We're evolving. Mercer is now part of the new, expanded Marsh brand

Discover the new Marsh

Workplace Pensions for Small Businesses and Medium Businesses

Many employees benefit from workplace pensions. At Mercer Marsh Benefits we source, implement and deliver the most suitable pension plan for your business and your employees.

Help your employees save for a secure retirement.

Contact us

How we can help

Our pension professionals can support you in a wide range of pension areas:

  • Pension scheme design

    We can evaluate your current pension scheme to ensure you have the most suitable and effective solutions in place.

    ✓  Review provider capabilities and scheme rules and features.

    ✓  Align pension design with your business and employee needs.

    ✓  Recommend improvements for better outcomes.


    Contact us

  • Auto-enrolment

    Stay compliant and confident with automatic enrolment rules and your duties, no matter where you are in the process.

    ✓  Support with initial setup and ongoing compliance.

    ✓  Provide guidance on regulatory changes and deadlines.

    ✓  Assist with employee communications, eligibility assessments.

    Contact us

  • Salary sacrifice schemes

    Enhance pension contributions efficiently through salary sacrifice arrangements.

    ✓  Assist with implementing or re-launching salary sacrifice schemes.

    ✓  Provide clear financial education for employees.

    ✓ Help optimise National Insurance savings for both employer and employees.

    Contact us

     

  • Pension scheme governance

    We actively monitor and manage your pension to help deliver the right outcomes.

    ✓  Regular scheme performance reviews.

    ✓  Scheme risk management assessments.

    ✓  Governance aligned with The Pensions Regulator’s six principles.

    Contact us

     

     

  • Benchmarking

    Ensure your pension scheme offers competitive value by comparing it against the wider market.

    ✓  Analyse scheme costs and benefits.

    ✓  Identify areas for improvement or cost savings.

    ✓  Provide clear, actionable benchmarking reports.

    Contact us

     

  • Communication

    Engage your employees with clear, effective pension communications that highlight the value of their benefits.

    ✓  Develop member engagement strategies.

    ✓  Create tailored communication plans and materials.

    ✓  Help increase employee awareness and participation.

    Contact us

Questions?

Speak to a consultant

Our friendly workplace pension consultants are on hand to help you. Simply tell us a bit more about yourself and a member of the team will be in touch. 
Get in touch

Why a strong pension scheme benefits your business

A well-designed pension scheme is a powerful part of your employee benefits package. Here’s how it can help your business thrive:
  • Reduce compliance risks
    Avoid costly issues that can drain time, money, and damage your reputation. Meet your legal obligations and follow auto-enrolment rules.
  • Maximise your investment
    Ensure every contribution works efficiently - leveraging salary sacrifice, National Insurance savings (where appropriate), and employee engagement.
  • Manage people risks
    Keep employees motivated and productive by offering a comprehensive pension scheme that supports their future.
  • Attract and retain talent
    Stand out as an employer of choice by providing personal pension plans that engage and retain your best people.
  • Simplify administration
    Reduce the burden on HR and Finance teams with streamlined pension management and expert support.

Why you need expert pensions support with your pension scheme

Pension contributions are often the biggest cost for companies after salaries. That’s why staying compliant and running your pension scheme efficiently is crucial.

To manage your pension scheme successfully, you need two key things - both of which can be challenging without expert help:

  1. Strong compliance and risk management: Handling the technical details and daily operations to keep your pension scheme running smoothly.
  2. Employee support and engagement: Helping your employees, your most valuable asset, understand and prepare for their retirement goals with confidence.

5 essential areas to make your pension scheme works for you

Understanding and managing your pension scheme can feel complex but breaking it down into clear steps helps you ensure it meets the needs of both your business and your employees—now and in the future. 
  1. Review
    When was the last time you reviewed your pension scheme? Is it still aligned with your evolving business needs and employee expectations?
  2. Design
    Do your scheme’s policies and processes truly fit your business and workforce? Are there gaps or outdated elements that could hold you back?
  3. Source
    Is your current pension scheme or provider the right fit? How future-proof is your plan for both your business and your employees?
  4. Launch
    How effectively is your pension scheme implemented? Are employees fully aware of its value and benefits?
  5. Governance
    What legal, regulatory, financial, reputational, or people risks could affect your pension scheme—and how are you managing them?

Let us help you get these five steps right.

Contact us today

Questions?

Speak to a consultant

Our friendly workplace pension consultants are on hand to help you. Simply tell us a bit more about yourself and a member of the team will be in touch. 
Get in touch

FAQs

Auto-enrolment is a legal requirement to ensure an employer pays at least a minimum level of contributions into employee pensions. Employers must provide a workplace pension and automatically enrol eligible staff into a workplace pension scheme and make contributions on their behalf.

Salary sacrifice is an arrangement where employees agree to reduce their salary in exchange for increased employer contributions into their pensions. It's a tax relief method which can save both employee and employer National Insurance costs. It can also reduce income tax, particularly for additional rate tax payers.

Yes, employees can usually transfer their pension fund savings from one scheme to another, but it’s important to check for any fees or loss of benefits before doing so.

Employees aged between 22 and the State Pension age, earning above a certain threshold, must be auto-enrolled by their employer.[1]

By law, employers must contribute a minimum percentage of an employee’s qualifying earnings to their pension scheme, currently set at 3%.[2]

Yes, employees can choose to opt out after being auto enrolled, but employers must re-enrol eligible employees every three years.

Pension payments are usually tax-efficient because they reduce taxable income and grow tax-free until retirement.

Employers must regularly report to The Pensions Regulator to confirm compliance with auto-enrolment duties, typically every three years or when changes occur.

Yes, part-time employees who meet the age and earnings criteria must be auto-enrolled just like full-time employees.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/workplace-pensions/joining-a-workplace-pension

[2] https://www.gov.uk/workplace-pensions/what-you-your-employer-and-the-government-pay

Please note that Marsh are not legal or tax advisers and nothing in this email should be construed as being legal or tax advice. If you require such advice, please contact a specialist adviser.

Mercer Marsh Benefits is a trading name used by Mercer Limited who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Firm Reference Number 121935). Registered in England and Wales No. 984275. Registered Office: 1 Tower Place West, Tower Place, London, EC3R 5BU. Copyright © 2026 Marsh. All rights reserved

Related solutions
Related insights
Related podcasts
Related events
Related case studies

Talk to us

Get in touch to learn more about workplace pensions and how we can help your business.