You should make sure that your trustees have the time and resources they need to run the scheme well. They should have a budget to get good advice, and the right training and skills.
You also need to pay the right contributions, provide accurate information about your staff and meet your ongoing duties as part of automatic enrolment. We will take action if you fail to meet your legal duties.
Working closely with your trustees will help them to:
- control costs
- safely pay the right contributions to the scheme
- invest the contributions effectively
- pay the right benefits to people who are taking their pension
- minimise risks
- take opportunities
This should help you to:
- provide a well-run, good value pension for staff who are already part of the scheme
- attract new staff who are looking for good employee benefits
Defined contribution (DC) schemes
If you provide a DC scheme for your staff, they will need to take certain decisions about their pension.
Work with the trustees to make sure that scheme members receive the right information and understand their retirement options.
Defined benefit (DB) schemes
Helping your trustees to run a DB scheme better should lead to better investment returns for the risk taken to produce that return. This will improve the funding levels for your scheme.
You should work closely with the trustees to:
- assess your ability as an employer to support the scheme – known as the employer covenant
- make sure your scheme is appropriately funded
- manage risks to scheme funding objectives
Appointing a professional trustee
Professional trustees can bring real benefits to a board through their expertise and experience, sharing knowledge and good practice across the schemes they are appointed to.
If you are appointing a professional trustee to your board you should choose someone who meets the professional trustee standards. Once the accreditation framework is in place you should confirm that they are accredited.
Sole trustees
It is important that trustees act in the interests of scheme members and can make independent decisions. If you are thinking about appointing a sole trustee you should make sure they meet the additional standards for sole professional trustees.