee Benefits) is the first provider of employee benefits products and services to earn three top ISO accreditations. These are the ISO9001, ISO14001 and ISO27001 certifications. It was recently awarded the ISO/IEC 27001:2005, the international best practice framework, and is one of only 477 companies in the UK and 7346 worldwide to achieve this The certificate covers areas including; security policy, risk assessment, communications and operations management, access control, information systems acquisition, development and maintenance, business continuity management and compliance.

Andrew Watson, Information Security Manager at Edenred, commented:

“The security of our client information is critical to our future success and the ISO 27001 certification will play a crucial role in enhancing the trust and confidence in our services, people, processes and technology and deliver value to our customers and business partners.”

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UK May Move Further Out Of Line With Most European Countries On Encouraging Workers To Eat At Lunch Time By Removing Tax Relief

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The Government may take the UK further out of line with virtually all major European countries by removing tax allowances to employers that can encourage workers to eat a proper lunch.

Employers can currently claim 15p (0.18 Euros) on luncheon vouchers they provide to staff. In Germany employers receive €3.10 per employee per day: the French Government allows € 5.21 Euros; in Italy the allowance is €5.29; in Switzerland€5.80; in Belgium it is €5.91 Euros and in Spain the allowance is a remarkable €9.00 per employee per day.

Country and Euro per day allowance
Austria = 4.40
Belgium = 5.91
Bulgaria = 1.46
Czech Republic = 2.00
France = 5.21
Germany = 3.10
Greece = 6.00
Hungary = 2.60
Italy = 5.29
Luxembourg = 5.60
Poland = 2.37
Portugal = 7.26
Romania = 2.00
Slovakia = 2.70
Spain = 9.00
Switzerland = 5.80
Turkey = 5.39
United Kingdom = 0.18

Following a Budget announcement by the Government in the Spring, there is at present a consultation period before UK tax relief is due to be reduced to zero in the 2012 Finance bill.

This is despite Dame Carol Black, the Government’s national director for health and work, backing a recent YMCA report which criticised Britain’s ‘no lunch break’ culture and found that one in three people skip eating at work.

According to research by Bupa published earlier this year, UK companies are losing close to £50million a day in lost productivity as workers fail to take a lunch break. Bupa Clinical Director of Occupational Health, Dr. Jenny Leeser, also recently said: “In challenging economic times, the UK work force is in overdrive and the lunch break is falling by the wayside. Instead of taking a break to refuel, workers are using props including chocolates and sweets and caffeinated drinks to get them through the day.”

Andrew Adams of leading employee benefits and flexible benefits provider Edenred commented: “It is widely accepted that eating a proper lunch and taking a break are important for staff to be productive at work. Yet the Government is planning to go in the opposite direction to most European countries by removing the minimal level of tax relief it currently grants.

“Surely if the Government is truly committed to encouraging workers to eating properly at lunchtime and to supporting employers trying to maximise productivity in this tough economic climate, it should be increasing rather than removing tax relief on luncheon schemes?

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Major UK Retailers Added To Employee Savings Programme

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Four more major UK retailers have been added to Edenred’s extensive employee savings platform, enabling businesses to offer their staff even more opportunities to save money.

The latest retailers to offer discounts on their lifestyle products are award-winning hairdressers Toni&Guy; beauty retailer Crabtree & Evelyn; online wine retailer Naked Wines and Virgin Experience Days which offer gifts from fine-dining restaurants, spa breaks, theatre trips and holidays.

These companies boost the existing portfolio of discounted vouchers and reloadable cards to more than 50 major retail names, while at the same time helping employers to motivate staff with incentives and flexible benefits.

Each employee registers on a dedicated website and can tailor their requirements to ensure they receive discounts that fit their lifestyle and interest. These special offers can also be passed on to family, ensuring that the benefit is spread further.

Wayne Harrington, product manager at Edenred, comments: “We’re pleased to be working with these major UK retailers to add a wide range of discounts to our employee savings platform which in turn provides businesses with a valuable tool in their motivation and engagement strategy.

“In the current economic climate and with VAT increases and tax changes in full force, there is pressure on disposable incomes. Employers who join employee savings schemes can effectively give their staff a pay rise of almost £1000 a year pre tax, at minimal cost to the business.”

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Payroll Outsourcing Services Save Small-Business Owners Time And Money

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Small-business owners often have to wear multiple hats: boss, human resources representative and payroll administrator, just to name a few. Thanks to National PEO, small-business owners can remove that last hat by outsourcing their company’s payroll administration. National PEO leads the payroll outsourcing services industry, offering payroll administration, tax payment and filing, online payroll entry, and EVerify, among other payroll-related tasks. The Scottsdale, Arizona, company helps small-business owners across the country save both time and money, as payroll administration is neither revenue-producing or an effective use of their time.

National PEO allows small-business owners to do what they do best: Run their companies. It does this by taking over all payroll services, including the important task of verifying work eligibility of employees. To determine whether or not a small business will benefit from payroll outsourcing services, including EVerify, National PEO does the following:

Performs a detailed analysis of the small business’ payroll operations and delivers an action plan showing the potential savings of time and money.

Outlines the many payroll outsourcing services National PEO provides, including:

Input Options – National PEO clients can decide how they want to upload payroll information. They can opt for WebPay, an online payroll entry solution, or they can fax, call, email or drop off their payroll information to be input.

Reports – National PEO’s powerful accounting software eliminates the task of compiling payroll reports.

Direct Deposit – Among National PEO’s payroll outsourcing services, is this versatile option: Small-business owners can give their employees the option of direct deposit, whether into one account or multiple, or via a pay card.

Deductions and Garnishments – National PEO handles health-care benefit deductions, child-support orders, levies and other deductions and garnishments.

PTO Tracking – Perhaps one of the most important of National PEO’s payroll outsourcing services, this system accurately tracks employee sick, vacation and personal time based on the policies of the small business.

About National PEO: When it comes to payroll outsourcing services, National PEO leads the industry thanks to its successful leadership and innovative practices. To schedule an interview with a member of the National PEO team, call John Rico at 480-429-8098. To get more information about the payroll outsourcing services the company provides, including Everify, go to nationalpeo.com or call (480) 429-8098 or toll free (888) 221-0945.

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Acas Releases 2009/10 Report

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Acas’ 2009/10 annual report shows that it dealt with more than 900 collective disputes in the past year. Ninety-four per cent of cases, including high profile disputes such as Royal Mail and Milford Haven Port Authority, were either resolved or the parties were moved towards a resolution.

The report also shows that Acas dealt with more than 85,000 (net) employment tribunal cases for individual conciliation, an overall increase of 13% from 2008/2009 and the highest number ever. While the figure was a record for the year as a whole the trend is now in reverse – the number of cases received for conciliation in the second half of 2009/10 was three per cent lower than the equivalent period in 2008/09.

Nearly 10,000 cases were referred to pre-claim conciliation in 09/10 – the early conciliation service which aims to resolve workplace issues before they escalate into costly and stressful tribunal claims. In 70% of completed cases where PCC was appropriate, tribunal claims have been avoided, saving time and money for taxpayers, employers and workers. It is estimated that completing employment tribunal paper work alone costs employers on average £2,000 a case.

With a million calls, it was also a record year for the Acas helpline which provides advice and guidance to employers and employees on workplace problems. Redundancy, dismissals and discipline and grievance were the most popular topics.

Acas continues to play a critical role in helping employers find more creative ways to avoid redundancy and boost economic recovery with more than 20,000 employers and employees attending an Acas training course during the year.

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Acas Launches Guide To Help Businesses Understand New Equality Act

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Acas, the employment relations service, has published new guidance to assist businesses in understanding and preparing for the changes to the new single Equality Act. The new Acas quick start guidance, ‘The Equality Act – what’s new for employers?’ demonstrates what these changes mean in practice.

John Taylor, chief executive of Acas, said: “Fairness in the workplace is good business and motivates staff as well as improving effectiveness and productivity. Last year Acas received around 32,000 calls on diversity and discrimination related issues. Our new guide helps businesses and managers understand what the changes mean in practice and what action employers will need to take.”

Changes have occurred in the following areas: third party harassment, pre-employment health checks, power of employment tribunal recommendations and pay secrecy.

The new act means employers are potentially liable if their staff are harassed by people they don’t employ such as external suppliers or customers.

F r o m October employers should no longer send out pre-health questionnaires with employment application packs. There are some exemptions, for example around questions related to making reasonable adjustments for the person in the selection process if they are disabled.

Employment tribunals can require employers found guilty of discrimination to take steps to require them to change their policies and practices to prevent further discrimination.

If a contract of employment requires employees to keep pay secret, the Equality Act makes this requirement unenforceable. An employer can still require employees to keep pay rates confidential f r o m others outside the workplace, such as competitors.

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PEO Company Introduces NPower Green Payroll Services

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National PEO, a leading PEO (Professional Employer Organization) is pleased to announce the introduction of NPower, a free and environmentally friendly program that eliminates paper pay stubs in favor of online payroll access. Besides the “green” aspect of the new program, employees and employers stand to benefit in other ways, including on-demand online access, up-to date information on benefits and the ability to send messages electronically within Npower.

National PEO has gained a reputation for leading the PEO (Professional Employer Organizer) industry through innovative practices and the company’s latest program -NPower- continues this tradition. NPower is the latest in a long line of progressive PEO services introduced by National PEO and one that is bound to strike a chord with employers and employees alike. Instead of receiving printed pay stubs, employees of participating companies have live access to their information online. By eliminating paper and printer supplies from the payroll equation, NPower helps to reduce pressure on companies to make their operations more environmentally responsible. No more pay stubs thrown in the trash or lengthy payroll reports to print and fax. Yet, where other “green” measures tend to come with a measure of inconvenience to those companies that adopt them, NPower represents a tremendous improvement over typical payroll operations.

Human Resources departments are always under pressure to make deadlines and deal with various critical issues, but a considerable amount of time is often lost due to having to respond to frequent questions from employees. National PEO’s NPower removes some of this stress by making the information employees frequently ask about available to them online. How much Paid Time Off (PTO) do they have remaining? Can they view last week’s pay stub? What about information on their 401k? This information and much more is available to employees online 24/7, so they can log in and review it at their leisure instead of having to request the information from a HR representative. The information available through NPower is live and accurate. This means faster answers for employees and fewer distracting questions for the Human Resources department to deal with. Employers can also send messages to employees about benefits programs or other subjects that might be appropriate. NPower truly is one of those PEO services that benefits employer and employee equally. Add in the “green” element, the fact that it’s a free program and you can understand why NPower is a winner.

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Safety Training Classes From National PEO Now Include OSHA Outreach Options

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In response to demand from companies in a wide range of industries, National PEO recently announced it has begun offering OSHA Outreach safety training classes. Already known for providing a wide range of professional services to employers, including assisting companies operating in Arizona Everify their employees (as per the Arizona Legal Workers Act), National PEO offers 23 safety training classes based on Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations.

Courses currently available are: OSHA General Industry, OSHA Construction Industry, Hearing Conservation, Hazard Communication, Forklift Training and Certification, Lockout/Tag Out, Heat Stress (Hyperthermia), Cold Illness (Hypothermia), Confined Space Entry, Respirator Training, Back Safety, Blood Borne Pathogens, Fire Safety and Prevention, Electrical Safety, Fall Protection, Ladder Safety, OSHA Record Keeping, Scaffold Training, Eye Safety and Face Protection, Slip Trip and Fall Protection, Basic First Aid, CPR/AED Training and Excavation Safety. While some classes are as short as 30 minutes long, more comprehensive courses (such as OSHA General Industry) range from 10 to 30 hours in duration. To make training as convenient as possible, employees may attend classes at National PEO offices, or courses can be conducted onsite.

In a competitive business environment, Human Resources functions are often impacted, leaving many companies short of the knowledge and personnel required to keep up with legislative and regulatory requirements. A good example is the Arizona Legal Workers Act, legislation that requires companies in that state to electronically verify (or E-Verify) eligibility of their workers. Noncompliance can lead to suspension or even loss of the company’s business license. National PEO quickly offered an Arizona Everify program that processes employees on behalf of the company, audits I-9s and the employee filing system as well as updating management on any changes to federal or state laws as they concern employees and immigration.

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Acas Advises Businesses On How To Maintain Productivity During The World Cup

Acas has offered advice to employers in order for them to get the best from their employees and avoid absences during the football World Cup this summer.

Acas Advises Businesses On How To Maintain Productivity During The World Cup

Acas has urged employers to start talking to employees early to manage their expectations and minimise the impact on workplace productivity.

One of the main issues that Acas has offered advice to employers on is flexibility. Acas is encouraging employers to discuss the possibility of altering start and finish times in the workplace in order to offer the employee a longer lunch break to watch football.

Acas has also suggested being clear on what the employer expects from its employees in terms of attendance and performance throughout the World Cup. This not only helps to keep everyone in the know and assists the workforce in maintaining a high performance rate despite a possible altered attendance.

Honesty is also crucial in making sure everyone knows where they stand and, when combined with being fair and constructively responsive to any queries or questions regarding the changes or time off, any employment disputes will be prevented or at least minimised.

Being communicative is a vital area according to Acas, and the aforementioned points should be discussed by employer and employee as early as possible.

Via EPR Network
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Controlling Lone Worker Risk through Effective Technology Solutions

Following the recent drastic announcements by the Sentencing Guidelines Council that advises Courts in the award of punishments as the consequences for firms contravening health and safety legislation, Tom Morton, CEO of Argyll, the UK’s largest lone worker service provider, advises employers how they can safely mitigate corporate risks using existing technology.

In addition to robust management processes, the HSE recommends that managing the safety of a workforce isolated from their colleagues requires efficient communications to be maintained between the employee and their employer.

Pragmatic employers already acknowledge that it is almost impossible to continuously supervise lone workers manually and that software based lone worker solutions are widely available and can operate 24 hours. These solutions are capable of being accessed via standard mobile phones, smart-phones and specialized lone worker devices and so it is possible to meet the minimum requirement of the HSE guidance and communicate regularly with your lone workers. These software systems enable employers to manage their corporate exposure to health and safety risks and release valuable management time to focus on core business activities rather than day-day health & safety administration.

New ‘specialized’ automatic warning devices, which operate if specific signals are not received from the lone worker (eg man-down devices) are widely available but employers should guard against the temptation for widespread deployment since not all devices currently available will offer compliance with the minimum features recommended within the published lone worker industry standard BS8484. Fundamentally these type of devices are not always required by every lone worker within the organization and any decision to deploy highly specialized equipment could be costly. In real terms this should only be considered once the organisation’s risk assessment identifies a specific risk or system improvement requirement and where mitigation of the risk cannot be achieved using other equipment or assets.

Via EPR Network
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Argyll ‘Blac and Blu’ In Fight Against Lone Worker Violence

Argyll, the UK leader in lone worker safety introduces ‘Blac’ for Blackberry devices and ‘Blu’ for Windows Mobile devices, two new Health & Safety software applications that are specifically designed to discreetly monitor those at risk, remove the need to deploy expensive ‘specialised’ devices for those personnel deemed at lower risk, maximize the employer return on investment case through significant added value services and still comply with legislation.

Following feedback from clients, Argyll has recognised that many employers are now deploying mobile technology such as Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices in a bid to improve productivity for their remote workers. Argyll has also recognised that employees do not always require, or desire, to carry two devices and that in the current economic climate, where employers are striving to keep costs under control, employers are keen to reduce the numbers of sim cards being deployed.

‘Blac°’ & ‘Blu°’ enable any ‘at risk’ Lone Worker with a GPS equipped Blackberry or Microsoft Windows Mobile device or mobile phone, to maintain reliable contact with an in-house response team and a BS8484 compliant end-to-end solution incorporating a police preferred status Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC).

Argyll, the UK’s largest lone worker service provider, is providing free links and advice for any organisations seeking to control ‘lone working’ which is highlighted by the HSE as one of the highest risk exposures for prosecution under the CMCHA. The information is available via the company’s website and enables employers to properly understand the current legislation and contains helpful advice and guidance to assist them fulfil their duty of care for lone workers.

Via EPR Network
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