Auto-enrolment is 3 years old but the real fun only starts here. In the coming quarter, we will be preparing for the big spikes in staging that begin in January 2016.
Whether you are an accountant, work in a payroll bureau, are an IFA or have responsibility for auto-enrolment of your own organisation’s staff- the chances are
this time’s for real
There is no other way of getting ready than by doing some hard work. If you were approaching a marathon – as it will be for the professionals, or a sprint- as staging will be for individual employers, you wouldn’t turn up the competition unfit!
Get fit!
This blog’s talked about getting in training for auto-enrolment. I’ve been critical about one or two training courses that seem to me to be trying to make a profit out of the need to get fit. You don’t need to go to an expensive gym to be fit, you can get fit for free. So today I’m promoting a series of seminars by my friends at L&G and ITM which promotes their products but also gives training on how to do things.
Who should go?
This seminar is pitched to accountants and the managers and staff of payroll bureaux. It’s not really pitched to IFAs and pension consultants. It is unlikely to be particularly helpful if you are simply curious, this is for people who really want to get stuck in – people in training.
When and where?
There are five seminars
They are all lunctime . 11-2.30pm
- LONDON September 18th and 25th
- KINGSWDOOD September 17th
- BIRMINGHAM September 22nd
- HUDDERSFIELD September 23rd
The exact locations are available by clicking on this link
How much do they cost?
They are free.
Why should I go?
- Understand more about auto enrolment and what SMEs need to do
- How to deliver a profitable auto enrolment strategy to your clients
- See a demo of eAsE
- Learn how the Legal & General WorkSave Pension Plan operates
- Networking opportunity to discuss topical issues with your peers
- Obtain CPD points for attending this event
Why am I promoting this in this way?
Pension PlayPen believe in diversity. There are many ways to get ready for auto-enrolment.
The way pioneered by eAsE is a good one. EaSe is owned by ITM who have long been a force for good in occupational pension circles, large organisations have used eAsE and it has been proved to work. EaSe links to Pension PlayPen.
Legal & General are a force for good in auto-enrolment. Www.pensionplaypen.com rates their product – the Worksave Pension Plan very highly. Legal & General have and are very supportive of Pension PlayPen.
Will I be involved?
I , or one of my colleagues hope to be at all the events to answer questions on choosing a pension and to give help on using http://www.pensionplaypen.com
How does this approach fit in?
There is no “one way to stage and manage” auto-enrolment. The way promoted by eAsE is independent of your payroll software. This means you can have continuity with your AE business process, whatever payroll software system you use.
Because eAsE is independent of payroll software, it is called middleware (it sits between your payroll and your pension provider (s).
Being specialists , the eAsE people are likely to be able to do a better job of communicating with staff, running the processes and helping you stay on the right side of the law.
Does this mean you are endorsing it at http://www.pensionplaypen.com?
Yes it does, we unreservedly endorse the eAsE approach as a way to get auto-enrolment right. But it is not the only way. We endorse other ways and we’ll be working in the same way with other approaches over the months to come.
It is up to you to decide whether eAsE is the best way, just as it is up to you to decide if L&G are the best provider.
Does this mean you are endorsing L&G?
Yes it does, L&G are one of 20 or so providers that http://www.pensionplaypen.com researches and endorses, by offering them on its platform. There are some good providers not on the platform (because they are not currently offering themselves to smaller companies) and there are some bad providers not on the platform who we are not endorsing because we are worried they won’t be much use to you or your staff.
L&G are one of the providers who are both in the market and “good”.
If you use L&G do you have to use eAse and vice versa?
No! The two work well together. They are a good fit and if you are using eAse then you’ll find it easier using L&G.
EaSe have a similar relationship with NEST. To find out the full range of providers who you can choose from and how they work with eAsE and L&G, go to http://www.pensionplaypen.com and research these options properly.
What should I do now?
If you’re interested in going to one of these training seminars, you will be involved professionally in auto-enrolment then you should sign up here.
I’ll say that again (a little louder!
SIGN UP HERE
