The Department of Work and Pensions and the Pensions Regulator have launched a new advertising campaign promoting auto enrolment which aims to change the country's perception of pensions in the workplace.
Workie, 'a striking physical embodiment of the workplace pension', will be seen visiting people in different work environments over the coming months, asking them not to ignore him.
The advertisements come with a message, whilst automatic enrolment into workplace pensions has been rolling out across the UK since 2012, it is only now that 1.8 million small and micro employers need to act. In a phased process over the next three years, every employer will have to enrol their eligible staff into a pension scheme, by reference to their staging date.
Pensions Minister, Baroness Altmann, said:
'We have made great strides forward by automatically enrolling more than 5 million people into a workplace pension - now the challenge is to make sure hardworking people with every type of employer get to enjoy this major financial benefit.
This is a fun and quirky campaign but behind it lies a very serious message. We need everyone to know they are entitled to a workplace pension - and we need all employers to understand their legal responsibility to their staff, but also to feel more positive about engaging with workplace pensions.
This government is committed to providing security for working people at every stage of their lives, and that includes giving people the chance to plan for a financially secure retirement. Automatic enrolment is a big part of that.
Since 2012, more than 5.4 million workers have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension by almost 61,000 employers. By the time the process is complete in 2018, it is estimated that around 9 million workers will either be newly saving or saving more into a workplace pension thanks to the policy.
The new campaign will include radio, print, online and outdoor advertising and will run for the remainder of this year and into 2016. It is being coordinated jointly by the Department for Work and Pensions and The Pensions Regulator.'
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Internet links: GOV.UK news www.workplacepensions.gov.uk