“Inside Employers’ Minds” helps address critical workforce challenges – pension risk, benefit choices and talent management

New York – July 2, 2012
After taking the pulse of employers around the world to learn what was on their minds in 2012, Mercer today announced the launch of an initiative to help organizations understand and address their most pressing issues and concerns.

Entitled “Inside Employers’ Minds: Confronting Critical Workforce Challenges,” Mercer will provide resources and solutions in three areas:

• Taking pension risk off the table – Better managing risks related to growing pension liabilities and the potential impact on corporate financial performance

• Making smart benefit choices – Enabling employees to make better choices as they take greater accountability for retirement and health benefit decisions

• Building high-impact talent – Finding new ways to build agile, world-class workforces that are ready and able to respond to evolving business needs and new opportunities

“The implications of these issues are immense for organizations in both emerging and mature markets, especially in a global economy that remains complex, diverse and somewhat volatile,” said Julio Portalatin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mercer. “Those that get it right will be in a position to excel. Those that get it wrong will find their financial performance and competitive position at greater risk.

“The resources and tools we have developed will not only give employers a better understanding of these issues, but also will provide insights into how to address and capitalize on related opportunities,” added Mr. Portalatin.

The need to confront these workforce challenges comes at a critical stage when employers worldwide must confront a constantly changing and complex economy and simultaneously deal with a workforce that is increasingly disengaged. This lack of engagement was reflected in Mercer’s 2011 What’s Working™ Survey of nearly 30,000 workers worldwide that gauged employee attitudes towards various key measures of satisfaction and commitment.

The research showed that in 17 markets across all global regions, between one-quarter and one-half of employees are seriously considering leaving their organizations. Nearly one in three (32%) US workers is seriously considering leaving his or her organization. Meanwhile, another 21% are undecided about leaving but view their employers unfavorably and have rock-bottom scores on key measures of engagement.

About “Inside Employers’ Minds”
“Inside Employers’ Minds: Confronting Critical Workforce Challenges” features a dedicated website (www.mercer.com/insideemployersminds) which contains a number of resources focused on addressing each key issue, including:

 Video interviews with noted thought leaders at Mercer and, through a partnership with the Big Think global knowledge forum (http://bigthink.com/series/inside-employers-minds), from business and academia, including:

 Paul Krugman, The New York Times columnist, Nobel laureate and Professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton University

 Tom Glocer, former CEO of Thomson Reuters and a member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum

 Anil Gupta, a leading expert on strategy and globalization and Michael Dingman, Chair in Global Strategy & Entrepreneurship at The University of Maryland at College Park

 David Blake, global pensions expert, Professor of Pension Economics at Cass Business School, City University in London, and Director of the Pensions Institute.

 Alicia Munnell, Professor of Management Sciences at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management and Director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College

 Point of View papers offering Mercer’s perspective and action-oriented advice

 Research and articles to help readers understand the issues and the implications for their organizations

The “Inside Employers’ Minds” initiative will run throughout 2012 with updated insights and resources as well as additional research relating to the featured key issues.

About Mercer
Mercer is a global leader in human resource consulting and related services. The firm works with clients to solve their most complex human capital issues by designing and helping manage health, retirement and other benefits. Mercer’s 20,000 employees are based in more than 40 countries. Mercer is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC), a global team of professional services companies offering clients advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and human capital. With 52,000 employees worldwide and annual revenue exceeding $10 billion, Marsh & McLennan Companies is also the parent company of Marsh, a global leader in insurance broking and risk management; Guy Carpenter, a global leader in providing risk and reinsurance intermediary services; and Oliver Wyman, a global leader in management consulting. For more information, visit www.mercer.com. Follow Mercer on Twitter @MercerInsights.