More than 7 in 10 dealmakers (71%) the world over say they use financial incentives for talent retention as part of their deal-making strategy and process. Utilising retention programs in order to maximise the enormous ‘people investment’ made by global dealmakers is a nearly ubiquitous practice, according to Flight Risk in M&A: The Art and Science of Retaining Talent – 2017 Mercer Research Report.
The research revealed, however, that regional, cultural and industry dynamics vary widely, and understanding and leveraging these variances are crucial to long-term deal value (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Prevalence of retention bonuses in transactions
“In taking a broad view of M&A worldwide, we see buyers flush with cash paying record multiples in order to complete transactions,” said Jeff Cox, Mercer’s Global Transactions Services Leader. “The common denominator in this activity is having the right people on board in order to drive superior operating performance. Our research includes a ‘best-in-class’ retention playbook for structuring financial incentives for talent retention programs that are time sensitive, affordable and competitively aligned.”
“Many Asian headquartered companies are first time acquirers of businesses in North America and Europe hence the high percentage (94%) of ‘outbound’ financial incentives being issued. In such transactions, retention of key management is most often the top priority to ensure business continuity post close,” said Dhruv Mehra, M&A Transaction Services Leader, Asia Market for Mercer.
The Flight Risk in M&A survey findings are based on responses from 243 corporate executives and private equity deal professionals involved in global transactions and 82 in-depth interviews. Most firms (69 percent) represented by respondents had 5,000 or more employees, and 77% had annual global revenue exceeding $1 billion.
The research was triggered by the recent Mercer People Risks in M&A Transactions report which found that “employee retention” was the primary perceived risk for global dealmakers (see Figure 2).
Figure 2: Employee retention is the primary concern
Not Just For the C-Suite
One significant trend that the Mercer research revealed is that talent retention programs are expanding below the C-suite. In fact, when asked about retention bonus eligibility outside of senior management and the C-suite, 70 percent listed “other employees critical for integration” and 35 percent listed “other employees regardless of critical for integration” (See Figure 3).
Figure 3: Eligibility for retention bonuses globally
This last figure is up 150% from the level found in Mercer’s related research report published in 2012.
“Buyers and sellers are getting more sophisticated and nuanced about who they offer retention to and how deeply and broadly to go into the acquired organisation,” said Mercer’s Gregg Passin, Senior Partner and North America Executive Rewards Practice Leader.
“It is also important to differentiate between short-term cash payouts and longer-term equity awards. Well-designed and implemented retention programs are more commonly being viewed as a type of ‘insurance’ to help better ensure that the maximum value is derived from a given transaction.”
See: Singaporeans Are Willing to Accept Lower Pay in Exchange for More Benefits
Phil Shirley, Partner, Multinational Client Group for Mercer added, “We find that practices across Asia vary significantly, although there is a definite trend towards more sophisticated practices in retention plan design. This includes the differentiation of awards by the criticality of an individual and their role to the business, in addition to simply differentiating by their level within the organisation.”
Mercer’s Talent Retention Framework for Deal Makers
Based on its involvement in more than 1,200 transactions in any given year, Mercer has leveraged this experience and insight from this research to develop a retention framework (see Figure 4). This framework helps companies navigate the four main components of building the right retention program.
Figure 4: Mercer’s talent retention framework.
The “Where” Matters
Mercer’s look at global talent retention practices revealed that the location and industry of a given transaction can greatly influence talent retention practices and assumptions. These norms need to be understood and taken into account so as to avoid talent flight but also to ensure the right level of expenditure.
In terms of industry, buyers and sellers need to be aware of certain industries that pay out financial incentives that vary greatly from the norm. For example, in the technology sector, buyers fund retention plans for all levels on average at 49 percent above the market median. From a geographic and business/cultural perspective:
Asia – Across Asia, buyers clearly see the need to use financial incentives, particularly for deals “outbound” from their home markets (94 percent). A good example is Japan, where 89 percent of buyers report offering retention programs, the highest single-market prevalence level reported.
Acutely aware, however, of their shortage of management skills outside of the domestic market, Japanese buyers tend to retain local management in overseas acquisitions for at least one to three years. This singular focus on senior management is important, but it can obscure the long-term retention goal of identifying and developing future leaders.
United States – Foreign buyers often feel they must ‘overspend’ on talent retention in order to compete against domestic acquirers – especially if the domestic rival is publicly listed and can offer equity as part of the program. This need to overspend is also driven by the fact that typically retention bonuses and payouts are the most generous in the world, no matter where the acquirer is located, and the second in the world in prevalence (76%) behind only Japan.
UK & Europe – European buyers are slightly less inclined than American buyers to offer financial incentives (67 percent).
Among European buyers, 41 percent are offering retention bonuses to employees outside of senior management who are critical to the company’s long-term success — those with key client or supplier relationships or with knowledge about essential IT systems.
Feature image credit: freedigitalphotos.net
