Having grown significantly through acquisitions over the past 13 years and being the result of a merger itself, Informa has seen its HR and reward department play a key role in integrating businesses into its benefits package.
A vital part of the acquisition process is communicating with new staff. This is led by the chief executive of the division acquiring the business, with support from HR and the reward team. Thomas Humphris, UK reward director at Informa, says: "With a larger acquisition, we will run a reward show to tell new employees about our benefits. With smaller groups of staff, there will be a general presentation, followed by a one-to-one with the reward team. We have an incredibly comprehensive benefit package, so we usually find they are quite excited about what we offer."
Some elements of reward are harmonised quickly, including the pension, where the previous scheme is closed and staff transferred to Informa's pension on the same terms. Bonuses and commission are also brought into line quickly, so employees feel they are all working towards the same goal.
But because Informa operates as a series of independent business units, it is not necessary to move everyone onto identical terms. "There is plenty of variation across the business, for instance holidays can range from 25 to 30 days," says Humphris. "But it does not cause any issues. Our package is flexible enough to allow for variation."
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