Home > All articles Preparing for pension reform (UK) The Pensions Act 2008 sets out workplace pension reforms introducing a legal duty on employers to automatically enrol their eligible workers, (if they meet certain age and income criteria) into a suitable pension scheme from 2012. As a result, it is expected that between five and nine million working-age adults will be newly saving or saving more in workplace pensions. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) commissioned Ipsos MORI to undertake research to help it understand the information needs of small and micro employers and to inform the development of information and communications activities arising from the reforms. More specifically, the research explored: what information small and micro employers need to help them make decisions on implementing and complying with the new requirements; how demands on their resources could be minimised; and who influenced their views and decisions on pension provision. A qualitative methodology was used to ensure an in-depth understanding of the main issues and to examine the various perceptions, motivations and influences driving the information needs of small employers. The research was undertaken in three stages: First, scoping interviews took place with six employers’ representative organisations (termed ‘stakeholders’ in this report) to inform the drafting of the discussion guide for the main part of the research. Second, the draft discussion guide was tested through pilot interviews with four small and micro employers. Finally, the main stage of the research, which took place in 2008, comprised 78 interviews with small and micro employers. Quotas were set on: the number of workers employed in the business; whether employers offered their workers a pension; location; and sector. Interviews were conducted face-to-face at the place of work of the participant and typically lasted around 45 minutes. This qualitative research study explores the information needs of small and micro employers in the lead-up to the introduction of pension reforms in 2012. The report explores how pensions fit into small and micro employers’ wider priorities, how they obtain information, what influences their decisions on whether or not to offer a pension to their workers, how they communicate with workers, and how they might prepare for the reforms. The research was carried out on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions by Ipsos-MORI. > Download the report     By KS Date 31-08-2010 Print this article | React to this article