Cities are like organizations—they need talent too. So where is this talent going?
Often referred to as "human capital," talent is the core engine that enables organizations and cities to function and compete in the global economy. A study focusing on New York City's place in the world's financial...
As employee benefit plans go global, multinational companies are facing growing difficulty in creating effective corporate governance programs
For multinational companies, regardless of the operating system, effective corporate governance of employee benefits is becoming an increasingly important consideration. The financial costs and risks of benefits have...
Hybrid learning environments offer a more nuanced and organic approach to skill building
Throughout history, organizations have relied on training and development to build a better business. Ensuring that workers have the skills and knowledge necessary to do their jobs faster and better usually leads to...
Results-oriented processes and tools make for engaged and productive employees
Right now, someone in your organization is making a remote connection to the corporate network, generating a detailed real-time report, sharing the results with someone in another location and receiving feedback—all...
The developing world's virtualized economies challenge the notion of the digital divide
Global travel these days can be a jarring experience, akin to time travel in two directions at once. Arrive in a developing country's capital and the old ways are, at times, still readily apparent: Customs and habits...
Eight risks and behaviors that drive up health care and productivity costs for businesses around the world—and the one key to taking control
It's a variation on the old "for want of a nail, the kingdom was lost" tale. And it has implications for every company in the world.
Strong female leaders are driving growth in emerging markets
Undereducated female entrepreneurs struggling to overcome poverty and oppression—that's the dominant narrative about women in emerging economic markets. And it's wrong.
Economic turmoil in 2011 continues to affect hiring and retention risks for companies across the globe
The economic turmoil of 2011, combined with unsteadiness throughout this year, has had a continued effect on the risks firms face with their people.
Savvy organizations are getting their employees—and healthcare budgets—back in shape
It's time to file a missing person's report on the world's workforce. A serious case of employee absenteeism (out due to illness) and presenteeism (underperforming due to illness) has come on like a bad flu, and...
With four generations of individuals now in the workforce, management is not a one-size-fits-all effort
It's a scenario that plays out every day in corporate towers across the world:
Two middle-aged managers retreat to the pub to discuss the day over nachos and loaded potato skins.
Savvy solutions for four of today's most daunting hiring challenges
Thank the last few years of economic turmoil for this small favor: The predicted talent shortage driven by retiring baby boomers has yet to happen. Although the first boomers started turning 65 in 2011, many have...
The success of a business is deeply connected to the engagement of its employees. These days, there are both significant challenges and great opportunities
At Honda of America Manufacturing, everyone wears specially designed white shirts and pants. There are no preferred parking lots and no special cafeterias. Everyone eats together, paying the same price for the same...
Awareness of people risk is the first step to overcoming obstacles
Hiring and retaining the highest-caliber employees poses challenges for any employer. That's especially true for Western companies with plans to expand in Africa.
A world of opportunity awaits enterprising organizations in this promising emerging market
Lions and lines. In the Western world, the mere mention of the word "Africa" conjures up two enduring images: lions, as in beasts roaming an unspoiled savannah; and lines, unending queues of silent, starving people,...
For years, organizations have attempted to embrace telecommuting and remote workerforces. With the right technology and processes it's finally achievable
Innovative organizations have always looked for ways to ratchet up efficiency and productivity. They've reengineered business processes, adopted technology improvements and introduced a mind-bending array of perks. "...
Smart strategies for managing risks in these important investment portfolios
Amid the global recession in 2008 and 2009, pension plans' assets lost enough of their value that many defined benefit plans became significantly underfunded. From equity risks to interest rate changes, navigating...
The search for new leadership needs to address the needs of all stakeholders
There are certain CEOs who are intrinsically tied to their business; it's almost impossible to imagine the enterprise running without them. Take Steve Jobs, who left Apple in late 2009 and the company underwent a...
Happy employees are productive employees. But what does it take to truly engage today's global workforce?
In healthy economic times, it's easy to engage employees. There's much to celebrate: improved earnings, restoration of bonus compensation and greater job stability. Doling out rich rewards to high-achieving teams...
There are ways to achieve success even if growth and employment don't bounce back anytime soon. Learn how
It's no secret that information technology and globalization have radically altered the business landscape. These days, the speed and severity of change are nothing short of remarkable. Over the last few years,...
Personnel practices can make or break an organization. An effective human resources applicant-screening process serves as a foundation for hiring success
Formidable competition and exacting cost pressures are inescapable realities of today's business world. Increasingly, what separates the most successful organizations from those that stumble is human capital. "...
Aon's Risk Consulting executives offer an exclusive blueprint for businesses in skeptical times
In the 1950s, The Big Boss was a tough-as-nails leader, willing to roll up his sleeves and rub elbows with workers on the assembly line to get things done. That gave way to the Ivory Tower Elite in the 1970s and '80s...
It’s a new decade. As you plan for growth, consider three major challenges—ones already affecting business around the world
After the triumphant 1990s, the first decade of the 21st century reminded everyone of the dangers that sneaked up behind globalization and prosperity. SARS and swine flu were scary illustrations of how quickly...
Aon's 2009 Benefits and Talent survey spotlights areas of importance for the years ahead
For the fourth consecutive year, Aon Consulting surveyed employers across the United States to examine their benefits and talent management practices and challenges. Conducted in March 2009 during a period of...
Investing in fresh ideas, opportunities and products comes with uncertainties. But not doing so will certainly limit your business’s future
A lot of lousy thinking exists regarding the relationship between risk and innovation.
You may trust your instincts, but now is the time to rely on data when assessing organizational risk
Despite the endurance of global economic stresses, a surprising number of risk managers rely on their own intuition and experience rather than external data. Aon’s 2009 Global Risk Management Survey found that out...
Being ready for an unexpected disease outbreak could mean the difference between your business's health and its mortality
It's a simple, yet chilling, question: What would you do if a quarter of your workforce called in sick tomorrow … and the next day, and the next?
Given the financial crisis, this question becomes even more...
How Aon is helping one company in China to restructure its sales incentive program and transforming that company's culture to become more performance oriented
The Challenge: A major European manufacturer experienced steadily rising sales during a 10-year period, based on business expansion into China. Indeed, the company had become a major employer, with more than 10,000...
HR leaders can be highly effective in putting businesses on a path toward responsibility and corporate integrity
While there are many contributing factors to the current global financial crisis, there is one that’s purely behavioral: how executives “bet the farm” by taking undue financial risk. Caught up in the excitement of...
Six steps to ensuring that this method of insuring your business pays off
The business climate has undergone dramatic change in the last six months, increasing pressure to cut costs across the board. This is an ideal time for companies to examine whether their existing employee benefit...
Pension accounting heats up — here is a worldwide primer for IAS & IFRS changes
At first blush, pension accounting doesn’t appear to be a subject that could raise temperatures. But in speaking to our global experts, it’s hard not to get caught up in the issues. Only one standard will...
Travel Risk Management Program involves hoping for the best but preparing for the worst
Conducting business abroad has always presented a significant challenge to travelers. The tragic events of 9/11 and the ever-growing threat of terrorism and kidnapping have only added to this challenge....
With Global Insurance requiring Local Coverage, Aon explores three complexities of Global Risk Managment.
For multinational organizations that operate in multiple countries, global insurance programs offer a great combination of control, consistency and cost-effectiveness. But with the growth of regulation and the...
Create a virtuous cycle in your organization—and bolster your bottom line in the process—with an effective compensation strategy. These 10 steps will lead the way
Employee compensation is a powerful tool to drive superior performance. It can create a "virtuous cycle," in which pay drives performance, which leads to prosperity for the company, which then has the ability to...
Managing Human Capital Risk (HCR) can be a complex challenge for human resource managers. Following Aon's directions for effective implementation
Human resources leaders face an increasingly complex set of overlapping and conflicting challenges, including managing global benefits, ensuring that resources are in place to support growth plans, improving staff...
A look at the D&O liability insurance market in the new millenium
Directors' and Officers' Liability insurance (D&O) is central to creating a well-managed organization. Any public company will have a difficult time recruiting a board and staffing the company's management team...
Three steps that will help you develop employees who see the world from the perspective of those who do business with your company
The cost of winning new clients—including advertising, price promotions and other incentives—is estimated at five times the cost of retaining existing ones. A statistic like that leaves no doubt as to...
Globetrotters generate retirement benefit challenges that require new strategies
Multinational corporations are faced with providing benefits for globally mobile employees that are appropriate across multiple countries—specifically, retirement and post-retirement medical benefits....
Aon’s first-ever 2009 Client Symposium tackled the toughest human capital challenges facing companies and organizations today
"Our people are the fabric of our organizations. They are the differentiator. The way we select, develop, motivate, and retain them now will determine how we succeed. This is our time to make a profound difference...
Effective Leadership Training Programs must take into account business priorities as well as participants' cultural differences in order to maximize global leadership competencies
Now more than ever, there is a critical need to develop business leaders with a global mindset. China, for example, has the fastest-growing economy in the world and attracts many multinational companies. Yet,...
How Marriott developed an award-winning workers’ compensation program with the help of Aon's iVOS Claims System
As one of the world's largest hotel brands, Marriott International employs approximately 110,000 associates in its 700 managed U.S. hotels. With a large staff and significant safety challenges, Marriott has...
In the global marketplace, defined contribution benefits plans are becoming a popular order
In many established markets, defined contribution (DC) pension plans have substantially replaced defined benefits (DB) plans, driven by concerns about funding and accounting volatility, regulatory changes,...
With benefits management becoming an increasingly important part of corporate governance, international businesses are looking to global partners to devise best-in-class plans
As multinational corporations expanded in the 1980s and ‘90s, they often allowed local country (or operations) managers to choose benefit-plan designs, carriers, insurance brokers and other advisors. Those...
Aon experts show how fostering employee health helps deliver fiscal ROI
Since the birth of modern medicine, scientific advances have dramatically improved public health and increased life expectancy. Today, longevity continues to increase, but people are actually less healthy, with...
You can deliver financial stability in defined benefit pension plans. Just do it carefully
Around the world, reductions in pension fund performance, rising forecasts of longevity and changes to pension accounting rules are leading pension fund managers to re-evaluate their investment strategies as they...
This latest study reveals how firms are tackling recruiting and employee retention challenges
The challenges of attracting, retaining and developing great people lie at the heart of building any organization. Providing good health care benefits and helping people invest for a life after their career are...
Every business should—it's critical that your board of directors have the right RMIS to support effective corporate governance. Here's why
In recent years, corporate failures have emerged in a wide range of industries and organizations around the world, significantly undermining shareholder confidence in their boards of directors' ability to control...
Aon outlines five pillars of governance and elements of a sound retirement plan
Whether your company has a formal retirement governance framework in place or not, retirement programs will occupy a significant space in governance as companies look to mitigate financial risks. Board directors...
It’s easy to view China as a single, rapidly growing country. But it’s the unique attributes of the provinces that will ultimately determine its place on the global stage
China's explosive growth in recent years has been the subject of countless articles and books. With annual GDP growth over 9 percent for each of the last 28 years, the economy has grown to be the second largest in...
