Towers Watson research shows that the impact of organizational culture on workplace safety is an equally significant factor in the development of a safe workplace.
Amid heightened cost pressures brought about by the prolonged economic downturn, companies are assessing their health care programs to control costs and build healthier and more productive workforces. Despite their efforts, however, employers remain frustrated by employees’ poor health habits and the difficulty in motivating behavior change. Additionally, they are uncertain about the potential for health care reform legislation that could increase their financial and administrative burdens.
In today’s transaction environment, companies are struggling to balance the need for talent, with the need to control costs and achieve other business objectives. Even those companies with strong balance may not succeed in building their talent portfolio to the extent desired without fully integrating their acquisition strategy into their overall talent agenda. This article discusses how companies can best shape their talent agenda in an M&A.
Weekly bulletins, podcasts, a resource library and more for U.S. employers.
March 5, 2010
Towers Watson research reconfirms that when organizations address people and culture issues early, strategically and with discipline, they improve their chances of achieving a more successful merger or acquisition deal.
U.S equities provided strong returns while stable interest rates left liability values essentially unchanged in February. The net impact was a 1.6% increase in our benchmark plan’s funded ratio for the month. The Towers Watson Pension Index came in at 70.1 for February − still down from its value of 71.6 at the start of the year.
Reliably measuring and benchmarking an organization’s safety culture leads to improved business performance. Towers Watson can help.
Even in a soft economy, many renewable energy companies are engaged in a difficult war for talent. This paper provides a current snapshot of the industry's workforce challenge along with key findings of recent Towers Watson research on the industry.
The Insights Action Platform is a comprehensive, integrated technology platform that helps your managers, executives and human resource staff manage and analyze employee survey data so you can focus on what matters most: turning data into insights, and insights into action.
This paper explores the key differences between IFRS and U.S. GAAP in accounting for employee benefits and stock-based compensation. It looks not just at the existing rules, but also at changes contemplated by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB).
With health care costs continuing to climb, the effects of the current economic crisis yet to be shaken off and health reform discussions still underway, employers find themselves at a crossroads. A Towers Watson survey recently found that despite these challenges, employers have never been more interested in workforce health and well-being.
The prolonged economic downturn is putting additional pressure on companies to change their health care programs to help relieve financial strain. The results of this year’s survey also show employers are frustrated by employees’ poor health habits and are struggling to effectively motivate behavior change. Additionally, they are uncertain about the future of employer-sponsored benefits, especially in light of the potential for health care reform legislation.
This white paper examines the human capital challenges facing the health care industry today and how business leaders can position their organizations for success.
The Insider newsletter focuses on regulations, case law and policy, as well as providing in-depth, relevant research into benefits, retirement and HR issues.
Towers Watson’s quarterly Capital Markets Review provides a high-level summary of capital markets and economic developments.
This paper discusses quantitative easing (i.e. the creation of money) as well as short and long rates – including the outstanding risks and implications for investors.
Towers Watson’s TAS HPC software and Windows HPC Server provide improved performance, reliability and scale for TAS Tillinghast Actuarial Software applications, making grid cluster operation as easy and secure as a single system.
Towers Watson’s MoSes HPC software and Windows HPC Server provide improved performance, reliability and scale for MoSes applications, making grid cluster operation as easy and secure as a single system,
The tests described in this document show the scalability of MoSes and prove the significant performance improvements that can be gained from distributed processing.
Towers Watson’s Property & Casualty Claim Officer Survey focuses on the economic climate’s impact on claim operations, including loss costs, litigation levels, expense management and expense-related claim performance metrics.
January 2010 update on U.S. capital markets.
This Perspectives article discusses the critical link between employees' level of well-being and engagement.
The new edition outlines recent developments in pensions — the passage of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA), the widespread shift toward defined contribution plans, and the burgeoning research literature, especially in economics and finance, on retirement and retirement plans.
This article, part of our ongoing series on embedding ERM in insurance, analyzes the capital management function’s roles and responsibilities, including collaboration with the risk management function.
The findings of the fifth in a series of pulse surveys conducted in 2009, which assessed HR's role in achieving M&A success and the specific skill sets that enable HR to contribute most effectively during a merger or acquisition.
This is a study of the 13 largest pension markets in the world and accounts for more than 85% of global pension assets. The countries included are Australia, Canada, Brazil, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S..
Survey results from recent global research charting organizational changes and predictions in benefits, compensation and employee engagement.
There is no question: Florida’s insurance market is in a
state of disarray, and property insurers and homeowners
have huge challenges ahead of them.
A weekly update about health care reform for employers.
Weekly updates, podcasts, a resource library and more for U.S. employers.
This paper outlines some of the main fees and terms we have come across in terms of real estate investing and how we would like them to change in order to produce a fairer deal for investors. Although some of the issues identified in this paper are specific to ‘opportunity’, ‘opportunistic’ and ’value-add’ strategies, the points we raise have wider implications and are applicable to all real estate vehicles.
There is no doubt that emerging markets continue to grow in importance in the context of a global economy, but investment solutions in this area are not simple. Over a number of years Watson Wyatt spent a considerable amount of resource examining the key economic drivers behind the emergence of the structural growth phenomenon taking place in countries such as China and India. Our findings highlighted the complexity many pension funds face when trying to address a portfolio allocation in this area.
These pieces provide a handy listing of updated statutory limits, disclosure requirements and deadlines, and related 2010 information for qualified retirement and health and welfare plans in the United States.
Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt have come together as Towers Watson, a global company that shares a common set of values and a singular focus: our clients.
Many organizations have a knee-jerk reluctance to use their sales incentive plans to reward anything other than top-line revenue. This article by Towers Watson's Elliot Scott, from the December 2009 issue of Workspan, explores how companies can benefit by rewarding sales people for their impact on the bottom line.
Helps financial executives gain insights into managing defined benefit pension plans in the context of their company's overall financial performance.
As recessionary pressures continue to ease and organizations seek an edge to fuel their recovery, talent and performance management are retaking center stage.
Reduced head count. Increased employee cost sharing for health care. Anxiety about falling 401(k) account balances. Tighter training budgets. If you're an HR manager, you're probably wondering when it will all let up.
Despite the economic downturn, organizations continue to take a long-term view of the HR function and see value in supporting it in order to achieve key business goals.
Our data and our experience confirm that organizations have awakened to the importance of having skilled and engaged people at all levels delivering results.
Fifteen extreme risks that would have a high impact on global economic growth and asset returns if they occurred. The events of the last two years have demonstrated that risk management cannot afford to stop at the 95th percentile and that ways need to be found to factor in very unlikely, but high-impact events.
This brief glossary of terms highlights expressions plan fiduciaries are likely to encounter in the course of fulfilling their investment responsibilities.
A new survey conducted in October 2009, a year after the Lehman Brothers' collapse, finds that while the worst may be over, finance executives continue to worry about crucial financing and risk management issues, as well as their ability to carry out acquisitions and other strategic plans.
Frequent recognition is like applause; it rewards the accomplishment in real time.
The recession has had widespread and unprecedented impact on U.S. employers and their employees. While the worst might be over, companies need to be prepared for the effects to linger even after the economy recovers.
The 2009/2010 Staying@Work report details current trends and best practices in companys' health and productivity programs, including employer efforts to improve employee health, combat presenteeism and reduce lost time from work.
Against a backdrop of market bubbles and crashes, two recessions and rising health care expenses, companies have made changes to their retirement programs to mitigate risk and manage costs. Some have shifted risk to their workers by transitioning from defined benefit (DB) to defined contribution (DC) plans. Many have reduced the retirement benefits they provide. If corporate America's commitment to worker retirement plans continues to decline at the pace it has over the past decade, we could see retirement straits in the future that negatively affect employers and employees alike.
The significant decline in employees’ retirement savings and confidence, coupled with the relatively short history of 401(k)s, has raised questions about the future of DC plans. As companies begin the long climb to recovery and focus on managing costs and providing more effective benefits, we could see longer-term changes on the horizon.
Employers are using decision-support tools to help employees make better choices about the health care plan they select. They are using more online communication and reducing their reliance on paper materials.
A renewed focus on executive rewards and the need for transparency require all companies to properly assess their executive reward programs. As always, the underlying objective for most companies is to ensure that executives receive adequate and appropriate reward packages.
Companies looking ahead to how they will restructure their reward programs in a recovering economy will no doubt be asking some tough questions about their 401(k) plans.
This case study highlights how one company tackled the challenge of reinventing its sales roles and sales compensation plans across a complex global organizational structure to support changing business needs.
Companies that communicate with courage, innovation and discipline, especially during times of economic challenge and change, are more effective at engaging employees and achieving desired business results. Our research has consistently found the firms that communicate effectively with employees are also the best financial performers.
With no economic recovery in sight, companies are under unrelenting pressure to curb workforce costs. At the same time, they know they need talent — skilled people who remain engaged and committed — to make it through the downturn and refocus on long-term growth.
A comprehensive approach to measuring ROI.
This article, part of our ongoing series on embedding ERM in insurance, describes an analytical framework that can be applied to an insurer’s internal measurement and management system to align value assessment, risk and capital management.
The quandary posed by underwater options isn't new. Companies face it whenever stock prices tumble for a prolonged period, whether the decline cuts across the market as a whole or falls only on certain hard-hit sectors.
Companies with highly engaged employees generate more marketplace power than their competitors.
Insurance companies remain convinced that enterprise risk management delivers rewards, but many continue to struggle with integrating ERM into their business.
Companies are struggling to balance persistent pressures to cut costs with ongoing talent management needs in response to the sour economy.
Defined benefit pension plans are caught in a period of significant volatility that requires sponsors to better understand investment and cash flow implications while rethinking plan design.
As the debate surrounding health care reform continues, four Watson Wyatt consultants weigh in on what reform could mean for employers around the country and recommend steps for employers to take now.
A detailed examination of proxies filed by large corporations.
Articles, tutorials, case studies and news for our financial modeling solutions clients.
Authors Steven Nyce and Sylvester Schieber conclude that if we expand health insurance coverage without controlling costs, we have the potential to soak up future wage growth and crowd out retirement benefits.
Copyright 2010 Towers Watson. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
See all locations
Contact us
Request services
Translating...