Whether it’s an epidemic outbreak, a major demonstration in a city, an earthquake or sprinklers flooding an office, the need for a well-developed and tested Business Continuity Plan (BCP) has become clear for all companies. But how effective is your BCP at addressing the critical human capital issues that are always at the core of any unexpected event? The H1N1 outbreak across the region provides an unparalleled opportunity to review the status of continuity planning in Latin America. What lessons have we learned from this epidemic?

This session will be a workshop-style format where we will outline the Mercer experience in Mexico during the H1N1 outbreak, provide some examples from our clients and lead a discussion with delegates about how their organizations managed through this crisis. We will focus on best practice in the management of human capital during a major business disruption, which will help you build a more effective BCP for your organization.

Governance: Managing risk in multinational retirement and reward programs
Paule Desaulniers and Vicki Stokoe

For most organizations, employee rewards (compensation and benefits) represent their most significant expense. In addition, a recent survey by Mercer highlights that changes and cutbacks to company retirement plans are one of the top concerns of employees around the world.

Strong governance will help an organization mitigate risks around its pension and benefits programs – from financial risk to the companies' own reputational risks. An effective decision-making process, documented policies, clear accountabilities, rigorous monitoring and open information flow are all critical elements of a governance framework. In a volatile economic environment, a strong governance structure can strengthen the quality of decision making and help resolve potential competing stakeholder interests.

This session will present the principles of good governance and discuss these in the context of several of the components of employee rewards, with a focus on retirement plan management.