Review your service. The Health Insurance Group. Johnson Fleming. Receive the best from your adviser. in partnership with

Transcription

1 Review your service Receive the best from your adviser in partnership with Johnson Fleming Group Pensions Group Risk and Healthcare Service Provision The Health Insurance Group UK & International Healthcare Specialists

2 Foreword The Health Insurance Group has formed a partnership with Johnson Fleming to help our clients make sure that they are getting the most appropriate solution and service for their workplace pension. Johnson Fleming offers a full range of consultancy support for all pension related matters including consultancy, governance and communication services, in addition to the delivery of auto enrolment support. Brett Hill Managing Director The Health Insurance Group 2 Review your service: receive the best from your adviser

3 Introduction In recent years we have seen a number of changes in the regulatory environment of UK workplace pensions. The changes are aimed at improving professional standards, moving to adviser charging, and introducing new measures for independent advice. Since January 2013 all advisers have had to charge clients for their services, because they are banned from taking commissions that could influence their recommendations. A deadline for member-borne fund commission for existing schemes was imposed for April David Roderick Development Director Johnson Fleming Review your service: receive the best from your adviser 3

4 What next? Employers who have been running pension schemes for their employees since 2012 or earlier have, in many cases, been paying for these services through commission paid from the product provider to their adviser. This now presents you with the perfect opportunity to learn more about the services you receive and how to achieve the best possible services going forward. However, it could demonstrate that you may need to consider changing your adviser. The following whitepaper details some of the main areas you should be considering in making your decision; all are focused on time, risk and resource. 4 Review your service: receive the best from your adviser

5 What are your aims from pension and benefits? Was your scheme introduced to achieve specific goals or business objectives? Are your benefits aligned to your current business objectives? It may be that you introduced your benefits programme to attract greater talent and build your brand, or you may have selected your scheme to remain competitive. Determine what you want to achieve. Is your programme delivering this? It is worth considering bringing in external consultants as they can provide broader market knowledge and technical expertise to help you in better meeting your goals. Review your service: receive the best from your adviser 5

6 Do you have the resource? Have you considered the risks of running your scheme in-house? The time implications are often significantly underestimated and could be costly for your organisation. Additionally, do you or another party, such as the pension provider, have the right expertise? Ultimately, you need to ensure that you are meeting your employer obligations. 6 Review your service: receive the best from your adviser

7 Is the support still right? With so much changing for employers and individuals - changes to auto-enrolment, retirement freedoms and now the tapered annual allowance - it may mean that you and your employees need different levels of support which is better tailored to your business and individual members circumstances. But what alternatives are there? In many examples we see most service has focused on the individual members, but is this still suitable when the cost is being paid by the business? Members need greater support to ensure they achieve good outcomes, but can this be delivered in a more efficient and focused way? Your scheme needs to be relevant, supporting your employees through their work life journey. Do you know what your employees think about your current offering? By reviewing the level of service you receive you may free-up budget to improve the way your business is provided with the support it needs, whether that is in governance, consultancy or administration. Review your service: receive the best from your adviser 7

8 What services do you receive? Many commission based engagements have had no formal contracts or service level agreements so it may be unclear what exactly has been delivered. Have you measured the use and value of services you receive in any way? How many employees open and interact with your communications? What percentage of your employees attend on-site support sessions? Is employee feedback obtained? You should be able to identify which services you currently receive, and whether you are able to pick and choose these services or are offered them in the form of a packaged solution. Typical services should include: Consultancy Governance Legislative and best practice advice Benefits benchmarking Transition management Administration support auto-enrolment, member communications, payroll and contribution reports, reconciliation etc. Communications targeted communication strategies based on demographics and member behaviour. Help on complex topics, as well as on-site seminar sessions and one to one meetings providing further support. A robust communications strategy should support any pension scheme; if your staff aren t aware of or don t understand what is available to them, naturally, engagement and value will be low. 8 Review your service: receive the best from your adviser

9 How do you know if you are getting good value? You need to ensure the service you are receiving is tailored to your needs. A clear and transparent outline of what you are paying for should be provided, detailing all of the options available, ensuring you get the right service at the right price. You should examine many areas within your review: Have you seen a reduction in administration? Have you reduced your benefits spend? Has your annual premium reduced, remained the same, or has it gone up? Have you surveyed your members to see what they think? Are your members engaged? Have you measured your services and adviser against your business objectives? Is there a process in place for benchmarking the service you receive? Are your benefits still relevant? By knowing what you have and what works, you can ensure: Good levels of member engagement and relevant outcomes Measurement against your original objectives You are meeting your legislative obligations. Hopefully, by focusing on these considerations it will make this easier to gauge. However, adviser costs vary significantly depending on their efficiency and the type of service they specialise in. From a member viewpoint, is the removal of commission, which often funded face-toface support for them, being reflected in lower management fees? Review your service: receive the best from your adviser 9

10 Improved professional standards Some investments can be hard to understand. To ensure you are fully informed, the minimum professional standards of qualification that financial advisers have to meet to ensure their knowledge is up-to-date has been increased. Our consultancy team has over 100 years financial sector experience. They work closely with you to get an understanding of your business and the challenges it faces, and use this information to create and deliver sustainable group pension and employee benefit solutions. Once your scheme is established, we provide ongoing advice to help you achieve your business goals and legislative obligations. 10 Review your service: receive the best from your adviser

11 For further information on what you need to do, contact our Business Development team to discuss your options: in partnership with Johnson Fleming Group Pensions Group Risk and Healthcare Service Provision The Health Insurance Group UK & International Healthcare Specialists Health and Protection Solutions Ltd trading as The Health Insurance Group is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The content of this promotional material is provided for information purposes only and is based upon our experience and understanding of the financial services market place at this time. The content should not be viewed as financial advice, but is intended to provide an overview of possible considerations or options. A formal recommendation will be made in writing once the decision is taken to formally appoint Johnson Fleming as advisers. The views or opinions expressed within this promotional material are based upon our experiences of the financial services market place at this time and should not be viewed as financial advice. Johnson Fleming Group Limited is authorised as a Firm of Financial Advisers and our permitted business activity is advising and arranging life insurance, pensions, investments and general insurance contracts. Registered Office: Johnson Fleming Group Limited, Fleming House, Bromsgrove Enterprise Park, Bromsgrove, B60 3AL. Johnson Fleming Group Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Financial Services register number see for details. Registered in England and Wales No Johnson Fleming Limited (FCA ) and Johnson Fleming Services Limited (FCA ) are Appointed Representatives of Johnson Fleming Group Limited. JF030516