Employee Benefits

In order to fund the new Health and Work Service, the government will no longer offer compensation to employers that experience high levels of sickness absence.

Nearly one in five (17%) small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) suffered significant disruption from staff illness and absence in the past year, according to findings from Metlife.

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.

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.

Tighter sanctions should be considered for employers who do not cooperate with the government's Health and Work Service, despite plans for it to remain voluntary, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says.

Bupa has acquired Barbican Dental Care in the latest expansion of the insurer's dentistry services as it aims to become one of the biggest UK chains of private dentists.

MetLife is in talks with a major pension provider to integrate its group life and income protection products with the auto enrolment of the SME market beginning later this year.

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.

Two thirds of employers do not have any processes in place to measure the effectiveness of their benefit spend.

National Dental Plan (NDP) has announced a number of changes to its corporate optical cover.