In early June 2009, Watson Wyatt surveyed a broad cross-section of 92 Canadian-based organizations to understand what adjustments they have made to their HR programs in light of the economic crisis (e.g., staffing, pay, benefits) – and whether and when they will reverse any cuts/changes as the economy improves.
In June 2009, Watson Wyatt continued our ongoing research on the economic crisis by surveying HR executives at 179 U.S.-based companies to understand what adjustments they are making to their HR programs (e.g., staffing, pay, benefits) in response to the economic downturn. This is an update to our bi-monthly reports that began in October 2008.
In February 2009, Watson Wyatt surveyed 2,232 active employees and 904 retirees of nongovernment organizations with 1,000 or more employees to gauge the effect of the economic crisis on Americans. This report focuses on employees’ retirement timing and is the second installment of a research series on the survey findings.
For almost a decade legal and best practice standards have encouraged institutional shareholders to be active owners of capital. In the wake of the economic crisis this message is being re-emphasised by Government and other stakeholders. As the investment industry re-examines the respective roles and responsibilities of market participants the relationship between companies and their shareholders will no doubt receive further attention. It is likely that pension funds will come under increasing pressure to use their shareholder rights to advocate improved corporate governance.
In February 2009, Watson Wyatt surveyed 2,232 active employees and 904 retirees of nongovernment organizations with 1,000 or more employees to gauge the impact of the economic crisis on Americans. This report focuses on employees’ responses and is the first in a series of reports on the survey findings that will be released over the coming weeks.
In February and March 2009, Watson Wyatt asked employers about their HR sourcing strategies, satisfaction levels and future plans in the areas of talent management, social media, benefit administration and payroll, especially in light of the economic crisis. A total of 181 companies participated, with an average of nearly 14,000 U.S. employees covering more than a dozen industries.
In this paper we suggest that active investment managers are facing increasing pressures on profitability. Absent a strong market rebound, there is likely to be considerable change among asset management organisations. This would disrupt asset owners portfolios and so we suggest some actions that can be taken now to prepare for such an eventuality.
With the ongoing economic downturn, the majority of outside directors believe American companies need to change their executive pay programs. Seventy percent of directors believe executive pay opportunity will decline over the next two years. More than one in three companies has already reduced salaries, target bonuses and/or long-term incentive award levels. However, most directors think legislation and public pressures will not lead to improved pay for performance over the next two years. Directors are placing more emphasis on performance-based plans.
In April 2009, Watson Wyatt continued our ongoing research on the financial crisis by surveying HR executives at 141 U.S.-based companies to understand what adjustments they are making to their HR programs (e.g., staffing, pay, benefits) in response to the economic downturn. This is an update to our bi-monthly reports that began in October 2008.
Stock markets fell drastically after the financial turmoil intensified in September 2008, translating into trillions of dollars of losses to investors around the world. This has had a profound impact on the private pension landscape. To better understand the effect of the financial crisis on Canadian pension plan sponsors, Watson Wyatt Worldwide conducted its sixth annual Survey of Pension Risk during February-March 2009. The survey asked senior executives, including chief financial officers and vice presidents of human resources, about their views on — and reactions to — the current challenges, as well as future threats to their defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) pension plans.
Technical and Policy Papers are available for download free of charge to registered members of My Watson Wyatt .
