At Nielsen, we’re committed to creating a workplace where all employees can be themselves, make a difference and grow with us. When it comes to making a difference, we’ve recently made it easier for our employees to do so as they plan for retirement. We’ve added the Vanguard FTSE Social Index Fund as an option within our 401(k) plan for U.S. employees. The fund tracks a benchmark of large- and mid-capitalization stocks, including NLSN, that have been screened based on the FTSE4Good criteria for certain environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.
According to The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment’s 2016 report on U.S. sustainable, responsible and impact investing trends, the total U.S.-domiciled assets under management using sustainable, responsible and impact (SRI) strategies now accounts for more than one out of every five dollars under professional management in the country. Investment in funds that proactively consider ESG factors also aligns with widespread employee interest. According to a 2017 Povaddo study, 74% of employees in Fortune 1000 companies believe it’s important for their companies to provide socially responsible funds in their 401(k) plans.
“It’s key to our fiduciary duty that we provide our employees with sound investment options in their retirement plans,” said Brendon Perkins, VP, Global Benefits & Mobility, Nielsen. “Given our employees’ long-term time horizons with their retirement planning, we are committed to continuously evaluating the performance of all plan options to ensure our employees have high quality options across the board.”
As detailed in Nielsen’s most recent Global Responsibility Report, we take seriously our commitment to the ESG factors that matter to our business and all stakeholders. The addition of this fund to our suite of 401(k) plan options is another way to further connect our ESG commitments with our overall employee experience at Nielsen.
“This new addition to our suite of 401(k) options aligns with our broad view of what it means to create value over the long-term,” said Crystal Barnes, SVP, Global Responsibility & Sustainability, Nielsen. “We know this focus on value creation is not just about the data and services we deliver for our clients and how we operate our business, but it’s also about helping our employees safeguard their futures and providing investment options that enable a positive impact on our world.”
