Employees of CME Group are part of a learning organization. A variety of benefits are available to help employees develop their careers – tuition reimbursement for 100 percent of continuing education costs connected to an employees’ role, in-house classes, outside seminars and special development programs such as our Leadership Summit.

We work very hard to ensure that our employees have the tools they need to do their jobs, and to understand trends in the marketplace as they develop.

Employees participate in a competitive benefits program, and their eligible dependents (including same or opposite sex domestic partners) can also be covered. For health care benefits, options include PPO, EPO and HMO. Dental care benefits are provided as PPO options.

Short-term and long-term disability insurance is provided to all employees, as is life insurance. In addition, employees can elect to participate in flexible spending accounts and long-term care insurance.

Retirement benefits are offered in both a 401(k) plan and a company-based pension plan. Employees can contribute up to 55 percent of their base pay to their 401(k), and CME Group matches those contributions up to a maximum of 3 percent of base pay. CME Group also contributes to employees’ pension accounts with compensation-based credits (based on age and salary) and interest credits. Various vesting schedules apply under the plans.

CME Group also recognizes that having children is an important part of our employees’ lives, and we have special benefit programs to serve those needs. Employees who have a new baby are provided with two weeks of parental leave within the first 12 weeks of the birth or adoption, and is concurrent with FMLA leave. CME Group provides adoption assistance benefits to help parents defray the cost of adopting a child.

CME Group has a competitive compensation program, where base pay is established in line with market practice.

Employees are also eligible for our annual incentive programs, where bonuses are paid based on the company’s achievement of its financial goals and the individual’s achievement of his or her individual goals for the year. Our Excellence Awards program also provides spot bonuses to employees who show outstanding dedication to our customers.

The CME Group Equity Program provides employees with a long-term incentive for shareholder value creation. Corporate Officers receive annual grants of stock options and restricted stock and non-officers are eligible for annual grants based on performance. And, employees can elect to purchase CME Group stock at a discount through our Employee Stock Purchase Program.

All employees accrue vacation time. CME Group recognizes nine holidays per year, and employees are generally eligible for three additional personal days. We also offer a work/life balance program that affords employees the opportunity to take advantage of flexible work arrangements.

Our employee assistance program provides confidential counseling sessions to discuss a range of personal and family issues, including legal counseling and child/elder care issues.

LifeWorks is another service that provides employees and their families with around-the-clock information regarding child care resource referrals and education information, among other services, on the Internet or by calling a toll-free number. We also offer onsite health and fitness centers and a number of health and wellness programs including massage appointments and wellness screenings.