CASE STUDIES

Total Rewards Optimization and Spinoff: Global Fortune 50 Technology Company

We partnered with this global Fortune 50 high technology leader post- spin-off to measure their global employee populations’ impressions of their current total reward offerings. We identified opportunities to optimize total rewards investments to enhance employee perceptions and impact across the Americas, European and Asia-Pacific regions.

Acquisition and Integration: Insurance Company

We partnered with this US health insurance leader to plan and execute the largest acquisition integration in their 150-year history.

​We used our proprietary TransAction Manager™ platform to help automate and accelerate the organization design, talent selection and synergy capture and reporting process for their acquisition of a 15,000 employee firm over an 18 month process. Our work was recognized when our primary contact earned the Chairman's Award.

Acquisitions and Integrations: Global Specialty Chemical and Pharmaceutical

We supported a European based specialty chemical and pharmaceutical company in their total HR transformation efforts. This global transformation consisted of enabling the company to build capabilities in corporate transactions in order to support the business strategy of growth through acquisitions.

In addition to setting up the correct HR governance and structure to achieve the above, Aon helped to plan and execute several cross-border transactions, including companies with large employee populations in the US and Asia-Pacific regions. The support consisted of global business and HR program integration as well as on the ground support in specific countries to ensure a smooth integration.

​We worked closely with the HR leadership team to design, implement and operate a global HR PMO structure supporting all HR projects spanning M&A, technology and other key initiatives.

Based on the support, some of the key KPI’s for M&A were identified and tracked. HR has been enabled to be a strategic business partner to the business by having the right data and processes for future transactions.

Acquisition and Integration: Telecommunications Industry

We teamed with a global communications company to help them achieve their aggressive synergy targets communicated to Wall Street post acquisition. We configured our TransAction Manager™ platform to help them map and design their organizations together supporting key aspects of planning related to integrating the two companies together.  

​TransAction Manager™ helped automate and accelerate organization mapping, organization design, talent selection, compensation planning and synergy capture and reporting processes. Aon’s work created a single source of data for organization and talent planning and eliminated spreadsheet based fire drills and dramatically accelerated their synergy planning and realization.

Joint Venture Between Large US Pharmacy and Distribution Firm

When one of the largest US pharmacies asked Aon for help to set up a 3,000 employee joint venture, we knew that we had the prescription. Aon developed the HR strategy and platform to facilitate a smooth transition within nine months. We implemented and automated new compensation structures, incentive programs, retirement, health & welfare and PTO plans within nine months to ensure this JV was operational.

With approximately half of the employees coming from each partner, Aon worked with the joint venture’s leadership to build out a rewards strategy tailored to the needs of the venture while reviewing the legacy HR and reward platforms supporting the transitioning employees. Aon then worked with the partners to implement the platform, including transitional strategies to mitigate employee impacts. Working within a limited budget framework, Aon engaged with multiple vendors to coordinate a timely benefits enrollment and implementation. Aon also provided change management and communication support, helping venture employees to understand the transition and its impact on their rewards.

From an HR operations perspective, Aon helped the venture define its HR operating requirements and then assisted in the selection process for an HRIS partner. Once the HRIS implementation was identified, Aon also provided supplemental resources to help ensure an effective and integrated solution.

The ultimate HR platform implemented reflected the unique talent and financial requirements of the venture. The timely implementation was also completed during a period of significant growth of the joint venture with approximately 1,000 additional employees added to the venture during the course of the implementation.

Relocation and Transformation: National Restaurant Company

Aon partnered with the newly named CEO of this struggling national quick service restaurant chain to help him and his new leadership team formulate a transformational growth plan while relocating their entire corporate headquarters from the west coast to the south. Aon worked closely with the CEO and leadership team to understand work performed in their west coast office, business imperatives, operational risks, talent/org structures needed to deliver business results.

We translated findings into clear, actionable strategy and work plan to transition roles to their new headquarters location expediently while managing risks appropriately; developed guiding principles and employee transition framework for consistent and transparent treatment of impacted employees. We used a “lite” version of our TransAction Manager™ platform to capture current state organization and model future state structure and costs for budget planning purposes as well as capture reduction in force decisions and timing.

Aon became trusted advisor to CEO and his leadership team on all aspects of human capital management. We orchestrated the accelerated office transition announcement to employees within 45 days and have realized no negative media coverage to date. We also mitigated risk of key employee attrition by implementing a stay bonus program–no turnover was experienced in the first 90 days post-announcement.

Total Rewards Strategy, Employment Value Proposition, and Change Communication: National US Retailer

We worked closely with the new leadership team of this nationally recognized retailer in support of their major business transformation efforts by providing deep insights into employee and manager perceptions of their current total reward offerings and related communication strategy, identifying the business impact of unfilled store manager positions, and assessing leadership readiness for change. Our work helped this team understand the opportunities to update their total rewards offerings and enabled us to develop the go-forward building blocks for their employment value proposition, all aimed at improving retention of high performers and attracting new key talent. In addition, we developed a comprehensive change management and communication plan to bolster leaders’ efforts to drive the organizational and personal changes needed to successfully transform their business. And, we developed a robust total rewards communication strategy and playbook to support the client in their efforts to improve employees’ understanding and perceived value of their total rewards package.

Rewards Communication: Global Pharmaceutical Company

The Canadian division of a global pharmaceutical company received feedback from both managers and employees that the base compensation system was poorly understood and perceived to be unfair. A review of compensation data also suggested growing pay equity issues and a weak link between pay and performance. Aon was engaged to restore employee and manager confidence in the program and give managers the skills they needed to make good pay decisions and discuss those decisions with employees effectively. Aon developed and facilitated a comprehensive training program for managers that helped managers understand all aspects of the pay structure, including job evaluation, market pricing, and pay management. The program included case studies where managers practiced setting pay for teams and discussed their decisions with employees. Employees had the opportunity to participate in a shorter session that gave them a clear understanding of how the pay structure was developed and how pay was managed. Feedback from both managers and employees was extremely positive, with both groups expressing greater confidence in the pay program. Managers also became more effective at correcting pay equity issues, tying pay to performance, and holding productive pay discussions with their reports.

Acquisition Communication: Global Data Center Provider

We partnered with a global data center provider to support communication efforts for a large US acquisition. We served as the communication strategist for the merger—integrating with the HR workstreams, coordinating communication for all employee audiences, and managing communication deliverables and key messages throughout the transition. We developed pre- and post-Day One communication plans, created core messaging and key communication materials, and prepared a robust playbook for future acquisitions.

Employment Value Proposition: Steel Manufacturer

In an effort to support profitable business growth and attract and retain key talent, this steel manufacturer turned to Aon for guidance on creating a compelling employee value proposition (EVP). We began by analyzing existing employee perceptions along with future workforce needs to articulate a powerful EVP that would resonate with talent. We then helped the organization prioritize and design key new HR programs and resources that would support the introduction of the new EVP.

Divestiture HR Strategic Guidance Support and Change Communication Strategy and Implementation: Global Consumer Products Company

A global consumer products company was undertaking a divestiture of a global business, the first of its kind for the company. They engaged Aon to provide strategic guidance, tactical planning and implementation support to HR, along with change communication strategy and messaging support. We created an HR Operating Framework to help establish HR’s divestiture approach and supported HR’s negotiating positions for deal documents, including acquisition agreements and transition services agreements (TSAs). Additionally, across more than 50 countries, we supported global HR with data gathering, conducted HR separation surveys, prepared side-by-side assessments of each country’s benefit and compensation plans, and supported benefit and payroll transitions, along with other Day 1 readiness preparation. We served as liaisons between the Legal Entity team and the global HR team, and supported the employee transfer process across all geographies. Finally, we put a comprehensive change and communication plan into action, creating effective content to ensure that leaders, employees, and other key internal and external stakeholders remained informed about the transaction, were equipped to take action, and were focused and aligned on their roles in delivering on business objectives and needs.

Total Rewards Optimization: Beverage Company

Since 2016, Aon has a formal partnership to conduct total rewards optimization (TRO) solutions to a beverage company's markets & countries on an as-needed basis.

Our TRO solution is a key tool as part of their program aimed at helping the beverage company's HR and TR professionals to approach talent and TR decisions in a systematic, data-driven way.

So far, Aon has conducted TRO studies for UK, Turkey, Pakistan, Poland and Romania. We are starting a TRO with Mexico and Brazil, 2 of their largest markets/headcount, and an expat global population working in Dubai.

Total Rewards: Producer and Marketer of Beer, Wine and Spirits

Aon conducted a Total Rewards review and strategy project for a consumer products and retail company to define their current value and go forward total rewards strategy. Their growth strategy required alignment of their TR to attract, motivate and retain key talent and skill-sets and they were creating a strong offering that went well beyond their stock price. Through leadership interviews, we helped this company define their future talent and total rewards priorities; compensation and benefits market analysis plus TR combined analysis to define their market position; focus groups and conjoint survey to quantify the employees' perceived value of the current offering, new program ideas to improve perceptions, and provided recommendations for their future rewards approaches.

Global Fortune 50 Technology Company: Spin

We partnered with this global Fortune 50 high technology leader spin-off into two companies. As part of this effort Aon was involved to manage the separation and stand up of more than 1,000 benefits plans across 60 countries for each company. We managed the overall benefits process including identifying benefits disentanglement issues, developing go-forward benefits plans, assessing pension liabilities and determining the split methodology, working with more than 800 vendors to set up administration. In addition, we supported the benefits communications, change and training program to ensure smooth and seamless transition.