Benefits plan managers hoping to reduce their employers' long-term financial exposure are increasingly offering employees who have accrued pension and related benefits short-term options to get them off the books more quickly.

This trend came through loud and clear in a Mercer/CFO Research report, "Evolving Pension Risk Strategies," released this week. The survey sought input from finance executives of major corporations and nonprofits, each of which had at least $100 million in defined benefit plan assets.

"This year's survey confirms what we have seen in working with our clients: continued strong support for risk management strategies such as dynamic de-risking and, more recently, increased plan sponsor interest in risk transfer opportunities," intoned a summary of the findings.