Who’s marking your pension provider’s homework?

For employers with contract-based workplace pensions, the provider’s annual governance report can provide useful information and reassurance.
But provider-level governance isn’t the same as independent governance of your workplace pension.
An annual provider report looks across thousands — sometimes millions — of members.
Independent governance asks questions specifically about your pension and your people.

It looks beyond the provider-level picture and asks:
👉 How does your default fund actually compare with the wider market?
👉 Are your employees engaging with their pension — or simply enrolled in it?
👉 Are contribution levels likely to provide your employees with an adequate income in retirement?
👉 Is your scheme being run as it should be, with the right processes and compliance in place?
👉 And crucially, what could you do better?
That last question matters. Because good pension governance shouldn’t simply provide reassurance about how your provider is performing.
It should help you understand whether your workplace pension is delivering what your people need from it — and where there is room to improve.
The provider can do the homework. But should they be the only ones marking it?