Articles by Owain Thomas
Protection Review 2015: ABI develops workplace sick pay statement
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) is developing a workplace statement that will allow employers to tell employees exactly what sickness benefits they are entitled to.
Towers Watson merges with Willis in £11.4bn deal
Towers Watson has merged with insurance broker Willis Group in an $18bn (£11.4bn) deal to create a wide-ranging global advisory, broking, and solutions provider.
Fit for Work service completes rollout in Wales
The Fit for Work (FfW) service has fully rolled-out across Wales and is also active in much of England.
NICE guidance puts senior management at the heart of workplace wellbeing
The body which develops clinical guidelines for the NHS has published guidance to support employers in creating healthy workplaces which will boost productivity.
Employers do not have skills to support mental health
Addressing mental health is still a massive challenge for the vast majority of employers.
Group risk rehab returns 1,500 to work early
More than 1,500 employees returned to work following rehabilitation from group risk benefits, according to trade body Group Risk Development (Grid).
European Court rules insurers need to include economic consequences of policies
Insurers are being warned by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that they must ensure consumers are able to understand the economic consequences of the policy being taken out.
MetLife includes health check-ups in wellness week
All 400 staff at MetLife are being offered individual health consultations on key issues such as Body Mass Index and cholesterol levels.
Employers not liable for foreseeing stress related illnesses
The threshold for employers to foresee stress related illnesses in the workplace has been judged as a very high one.
Fit for Work to begin national rollout next week
The Fit for Work (FfW) service is to begin its nationwide rollout programme next Monday.
Benefits spend dips below 15% of salary
A decline in the number of active defined benefit pension schemes has fuelled a reduction in the cost of workplace benefits.
Time to Talk day: Ignoring mental health one of 'biggest threats to wellbeing of business'
Employers are being urged to take the issue of mental health within their workforce seriously on Time to Talk Day.
Employers want to spy on staff health app data
The majority of bosses would happily examine their employees' health app data if they thought they were faking sick leave.
Bupa launches corporate health and wellbeing app
Bupa is launching a wellbeing app that lets employers support and encourage the entire workforce to improve their health.
Fit for Work service taking first referrals
GPs in Sheffield are the first in the country to be able to refer patients to the Fit for Work (FfW) service, COVER's sister title WSB has exclusively revealed.
Competition regulator suffers embarrassing private health review climb down
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been forced to admit it got the biggest outcome of its inquiry into the private healthcare market wrong, An exclusive report from COVER sister title WSB has revealed.
Fit for Work service launches
The Fit for Work (FfW) service has officially launched today.
Patients will travel 100 miles for better hospital care
Hospital patients would be willing to travel up to 100 miles to ensure they could attend a hospital with a better infection record.
GPs to refer only a third of eligible employees to Fit for Work service
GPs expect to refer just a third of eligible patients to the incoming Fit for Work (FfW) service and want it to be extended to people not working.
Health and Work Service to be renamed
The Health and Work Service (HWS) is expected to be renamed for a second time by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Mental health patients given waiting time limits
Patients with mental health problems in England are to be given greater priority for treatment when waiting time targets are introduced in April.
Employers not explaining DRA-removal to older workers
Older workers are not being told about their right to continue working past age 65 while many employers are also choosing to restrict benefits for staff above this age.
Health and Work Service launch delayed until December
COVER's sister title WSB has exclusively revealed that the introduction of the Health and Work Service (HWS) has been delayed until December.
NICE guidance urges employers to promote culture of workplace wellbeing
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) wants employers to give line managers more flexibility and power to support workers' health and wellbeing.
Fixed-term staff not eligible for same benefits coverage
Employers do not have to give fixed-term employees the same insurance coverage as permanent staff.
HMRC reveals details of tax relief for return to work treatment
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has published its proposals for the tax relief to be applied to employer funded return to work interventions.
Employers urged to support staff with musculoskeletal conditions
A report from The Work Foundation and Fit for Work UK is accusing employers of not doing enough to support people with chronic musculoskeletal disorders.
Employers demand transparency from private medical care
Employers believe greater transparency is required from private medical treatment providers - a view echoed by consumers.
Altmann appointed older workers' champion
Ros Altmann is taking on the government's new role as business champion for older workers.
Govt urged to take lead in tackling workplace mental health
The government must take the lead in tackling mental health related sickness absence and lost productivity, an influential commission argues.
GPs could be incentivised for HWS referrals and lose fit note responsibility
GPs could be given incentives to encourage them to refer employees to the Health and Work Service (HWS), but may lose the responsibility of issuing fit notes.
Global firms still developing benefits strategies
Multinational companies are still at the early stages of developing their global benefits strategy and management approach.
Dead staff still entitled to holiday pay
Employees who have died with outstanding holiday allowance should be paid this after their death, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) rules.
Staff loyal to employers with good workplace benefits
Almost three-quarters of employees would remain at their current employer if they were offered a good benefits package, research reveals.
DWP slashes number of employees HWS will assist by a third
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has cut the number of employees its new Health and Work Service (HWS) will be able to support back to work by more than a third.
Insurers promise to pass healthcare competition savings on to customers
Private medical insurers (PMIs) are promising to pass on any savings made from the Competition and Market Authority's (CMA) final remedies for the private healthcare market to customers.
CMA eases demands on hospital groups in private healthcare review
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is reducing some of its demands on private healthcare providers and practitioners to address lack of competition and consumer detriment issues in the market.
Employers lack confidence in absence data
A significant majority of employers lack confidence in the accuracy of their absence data and even more do not calculate the total cost of employee health.
Employee benefits platforms - the route to success?
As technology becomes increasingly important, Owain Thomas examines how platforms can support the employee benefits.
Govt to act on majority of OTS benefits recommendations
The government has confirmed it will be "taking forward" almost all of the recommendations made by the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) addressing the taxation of employee benefits and expenses.
ECJ: Excluding women on maternity leave from training is discrimination
Automatically excluding female employees on maternity leave from training programmes is discriminatory, the European Court of Justice has ruled.
Health and Work Service providers will not be paid on return to work success
Providers running the national Health and Work Service (HWS) will not be incentivised to return people to work.
Unison hits out at government 'obsession with absence'
Unison has criticised the government's "obsession with absence rates" after national statistics were published showing the number of absences per year had dropped by 40% since 1993.
High earning staff cost £30,000 to replace - Unum
Replacing staff with above average salaries in some sectors can cost as much as £30,000 per employee, according to a new study.
DWP expected to tender for HWS this week
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is expected to put out its tenders for private companies to run elements of the Health and Work Service (HWS) this week.
DWP: Employers could be forced to participate in HWS
Employer participation in the new Health and Work Service (HWS) could become mandatory if its initial voluntary structure is not a success, the government has admitted.
One million long-term absences occur every year
UK employers suffer almost one million long-term sickness absences each year, according to official government statistics released today.
Govt backs investment in staff wellbeing
Employment minister Jo Swinson MP has urged employers to invest in the wellbeing of their workforce - noting that there was growing evidence for benefits to businesses and the wider economy when doing so.