The changes announced in the Budget will mean child benefit will now be withdrawn gradually from higher rate taxpayers earning between £50,000 and £60,000. The benefit will be reduced by one per cent for every £100 earned over £50,000 and completely removed for those earning over £60,000.

Under the Chancellor’s Budget, around 1.2 million families will now have their child benefit payments reduced. Around 840,000 of those households will lose all of the benefit. The other 360,000 will lose a portion of the benefit through the new tapering rule.

However, Edenred is advising working parents to use salary sacrifice for benefits such as childcare vouchers in order to reduce their taxable income to below the threshold.

Childcare vouchers are usually offered by employers via a salary sacrifice scheme which means they are taken from a parent’s pre tax salary and, depending on the rate of tax payer, are free from tax and National Insurance up to £243 a month. Both parents can claim these vouchers if their employer offers the scheme. The benefit for the company is also a lower National Insurance bill.

They can then be used for children up to 15 years, or 16 years if disabled, and can be spent on a wide range of activities such as afterschool clubs, holiday clubs, breakfast clubs, as well as nurseries, childminders and nannies. The age range covered by the vouchers means that parents of older children can also benefit.

Laura Czapiewski comments:

“With the Chancellor’s recent cuts to child benefit, many will be looking at ways to address this loss. The provision of childcare vouchers via a salary sacrifice scheme has multiple benefits – it serves to save a working parent tax and NI and could also help reduce their taxable income below the threshold that will be affected by the changes to child benefit.

“Any type and size of business can implement a childcare voucher scheme and it’s worthwhile for companies of all sizes, even if they have just one qualifying parent within the organisation. Parents should investigate if their place of work offers childcare vouchers.”

Edenred is the UK’s leading provider of childcare voucher benefits and has a website dedicated to childcare vouchers explaining how they work, the benefits and where to use them. See: http://www.childcarevouchers.co.uk/Parents/Pages/default.aspx

A large number of businesses tend to promote their family friendly policies primarily to young families or to mothers going on maternity leave, and use marketing materials depicting images of babies and toddlers.  It’s not surprising therefore that some parents think that childcare vouchers are only for young children.  There is an argument to suggest that businesses should be adapting their marketing materials and promoting their policies more widely, to parents with older children.  Contrary to popular belief, childcare vouchers can be used to pay for the care of children until the first September after their fifteenth birthday or the first September following their sixteenth birthday if they are registered disabled.  

It isn’t just working parents with young children that need support.  Working parents with older children need support too.  After all, the needs of working parents do not end when children start school, and many parents agree that the pre-teen and teenage years can be the most challenging – emotionally and financially!  Yet many parents of older children are unaware of what they are entitled to.

So what can childcare vouchers be used to pay for?

Many parents associate childcare vouchers with traditional ‘childcare’ such as nurseries and nannies, and therefore fail to see their relevance for older children.  Childcare vouchers cannot be used to pay for private school fees as they cannot be used to pay for compulsory education.  However, they can be used to pay for things like holiday or community play schemes.  They also cover the payment of residential holiday clubs, afterschool clubs and breakfast clubs held outside school hours and on school premises, or on premises where school activity is inspected by Ofsted (or the equivalent body for some independent schools).  This can include payment of fees for overnight care, for instance boarding fees, provided that they are invoiced separately to the normal school fees.

How parents can make even bigger savings on their childcare costs

Childcare vouchers can be invaluable to working parents who can not always pick up their child from school straight away and have to leave their children in the care of day or residential holiday clubs.  Edenred offers discounts at a range of day and residential holiday clubs, allowing parents to make significant savings, at the same time as highlighting the fact that childcare vouchers can be used by parents of older children to pay for atypical childcare.

The school holidays also have a great impact on businesses who can find it difficult to manage the needs of employees wanting to take leave at the same time.  Parents may need to take time off from work to care for their children during the school holidays.  By saving up childcare vouchers parents are better able to manage the costs of activities and holiday clubs, and are less likely to require time off due to a lack of childcare.   Childcare vouchers can therefore be hugely important in helping both parents and their employers to get through the summer holiday season. 

Why communicating the benefits of childcare vouchers to all parents is crucial

The key to ensuring parents of older children are able to take advantage of the benefits on offer is communication.  When launching a family friendly benefit, it is tempting for businesses to use images of babies and toddlers in the promotion.  However good providers should supply an array of materials designed to attract the interest of parents of older children, using images and messages relating to preteens and teenagers.  Two way communication is also very important.  Surveying employees to find out the ages of their children can be useful because this allows businesses to properly tailor the benefits on offer to each employee.  Once businesses have promoted a specific benefit to their employees, it is imperative that HR departments and line managers are fully aware of the scope of availability from these benefits so they can advise employees how and where they can be accessed.

The CIPD has added to the general malaise with a survey showing that employers are in fact hedging their bets on all employment related decisions, from pay through to recruitment and redundancy. UK plc is in ‘wait and see’ mode says the Institute, and is quite understandably exercising caution against the backdrop of the Eurozone crisis and wider economic uncertainty.

None of this of course is particularly good news for beleaguered employees who continue to face enormous financial pressure thanks to growing travel, fuel and food costs.  With no prospect of a meaningful salary increase on the horizon – and no bonus likely either – people can easily get dispirited at work and become passengers rather than enthusiastic participants in the business.

How can you help?

Forward-looking employers are beginning to realise, however, that even if they can’t promise a pay rise, there are ways they can help staff eke out the family budget and meet the higher cost of living.  This is illustrated by the high demand we are currently experiencing for our Employee Savings products – a cost effective way for organisations to show they appreciate the pressure their people are under and value the contribution they are making.

Employee Savings allow staff to make their money go further, in a way that suits them, all year round.  Advances in technology mean that Employee Benefits providers can now offer solutions for smaller companies.

Schemes are now available that are both accessible and affordable for the SME market, such as the MyWorkOffers platform available from Edenred.  With only a small cost per employee and no set up fees, smaller employers can now give staff access to the same range of discounts and savings that many larger employers already do, allowing them to compete in the recruitment and retention stakes. 

Employee Savings allow staff to make their money go further, in a way that suits them, all year round.

Employees simply log onto a personalised website which gives them access to a menu of discounts on everything from food and drink to travel, motoring and finance.  They can also take advantage of specially negotiated cash-back offers on everything from utilities to insurance, as well as enjoy discounts on leading brand products.

The fact that staff are able to make a personal choice about exactly how they spend the level of reward you have given them makes the motivation factor even more powerful.  They may decide to make the family budget go further by using a discounted supermarket shopping voucher, for example, or take the opportunity to treat the family to a trip or meal out.

When times are tough, these small savings can make a big difference – not just to your employees’ finances, but also to the way they feel about working for the business.  Employers who want to maximise the motivational impact of this type of scheme would be well advised to start planning now for how they will communicate it to staff.   For those whohave existing schemes, a well-timed piece of communication can serve to remind people about what is on offer and can help to boost enthusiasm at particularly tough times throughout the year.  Carefully crafted communication will reinforce messages about the kind of behaviours that are encouraged and rewarded in the business and will help to increase engagement, even in a company’s darkest hours.

It’s not hard to understand the reason behind the growing popularity of discount products. At a time when pay freezes are widespread, employers are having to get more creative about the benefits they offer employees.  They need top performance from their people to help them meet the challenges of a difficult economic climate – but often struggle to keep staff engaged at a time when uncertainty reigns and there is no prospect of a pay rise or bonus in sight.

A recent Edenred poll showed that keeping staff engaged at a time of austerity is in fact one of the top challenges  keeping reward and benefits professionals awake at night. ”We need to find ways of engaging staff by means other than salary,” and “we have to keep staff motivated in a challenging budgetary situation where change is a constant feature,” were among the comments made by respondents.

Making money go further

Many employers have recognised that Employee Savings platforms are a great way to help staff make their money go further, in a way that suits them, all year round. The concept is simple: employees just log onto a personalised website which gives them access to a menu of discounts on everything from food and drink to travel, motoring and finance.

Reloadable cards are increasingly becoming a key feature of these employee savings platforms. When employees log in they can opt to purchase a reloadable card which gives them a discount of up to 15% from a selection of over 27 stores.

Staff can then use their chosen card against their purchases at the till – or in some cases online – whenever it suits them. Some people may opt for a supermarket discount card to help offset the cost of their shopping, for example, while others may choose a card for an electrical or home store to help them reduce the cost of a major purchase such as furniture or white goods.

The cards can be used in addition to whatever other discounts or deals a retailer may be offering – in many cases leading to a significant saving. “My reloadable discount card brought the cost of an iPad down by £50, which meant I was able to upgrade to the latest version,” according to one user.  When the balance on the card runs out, employees can simply log onto their Employee Savings platform and top it up themselves online at the same discount – or opt to purchase a card from a different store which may suit their needs better at the time.  It’s a simple, cost effective way for an employer to provide a valuable benefit for their staff – and involves a minimum amount of admin for the business.

“The fact that staff can make a personal choice about exactly how they use the benefits you have made available to them makes the motivation factor even more powerful,” says Edenred’s Andy Philpott.  “When times are tough, these small savings can make a big difference – not just to employees’ finances but to the way they feel about working for the business.”

There has been some scepticism among reward professionals about whether a physical discount card has any value to add when employees can now take advantage of so many moneysaving deals online.  While it is of course true that retailers are offering a myriad of discounts in their attempts to woo customers, it does depend on the individual having time on their hands to search for them.  Many deals are also time-limited – often making them difficult to access for those who are juggling busy work and family lives.

“A reloadable card is akin to money in the individual’s pocket – and a constant reminder of the fact their employer is doing its best to help them through difficult financial times,” says Edenred’s Andy Philpott.

It’s equally true for how we identify and choose where we work, and of course how much we’re worth.  Allied to sophisticated online job boards and a never-ending stream of data on where to find the best working environments, employees are increasingly aware of who the employers of choice are.

This paper discusses the value and meaning of Employee Engagement and Best Practise Reward Strategy.

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The VDU Legislation is viewed by many companies as a burden and they adhere to it as an obligation.  Whilst the obligation part is accurate, how you position the scheme and the choice you give to staff should actually lead to this being a valued employee benefit that can reduce administration costs and be used as part of a wider engagement and motivation policy and directive within a company.

Firstly, having your eyes tested is important.  It is estimated that approximately 20 million people a year have their eyes tested and with the UK population a little under 62 million, this leaves a significant proportion of people who do not have their eyes regularly tested.  The eyes are an important window to the health of the body, so having a test is not just a ticking the box exercise as many health conditions can first be seen with an eye examination.

The health side is particularly important from a workplace point of view – if someone has outdated prescription lenses in their glasses, or even needs glasses but does not wear them, then they could be taking time off work due to  headaches, migraines or, in extreme cases, sickness.  The cost to UK businesses of this sickness has not been  measured, but it would be accurate to list this as a very significant sum.

Why have sight tests:

• Window to the health of the body

• Early detection for diabetes, degenerative eye conditions and even brain tumours

• Safety – reduce the trip or fall risk in your business

• Vital for your company car drivers

• Leave staff feeling valued and show that you care about their health

• Important addition to a benefits package to engage and motivate your workforce

“An important window to the health of the body”

With pay rises flat and the cost of living increasing, employees are looking for their place of work to be engaging and caring.  Although this benefit is legislation based, a caring employer that informs employees that sight tests are available to all computer screen users demonstrates a commitment to staff wellbeing – too often this information is hidden on an intranet site buried as deep as possible to avoid “unnecessary costs”.

Our research has shown that a well implemented scheme can actually save organisations money.  So many companies still have an inefficient employee reimbursement policy regarding sight tests and subsequently glasses.

These schemes still exist, often on an “if it’s not broken don’t fix it” mentality.  More often than not these schemes are broken but because the sight test policy is not high on the agenda, an organisation might not even be aware it is causing a drain on company resources, especially when organisations are obligated to pay the full value of the glasses and are unable to cap costs.

Carefully planned, the implementation of a successful eyecare scheme can avoid wasting huge sums of money each year, whilst offering the chance to motivate and engage your workforce.

“Our research has shown that a well implemented scheme will save organisations money.” 

Most opticians offer a better discount to companies rather than to individuals due to the increased buying power a company wields. A good example of this is a voucher product that allows access to a network or multiple networks of opticians.  The discounts are pre-negotiated by the providers and sight tests can be offered for under £20 whereas the national average for a sight test is significantly higher than this.  Indeed, recent research has shown that a sight test could cost as much as £60 and whilst some of the opticians at the higher end of the scale promote retinal photography as part of the test, it is important to note that some of the high street optician chains also offer this in their sight test and will include this when a purchase is made using a voucher.

Why Vouchers:

• Simplicity – the voucher does exactly what it says; provides a sight test and glasses where necessary

• With the right supplier you can offer employees choice, which allows them to visit their preferred optician

• Fixed costs, easy budgeting

• Easy to understand scheme

• Leaves staff feeling they have been given a valuable wellbeing product

Another way that some companies believe they can avoid the costs of expense claims is to run an invoiced based system with opticians.  Whilst this can control some of the costs as an optician can arrange a special deal for staff members, it greatly limits choice and may not be viewed as a true benefit for staff.  The cost element also becomes hidden rather than transparent with invoicing and can often result in companies having to work out departmental cost centres and internal invoicing which, of course, just costs internal time and money.

The hidden costs of expense claims can be significant – one such instance was a Council who quoted £56 as a processing cost for an invoice to be paid.  The costs arose from the varying time for each person in the approval chain to submit an invoice and then, more often than not being paid via the now antiquated method of cheques.  A voucher can avoid nearly all these costs as payment is made up front and this provides you with a book of vouchers for you to issue to your staff when needed, thus cutting down on much of the administration.

“The hidden costs of expense claims can be significant” Simple steps to compliance and engagement

• A clearly communicated strategy

• Defined process, where to get vouchers and what to do with them

• Internal communication and advertising of the scheme to increase staff awareness

Another great advantage of the voucher scheme is that the employee feels invested in when a voucher is given as theycan use the optician of their choice, from a major chain to a small independent practice.   Choice is vital and many people use the same optician time after time.   The relationship with an optician can be likened to that of a dentist; you go to the person you trust and have confidence in.  Forcing staff to go to a set optician for a sight test can damage the ability to use this as a motivational tool and may even result in the person not having the test, which has the health implications discussed earlier in this article.

The VDU Legislation should be seen as an opportunity.  A carefully implemented scheme can form part of a valuable benefits package and the costs of this need not spiral out of control.  There are many schemes out there and the voucher based scheme in particular allows choice, flexibility and a real sense for your employees that they are being invested in.

A recent survey conducted on behalf of Edenred and other key industry stakeholders shows that the vast majority (over 90 per cent) of parents are concerned about the cost of childcare.  This is hardly surprising, given the prohibitive costs of formal childcare and predictions that it is set to escalate significantly over the next four years.

A recent report from the Social Market Foundation (‘The Parent Trap’) suggests childcare costs will rise by an average of 13.5 per cent by 2015/16. With the average cost of childcare already standing at £91.81 per week, it’s a price hike that will quite simply be unachievable for many working families.

Childcare Vouchers essential in meeting childcare costs

Working parents taking part in the Edenred-supported research were asked about the role Childcare Vouchers had to play in helping them meet costs.

Overall, nearly five per cent of respondents said they would be forced to leave work by the crippling cost of childcare if it wasn’t for the support offered by tax-free Childcare Vouchers. 

When the sample group was segmented by salary level, the percentage of those who would be forced to quit their jobs rose to 11.6 per cent of parents earning under £20K per year and 15 per cent of those earning under £15K per year.  The survey results also showed that if the tax exemption was removed, more than eight per cent of parents would have to abandon high-quality registered care in favour of cheaper alternatives.  A large proportion of working parents – over 70 per cent – said they would be happy to sacrifice more salary for tax-exempt Childcare Vouchers if the limit was increased.  (The amount of tax and NI exemption parents can currently get on employer-supported Childcare Vouchers has remained frozen for basic rate taxpayers since 2006/7, despite the fact that costs have risen well above the rate of inflation.)

Employers taking part in the research also stressed the important role Childcare Vouchers played in helping them to build a talented workforce.

More than 80 per cent of employers said the scheme had a beneficial impact on the business. Just over a quarter felt it helped them to recruit and retain key staff, while 12 per cent felt there would be a significant change in the make-up of the workforce if the benefit was removed.

Recent changes to the scheme had not had as much of an impact as some employers had feared, with only 15 per cent saying the new arrangements had made Childcare Vouchers more difficult to administer.

“The survey results show that Childcare Vouchers are a valuable benefit that is greatly appreciated by staff and also has significant pay-offs for employers,” said Laura Czapiewski, Edenred’s Product Manager, Childcare Vouchers. “Companies who communicate widely with staff about the availability of Childcare Vouchers and who are pro-active in encouraging take-up will definitely reap the benefits, both in terms of increased employee engagement and their ability to attract the best and brightest people.”

To add insult to injury, when asked which benefits they would like to see added to their package, employees often mention things they already have.  Only 21 per cent of staff, for example, believe they have access to Childcare Vouchers – when in fact 82 per cent of companies offer them.  When asked, 27 per cent of employees say they have healthcare benefits, although in reality 57 per cent receive them.

Part of the problem is that benefits communication is often ‘front-loaded’.  A new member of staff arrives and they are bombarded with information about everything from health and safety and where to park the car to how to claim expenses and put in a request for annual leave.  

Someone from HR will usually talk them through their benefits package at this stage – or at the very least the information will be included in the staff handbook.  But there’s so much for a new recruit to take in that the information often isn’t fully digested and almost certainly isn’t remembered.  The company thinks it has ticked the box by telling employees what’s available – and the subject isn’t mentioned again.

Employers who fail to keep benefits communication going are, however, missing a real trick -  because if staff have a full picture of the true value of their benefits package it can contribute enormously to engagement levels. 

In a difficult economic climate, it helps employees appreciate that although a pay rise may not be on the cards, their employer is compensating them in other ways and helping the family budget go a bit further.  If they have that ‘nice warm feeling’ about the business, they are much more likely to go the extra mile and do their best to meet whatever challenges they are presented with. 

Maintaining high levels of employee engagement is also a good way to help future-proof the business.  Talented employees who feel they have been treated well when times are hard are much less likely to start looking around for new opportunities when the situation improves.

Research has shown that companies who offer flexible benefits plans find it easier to get employees to truly understand the total value of their reward package.  Fifty eight per cent of businesses say that going down the flex route has helped to improve employee’s appreciation of their benefits, while 39 per cent said there had been a knock-on effect with levels of employee engagement rising.

This is because companies who offer flex have the opportunity to get employees more closely involved with their benefits.  The individual takes an active role in choosing which benefits to draw on –  and the business has a valuable opportunity to personalise benefits communication.  It can reinforce messages about what is on offer, for example, encourage take-up at key times and explain how specific benefits might be particularly useful to people at different stages of their lives and careers.

Companies who communicate flex well have recognised that the key to success is to find the right communications approach for your business.  One size generally doesn’t fit all and you will need to use a mix of communications channels to get the message across. 

Technology-savvy Generation Y employees, for example, will almost certainly expect to get information and updates via email, intranet and social media.  But you also need to consider whether all of your employees have regular access to a computer – and think about whether some of the fine detail is better conveyed in conventional written form.  Line managers also have an important role to play in talking to employees about benefits face-to-face, although they sometimes need support and encouragement to do this. 

Whatever mix of channels you choose, if you want to reap the benefits in terms of engagement it’s vital to keep the momentum going.   As the old communications mantra goes:  “Tell them, tell them you’ve told them, then tell them again!”

The findings are not revolutionary – the top risks identified are the same as in previous years – but there has been an interesting shift in priorities over the past 12 months. 

The top issue now keeping reward practitioners awake at night is that despite their best efforts, employees still don’t seem to appreciate the total value of their reward packages.  Equally frustrating (and key to this lack of appreciation) is that line managers have a poor understanding of reward and are clearly not getting the message across to their teams. 

Other issues causing concern are that (understandably in the current climate) organisations are unable to offer staff any prospect of a pay rise – and that reward is increasingly not being perceived by those on the receiving end as fair or equitable. 

The shift in the rankings is of course a reflection of the business and economic challenges facing organisations right now.  But dig behind the findings and it’s clear that the role of line managers in reward is an area that needs serious attention.

 The line manager is the ‘glue’ that helps employees connect positively with their reward package.  They are in prime position to not just explain the value of what’s on offer – but to ensure employees feel recognised and appreciated for their efforts. 

This is particularly important in challenging times when everyone is under pressure to do more with less.  Teams are depleted, workloads have increased, morale is low – and there’s not even the prospect of a bonus or salary hike on the distant horizon. 

The problem is that line managers (who are of course hard-pressed themselves) are often simply not equipped with either the information or skills to use reward as a tool to improve performance and employee engagement. 

They need more support and better quality data from their colleagues in HR to help them communicate effectively with their team and ensure the reward that is on offer has maximum motivational impact.

 So how can organisations help line managers make a success of their pivotal role in reward?  The following ideas may help: 

• Provide managers with a small budget that can be used to provide on-the-spot rewards for employees who go the extra mile or demonstrate outstanding performance.

•  Encourage managers to organise team events to ensure their people are clear about strategy, direction and priorities.  These don’t have to be high profile or expensive.  Just a simple get together, part business, part social, can do much to foster team spirit and re-energise dispirited employees.

• Make sure up-to-date information about individual reward packages, together with benchmarking data, is at manager’s fingertips.  This will ensure they are on the ‘front foot’ when having discussions with employees and can illustrate the true value of what’s on offer.

• Hold regular forums where line managers can get together to share experiences and ideas for motivating and rewarding their teams in difficult circumstances.  It’s a great way of providing peer support, sharing best practice and promoting the ethos that ‘we’re all in it together’.

• Open the communication channels between line managers and HR.  If managers are fully informed about the challenges and issues faced by the reward team, they will not only deepen their understanding of reward practice, but will also be in a better position to communicate clearly and effectively with employees.

• Consider the introduction of an Employee Savings programme, which will give line managers a tool they can use to reward staff on an on-going basis and reinforce messages about the kind of behaviours that are encouraged.

These kind of initiatives will help ensure line managers make a real contribution to the overall success of a corporate reward strategy.  A well briefed, well trained line manager will help employees focus on what’s important, feel valued for their efforts  and will increase their teams’ appreciation of the reward that’s on offer.

Are your line managers equipped to support your reward strategy?  We look forward to hearing your views and experiences.

Data from HR consultancy Mercer suggests that workers have yet another year of below-inflation pay rises to look forward to in 2012.  Its quarterly Pulse survey shows that UK companies are budgeting for an average three per cent increase for staff across the board. Employees in the UK are set to fare slightly better than their counterparts in Western Europe – but any increase will still be less than the current five per cent level of inflation.

 The CIPD has added to the general malaise with a survey showing that employers are in fact hedging their bets on all employment related decisions, from pay through to recruitment and redundancy.  UK plc is in ‘wait and see’ mode, says the Institute, and is quite understandably exercising caution against the backdrop of the Eurozone crisis and wider economic uncertainty.

None of this of course is particularly good news for beleaguered employees who continue to face enormous financial pressure thanks to growing travel, fuel and food costs.  With no prospect of a meaningful salary increase on the horizon – and no bonus likely either – people can easily get dispirited at work and become passengers rather than enthusiastic participants in the business.

Forward-looking employers are beginning to realise, however, that even if they can’t promise a pay rise, there are ways they can help staff eke out the family budget and meet the higher cost of living.  This is illustrated by the high demand we are currently experiencing for our Employee Savings products – a cost effective way for organisations to show they appreciate the pressure their people are under and value the contribution they are making.

Employee Savings allow staff to make their money go further, in a way that suits them, all year round.  Employees simply log onto a personalised website which gives them access to a menu of discounts on everything from food and drink to travel, motoring and finance.  They can also take advantage of specially negotiated cash-back offers on everything from utilities to insurance as well as enjoy discounts on leading brand products.

The fact that staff are able to make a personal choice about exactly how they spend the level of reward you have given them makes the motivation factor even more powerful.  They may decide to make the family budget go further by using a discounted supermarket shopping voucher, for example, or take the opportunity to treat the family to a trip or meal out.

When times are tough, these small savings can make a big difference – not just to your employees finances, but also to the way they feel about working for the business.  The fact that the savings are accessed via a branded website also provides a constant reminder that their employer values them and is doing its best to support them in difficult circumstances.

Employers who want to maximise the motivational impact of this type of scheme would be well advised to start planning now for how they will communicate it to staff.  A New Year launch, for example, sends a really positive message to employees about the year ahead.  For those who have existing schemes, a well-timed piece of communication can serve to remind people about what is on offer and can help to boost enthusiasm when they return to work after the festive season.

Carefully crafted communication will reinforce messages about the kind of behaviours that are encouraged and rewarded in the business and will help to increase engagement, even in a company’s darkest hours.

So how are you planning to reward and incentivise your employees in the run up to 2012?  We look forward to hearing about your experiences and ideas.