Unum, the UK’s leading disability insurer based in Basingstoke, has announced the launch of its new improved AKAM (Active Key Account Management) service for Group Income Protection (GIP) clients. The enhanced service will be known as ‘Premier’.

The result of extensive client research, Premier is a specially tailored service that helps large employers manage their sickness absence costs and keep GIP premiums to a minimum. It forms the crux of the full range of Unum’s non-insurance based customer offering, such as its claims enhancing proposition and WorkMatters services, and allows business managers to focus on their business rather than sickness absence issues.

Core attributes of the Premier service will be a greater emphasis on flexibility and a reduction in the amount of paperwork involved. There will also be improved reporting and delivery as well as greater access to medical services e.g. discussions around clinical intervention and other medical issues, where appropriate.

One of Premier’s key components is the provision of vocational rehabilitation support at the earliest stage possible i.e. pre-claim. This is made possible through regular contact between the business and a dedicated Unum account manager and support team. The end goal is to reduce the number of absences resulting in a claim and reduce claim durations, which in turn lessens the impact on staff morale and productivity.

Unum pioneered the original AKAM service to its clients in 2000, in response to the growing number of large employers who were experiencing issues around managing their sickness absence and concern for the increasing costs associated with this.

Colin Fitzgerald, National Accounts Director at Unum, said: “Premier is a proven, modern and flexible support system for larger clients with limited time and/or resources to manage sickness absence. We hope this new launch will grasp the attention of IFAs and benefit consultants alike, who will be able to see that not only do we have a track record of success as the first provider in the market to offer a tailored early intervention resource, but that the product is now leaner and fitter, encompassing a more comprehensive range of services.

And the changes will not stop here as we will continue to listen to our clients’ needs to ensure that the Premier service retains a fresh and modern approach, marking us out as innovative leaders in the ever competitive GIP market.

Between 2003 and 2006 Unum’s in-house vocational rehabilitation experts worked with more than 2800 individuals who had been referred through AKAM for early rehabilitation support. Of these Unum helped more than 70% to successfully return to work.

Winterthur staff splashed out to raise money for local charities at the Lions Club of Basingstoke’s 25th annual swimarathon.

The swimarathon took place on Saturday March 8 2008 at Tadley swimming pool. With a total of eight teams taking part from four local companies, the annual swimarathon is one of many charity events run by fundraising organisation The Lions Club of Basingstoke that assists needy people throughout the world. People of all ages and swimming abilities participate, raising as much money as they can.

Three teams represented Winterthur at the swimarathon:

• Soden’s Swimarathon Sharks - Laura Soden, Oliver Harrup, Jeremy Moulton, Derek Somerville, Rachel Welford
• Deadman’s Humpback Whales - Dave Deadman, Linda Owen, Lisa Cornwell, Andrew Baird, Richard Satchwell
• Winterthur’s Electric Eels - Toorban Mandal, Peter Stagg , Diane Stagg, Richard Goswell, Chris Pearce.

Between them, the teams swam a total of 102 lengths, and raised £1335.50 in pledges, which Winterthur have agreed to match, bringing the total raised to £2671, with half the money going towards The Lions Club’s chosen charities, including schools and other worthwhile causes in and around the Basingstoke area.

Barry Morgan, Lions Club president said:

Everyone who participated had a great time, they really went for it and the distance swam was very impressive. We’re very grateful for all the effort put in and the money raised.

The remaining half will be donated to Winterthur’s chosen charity Naomi House, a local children’s hospice outside Winchester. Jill Livingstone, corporate fundraiser for Naomi House, said:

The ongoing support we receive from Winterthur is fantastic. Naomi House relies on the generosity of people in the community to continue its work. This money raised will make a real difference, helping us to provide crucial care services, free of charge, to children and their families at a time when they need it most.

Laura Soden, project coordinator at Winterthur, who organised the teams, said:

I would like to say thank you to all those who participated in the swimarathon this year, we managed to raise an amazing amount of money. This is the second year I have participated in the swim, and it’s a great event, with a fantastic atmosphere on the night.

Unum, the UK’s leading disability insurer based in Basingstoke, has sponsored the publication of ‘Attendance Management and Disability’, the second in the series of Employers’ Forum on Disability (EFD) best-selling line manager guides.

The 31-page guide draws on vital questions from EFD members on how line managers approach attendance management and is designed to make it easier for them to:

• recognise the signs when someone might have a disability
• distinguish when absence might be disability related
• identify how work could be done differently to maximise the
• potential of disabled staff make sure employers do not break the law by discriminating against disabled colleagues

This guide is essential reading for all line managers who want to get it right for their disabled colleagues,

says Susan Scott-Parker, chief executive of Employers’ Forum on Disability.

Along with its sister-publication, ‘A best practice approach to working with disabled colleagues’, the guide will ensure that line managers are better placed to ensure equal opportunities for their disabled colleagues.

Unum corporate services director, Joanne Hindle added:

For many employers disability in the workplace is viewed as a significant cost and the rich source of talent that is within the disabled community is not widely recognised.

However, education and training are crucial to changing attitudes and convincing employers that employing disabled talent does make economic sense. At Unum we are keen to help employers understand the best ways to facilitate workplace wellbeing, including attendance management, for disabled employees. This is why we are pleased to be sponsoring this latest valuable guide.

The annual Christmas party for the children is being held this Saturday from 11am to 2pm at Winterthur Way, Basingstoke.

The children will be entertained by children’s entertainer Squirty Wirty who is a member of The Magic Circle and The Punch and Judy Fellowship. There will be face paint artists, a disco and party food.

Father Christmas will make a special visit for 3 to 5 year olds at 12.30pm and 6 to 9 year olds at 1.15pm.

Jacqui Self, Head of HR Business Partnering, Winterthur, and event organiser said,

This is one of my favourite Winterthur traditions. The children love it and all the parents appear to do so too. This year there will be the largest influx of three year olds we have ever had and I believe their excitement will be felt across Basingstoke.

Winterthur has won three top awards at the Financial Adviser Service Awards 2007, a glittering ceremony hosted by Clive Anderson at The Natural History Museum in London.

Winterthur won the most highly prized title of the ceremony - that of Company of the Year - for its consistently high service standards and award-winning performance in all categories - an unprecedented second-time win for the company.

The awards ceremony celebrates the best in financial providers’ service provision as voted for by more than 5000 Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs).

The highest main awards bestowed on the night were the respected and recognised five star ratings - an accolade which has become recognised as a benchmark within the retail financial services marketplace, including life and pensions companies, mortgage providers and investment providers.

In these awards Winterthur scooped:

• Five Star award for ‘Life and Pensions Providers’ for the sixth consecutive year
• Five Star award for ‘Investment Providers’ for the third year running.

David Thompson, Managing Director Winterthur Wealth Management said

Service excellence is a key differentiator for Winterthur and this success I believe is a reflection of our commitment to provide outstanding customer service. It is also clear that Winterthur’s overall market proposition – aligned to quality IFAs and their high net worth clients, backed with a simple, transparent and exceptional product range - has also helped us achieve such success as these prestigious awards.

Mike Kellard, CEO, AXA & Winterthur Wealth Management, said:

Winning these awards is excellent news. I am proud that the company has won this top industry award, which was achieved with the support of the entire team at Winterthur.

Unum, the UK’s leading disability insurer based in Basingstoke, has won the Group Income Protection Provider award for an unprecedented tenth consecutive year at the Health Insurance Awards 2007. The award was announced at a gala ceremony held at Grosvenor House on London’s Park Lane. The providers have all been voted upon by Health Insurance readers and the results were audited by Deloitte.

Susan Ring (pictured), Chief Executive Officer of Unum, said:

We are delighted that intermediaries and our customers have once again voted us the best provider in this category. To win the award ten years running is a great accolade and testament to our dedicated team of staff. It is a particular honour as no other provider has ever won an award for 10 successive years since the inception of the awards.

Unum has introduced a number of new GIP related products and services to the market this year, such as enhanced claims management procedures, the Workmatters ‘Absence Tracker’ workplace attendance management solution, increased free cover level and generally much more flexibility and choice. Unum will continue to dedicate itself to working together with intermediaries to grow the market, bring this valuable cover to more customers to help in closing the protection gap for both employers and their staff.

Unum was also highly commended in the individual income protection category.

Carrauntoohil in County Kerry stands at 1039m (3414 ft) and is the highest point in Ireland. It is also home to the infamous ‘Devil’s Ladder’ – an uncomfortably steep gully that has prompted the most rescue attempts out of any area on the mountain. Undeterred and eager to meet the challenge, a team from Winterthur, based in Basingstoke, completed the epic 12km round journey in just seven hours.

This is the second time that the South West sales team has taken to the slopes for the Hampshire children’s hospice Naomi House; in 2006 they climbed Ben Nevis in Scotland, raising £11,200 for the Winchester-based charity, which relies on donations to maintain its palliative care for children and their families.

The two sponsored events together have generated over £22,000, which goes a long way towards the running of the hospice; it could pay for maintaining the hydrotherapy suite for seven months, running the multi-sensory room for 17 weeks or a respite care bedroom for 41 days.

Second time expedition leader and Winterthur Divisional Sales Manager Jon Haslam said:

The Carrauntoohil experience was even more intense than Ben Nevis, and the team worked incredibly hard. The sense of purpose that comes from supporting a cause such as Naomi House kept us all focused, even across Devil’s Ladder. Everyone involved is feeling extremely proud of themselves, and rightly so. We have already decided on next year’s challenge but we’re keeping that under wraps for now.

Naomi House’s Corporate Fundraiser Jill Livingstone is delighted with the donation:

Everyone at Naomi House would like to say a huge thank you to Jon Haslam and his team for their tremendous efforts. Many thanks also to all who supported them. All members of the team should be justifiably proud of this incredible achievement; both conquering the mountain and raising an amazing amount of money! It is support like this that enables us to provide crucial care services, free of charge, to children and their families at a time when they need it most.

Leading disability insurer, Unum, which is based in Basingstoke, has teamed up with RNID, the largest charity representing the UK’s nine million deaf and hard of hearing people, to launch the next phase of The Workplace of the Future (WotF) campaign. This initiative aims to raise awareness of tinnitus and other hearing related disabilities with employers and politicians.

Unum Chief Executive Officer Susan Ring (right) and Corporate Services Director, Joanne Hindle, launching the stand.

As part of the campaign and in an ongoing partnership now in its fourth year, RNID and Unum have created a new Workplace of the Future stand that will appear at the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative party conferences. MPs from all three main parties have been invited to the stand which has been developed in order to help raise awareness of the little known condition tinnitus with politicians.

This year the stand will feature special ‘tinnitus headphones’ which when worn simulate the effects of tinnitus – the medical term for noises inside the ears or head. There is also a high-tech interactive screen showing a virtual office, which is fully accessible to those with hearing loss. Features in the virtual office include examples of assistive technology such as flashing smoke alarms to alert deaf and hard of hearing people to an emergency. The stand aims to demonstrate what employers can do to help support those with tinnitus lead a full working life.

Brian Lamb, Acting Chief Executive RNID, said:

Tinnitus can be a debilitating condition for many people, leaving them feeling isolated and stressed. Unfortunately there is no cure, however with simple techniques and equipment the condition can be managed and sufferers can lead a normal working life.

RNID has also developed a dedicated tinnitus helpline (0808 808 0123) and area on it’s website which can provide expert advice and tips to help those with tinnitus live life to the full.”

Joanne Hindle, Corporate Services Director at Unum, said:

No one should underestimate the debilitating effects of tinnitus both at work and home. We are delighted to join forces with the RNID to increase understanding and treatment of tinnitus as well as encourage employers to understand what changes they might make to help employees with the condition stay in work.

The ‘tinnitus headphones’, available on the stand, are part of RNID’s campaign to raise awareness of tinnitus not only amongst the public but GPs as well. The need for greater awareness is underlined by research(1) performed by the RNID which shows that as many as 15% of people have suffered from the condition whilst at the same time showing that 70% of GPs have never received any training on the illness.

Leading disability insurer, Unum, based in Basingstoke, has again entered a full team for the ‘Le Jo’G’ thousand mile run between Lands End and John O’Groats to raise funds for charity. This year marks the sixth time the company has entered a full team into the race. The run started on the 1st September and employees will have run the length of the country by the 15th September in aid of Unum’s charity of the year SeeAbility.

SeeAbility (formerly The Royal School for the Blind) is a nationally registered charity which works with adults who are blind or visually impaired and have other complex disabilities.

Joanne Hindle, Corporate Services Director at Unum, said:

We are very proud that for the sixth year running Unum will be entering a full 101 strong team. It’s become part of company tradition, that each year we all don our running shoes and set off across the country to raise money for charity.

Le Jo’G is a great event for team building and personal development and a highlight in Unum’s annual calendar of community-based events. I am even running a leg myself this year!

The Le Jo’G event involves teams of either seven or eight runners per day - or 101 runners in total - depending on whether a team wishes to run just one of the 70 mile daily sections or the entire 1000 mile route.  Each runner raises money through sponsorship and companies select a charity of their choice to benefit from the proceeds.

The 14 legs of the race are as follows:

• Saturday 1st September - Stage 1 - John O’Groats to Golspie
• Sunday 2nd September - Stage 2 - Golspie to Inverness
• Monday 3rd September - Stage 3 - Inverness to Blair Atholl
• Tuesday 4th September - Stage 4 - Blair Atholl to Kinross
• Wednesday 5th September - Stage 5 - Kinross to Peebles
• Thursday 6th September - Stage 6 - Peebles to Carlisle
• Friday 7th September - Stage 7 - Carlisle to Aysgarth
• Saturday 8th September - REST DAY
• Sunday 9th September - Stage 8 - Aysgarth to Uppermill
• Monday 10th September - Stage 9 - Uppermill to Penkridge
• Tuesday 11th September - Stage 10 - Penkridge to Ledbury
• Wednesday 12th September - Stage 11 - Ledbury to Chew Stoke
• Thursday 13th September - Stage 12 - Chew Stoke to Crediton
• Friday 14th September - Stage 13 - Crediton to Lostwithiel
• Saturday 15th September - Stage 14 - Lostwithiel to Land’s End

By splashing out to raise donations for local charity, Naomi House, Winterthur Life staff was presented in July with the award for top team at the Lions Club of Basingstoke’s 24th annual swimathon.

Winterthur was the only business organisation involved in this event, with three teams taking part. £1,700 was raised overall with half going towards their chosen charity, Naomi House, and the remaining half being donated to The Lions Club’s chosen charities.

Jill Livingstone, Corporate Fund Raiser of Naomi House, said,

We’re delighted with the ongoing support from Winterthur Life which makes a difference helping us to provide crucial care services free of charge for life limited children and their families.

Participants who swam the highest number of laps, and those who raised the largest sum of money were both awarded with trophies, presented to them by Lions Club president, Barry Morgan at Winterthur Life head office on July 24.

The swimathon took place on Saturday, March 3 2007, at Tadley Swimming Pool, with a total of seven teams taking part.

Winterthur staff who took part in the event were Gill Brooks, Michelle Finlayson, Teresa Cummins, Laura Soden, Rachel Welford, Richard Satchwell, Alice Cantelo, Amy Cantelo, and Deborah Plester.

Laura Soden, Project Co-ordinator at Winterthur, said,

There was a really good atmosphere throughout the evening and everyone was cheering each other on. It was a good, fun event that was well run by the Lions Club.

Richard Satchwell, Assistant Management Accountant at Winterthur, said,

People at Winterthur get involved with lots of charity fund raising. This is a very positive thing and I have enjoyed being a part of it every year during the five years that I have worked for the company. The main highlight was seeing so many people of different age groups and abilities taking part.

The Lions Club is a fundraising organisation that has been in operation since 1967. The annual swimathon is one of many charity events organised by The Lions Club. People of all ages and swimming abilities may participate in the event, raising as much money as they can for their chosen charities.

The Lions Club holds many events throughout the year; keep a look out for other Lions Club events this year to get involved in. For more information, call Barry Morgan on (01256) 358008.