Employee Benefits

UK - The revamped £600m Sara Lee UK Pension Plan is looking to review its current investment strategy following the recent appointment of Mercer Human Resource Consulting as a bundled adviser.

UK - Over 30 businesses now signed with 4th Contact's online employee benefits software.

GLOBAL - Investment managers widely considered the best in servicing their clients have much in common, finds a new study by Mercer Manager Advisory Services.

UK - Consultancy firm William M Mercer is up for review at the pension fund for Birmingham International Airport.

UK - Almost a third of trustees are choosing inappropriate investment options for defined contribution schemes, a leading consultant claims.

GLOBAL - Expatriate employees are now starting to feel the brunt of the shift from final salary pension schemes, according to a new survey by consultants, William M Mercer.

UK - Final salary schemes may become even less secure if the government presses ahead with new changes to the minimum funding requirement (MFR), according to consultants William M Mercer.

UK - The government is being urged to take radical action to simplify current pensions legislation, with industry groups claiming that over-regulation is "strangling" the industry.

UK - The UK should look to the US and Australian models which offer stakeholder-type provision for guidance, Watson Wyatt claims.

UK - Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt last week announced that shareholders are to be given the right to an annual vote on directors' pay, in a move that will strengthen links between pay and performance in the boardroom.