Performance Management Tasks Top List of Employee Self-Service Processes in HR

Employee self-service (ESS) is well known for the greater efficiency it brings to HR operations, but it also has broader uses that managers need to deliver on the HR agenda. According to a Towers Perrin study, ESS is now experiencing rapid growth in staffing and employee development, two areas critical to supporting an organization’s performance management strategies and programs.
 

Towers Perrin Study Finds Flexible Benefits Have Growing Appeal in Europe

Flexible benefit packages are catching on in Europe, and they’re helping employers attract, retain and engage employees in an increasingly competitive market for talent. The Towers Perrin findings come at a time of widespread debate within Europe about changing benefit and reward practices as companies seek to adjust to make their workforces more productive in a global economy.
 

Medium-Sized M&A Deals Deliver Better Results to Shareholders

Medium-sized mergers and acquisitions deliver better results to shareholders over time than do the more widely publicized blockbuster deals between big companies, according to new research conducted by Towers Perrin and London’s Cass Business School. The study, which updates earlier research, compares the performance of 2004 deals over an 18-month period after close, as well as 2005 deals over a six-month period after close.  

Stock Ownership Playing Bigger Role in Executive Compensation Programs

Programs aimed at encouraging executives to buy and hold shares of company stock have become more common among large employers in the last few years. An examination of the public filings of S&P 500 companies found that 334, or two-thirds, reported some sort of ownership guidelines, up from 44% just two years ago. In addition, 20% had stock retention policies in place for executives. 

Global HR News Briefs  

United States:

• New Reporting and Disclosure Rules Set for DB Pension Plans
• IRS Ends Moratorium on Determination Letters for Pension Plan Conversions
• Proxy Disclosure Rules Altered to Align With FAS 123(R)
• Final Rules on HIPAA Nondiscrimination Compliance Issued
• HSA Enhancements Approved by Congress
• Guidance Issued on PPA Diversification Rules for DC Plans
• IRS Confirms Use of Debit and Smart Cards for Transportation Expenses
• 409A Transition Rules Extended by IRS