Infozone: the briefing – 01/10/10

CALL TO IMPROVE STAFF HEALTH

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has called for employers to take staff health more seriously, as research reveals that 81% of workers fail to exercise the recommended amount each week.

The survey, carried out by YouGov in association with the BHF, found that 55% of workers spend more than half their working day sitting or standing still and 48% eat lunch at their desks.

The BHF said there will be a significant return on investment for employers that improve the health of their workforce.

WEALTHY TO IGNORE RETIREMENT

The majority (60%) of wealthy workers in the UK want to carry on working as long as they are able, instead of having a conventional retirement, research suggests. With life expectancy continuing to rise, retirement in its current form has become unsustainable for both governments and individuals worldwide, says the report by Barclays Wealth.

The Government plans to scrap the default retirement age of 65 from October 2011 and transitional arrangements will be put in place from 6 April 2011.

SMALLER FIRMS IN PENSION WORRY

More than half of smaller firms believe that new statutory rules governing pension schemes will "add significantly to costs", research shows.

The 2010 Smaller Firms' Pensions Survey, from the Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA), found more than half (53%) believe the reforms will "add significantly to costs" and 29% said they are "likely" to level-down to meet the additional cost of newly pensioned employees by reducing future pension contributions.