A new WTW piece argues most HR functions still can't assess global benefits risk fast enough to matter at the deal table and lays out what CHROs need to do to close that gap.
Why this matters: WTW’s global M&A consulting team sees a recurring pattern: deals close after thorough diligence, only for seven-figure benefit liabilities to surface months later. Deal teams often rely on limited virtual data rooms, compressed timelines, and unfamiliar geographies, leaving HR without enough information to assess risk confidently.
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WTW frames the solution as a standing capability with three components:
- Visibility into the global benefits landscape. A current, country-by-country inventory of your plans, obligations, and cost structures enables quick side-by-side comparisons against a target.
- Optionality to know what you “can, should, and must do.” Re-set minimum standards (floors for medical, risk benefits, retirement) that can hold regardless of geography or deal size, so decisions don't start from scratch each time and the target's cost-to-match is priced into deal economics up front.
- Muscle memory. Current playbooks, vendor relationships with real global reach, and clear governance lets teams execute reliably and repeatedly.
How CHROs earn the early seat: Build relationships with corporate development and legal before a transaction exists to help manage expectations and risk.
A few steps to take:
- Audit your visibility gap. Could your team produce a country-by-country benefits inventory and cost comparison against a hypothetical target this week?
- Draft core minimum standards for medical, risk, and retirement benefits before a deal forces the conversation under time pressure.
- Build the fringe-rate-by-country model and share it with corporate development. This is a low-lift way to demonstrate value before you need information from them in the heat of a deal.
- Assess your post-close capacity. If a deal closed next quarter, who would handle implementation after the deal team moves on? If the honest answer is “whoever is available,” raise the resourcing issue before integration begins.
