Full administration of a company pension

Zebra Consultancy

Zebra is a medium sized recruitment company in Lanarkshire. They set up a company pension in 2016, to meet their automatic enrolment requirements.

Since then, the company had been overwhelmed with extra tasks, communications, employee queries and costs. They were finding the running of the scheme a burden and asked us to find a solution.

After we first met, we looked at the structure of the scheme.  We discovered it didn’t allow employees online access to fund values or any other pension details, which was having an impact on staff queries.

We also discovered that Zebra had been paying a third party to deal with monthly contributions. However, the third party was not distributing regulatory communications to the employees. This too was driving staff queries, and could have resulted in a significant fine from The Pensions Regulator.

Zebra Consultancy

The outcome

We completed a market review and discovered that there were various relevant features missing from their pension scheme.  After further discussions, we transferred the arrangement to a new, more modern provider.  The new scheme allowed the employees online access to pension portals, giving them wider control and more detail over their pensions, thereby reducing queries to the HR team.

We also took over full responsibility for the pension scheme administration. This includes uploading contributions on a monthly basis, processing joiners and leavers, and dealing with general administration and changes. Most importantly we completed all the relevant communications for Zebra, so they can be sure they are meeting all of their regulatory requirements.

We also now provide Zebra with a formal annual review meeting which includes a pensions workshop and “drop in” sessions for staff with any questions.

Zebra Consultancy are now delighted to use us as their pensions solution.

The burden has been taken away from their previously beleaguered HR manager, who had been increasingly stressed dealing with something she knew little about.

A pension is a long-term investment and the value is not guaranteed.  Any advice or considerations are personal to each individual’s circumstances.  The value of investments may go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invest.  Advice on auto enrolment pensions is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.