Quick Reads | Rewards Solutions at Aon

Benchmarking for Executive Roles? Go Beyond Proxy Data

When it comes to benchmarking executives, proxy filings provide the cleanest and most readily available data. Yet, there are times when proxy data alone isn’t comprehensive enough when analyzing compensation for certain executive roles.

Published: August 2018
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Five Questions for Banks to Consider When Setting Executive Annual Incentive Plan Goals

With such a substantial percentage of executive pay delivered through incentive programs, it’s no wonder that incentive plan discussions comprise a significant portion of the compensation committee’s agenda for many banks. However, through our experience of serving as advisors in over 300 compensation committee meetings per year, we are surprised by how little dialogue exists around the specific topic of annual incentive plan performance goal selection and goal setting.

Published: August 2018
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How Reporting Relationship and Job Title Can Impact CHRO Pay

We examine the influence of two key factors that can impact CHRO pay: reporting relationship and job title.

Published: August 2018
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ISS Issues Survey Hinting at 2019 Policy Changes

Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) took the first step in its yearly policy update process when it recently released its annual corporate governance policy survey to clients. Following the survey period, ISS releases draft policies in the early fall for a two week comment period, followed by final policy updates that typically come in November. Adopted policies are effective in February for the proxy season.

Published: August 2018
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What’s Your ROI? Most Commonly Used Metrics to Measure Your Incentive Plans

When determining the right metrics for your incentive plans, the most important consideration is looking at the unique circumstances of your own business and industry and choosing measures that support your business strategy. Using an industry peer group to benchmark your incentive plan provides an internal perspective on what your peers are doing.

Published: August 2018
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Getting Started with Your Compensation Survey Results

Understanding where you stand in the market helps you ensure that employee compensation spend is optimized for your firm. Overpaying relative to performance and the market could lead to increased shareholder pressure and sub-optimal financial results. Underpaying could weaken your firm’s ability to attract, motivate, and retain talent.

Published: August 2018
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Top Five Property-Casualty Insurance Industry Trends to Know

Property-casualty insurance firms have seen a significant shift in the staffing profile in recent years. The average company added over 20% more staff in technology, actuarial, and analytical roles compared to a 40% decline in front office roles, including policy processing, data entry, and clerical work. We anticipate that automation will require fewer employees to directly interact with the customer and perform data entry tasks, as these activities are delivered through automated and digital methods.

Published: August 2018
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Top Six Life-Health Insurance Industry Trends to Know

Insurance industry spend in technology and analytics has increased at significant levels, as companies continue to integrate innovation into business processes. The average insurance company increased spending by nearly 22% and roles within data analytics more than doubled since 2013. Companies are making big bets that emerging, innovation from InsurTech and leading outsourcers will streamline internal processes and improve the way that they interact with customers. In our 2018 Digital and Intelligent Innovation Survey, we found that 58% of insurers have reached the implementation phase on one or more elements of the new digital and intelligent innovation toolbox.

Published: August 2018
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ISS Issues Survey Hinting at 2019 Policy Change

Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) took the first step in its annual policy update process when it recently released its annual corporate governance policy survey to clients.

Published: August 2018
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Technical Jobs Continue to Command Hefty Pay Premiums; Here’s How Companies Can Prepare

Base salary premiums for technical vs. non-technical jobs, for both professional individual contributor and management roles, continue to climb at technology companies across the United States. However, the rate of change is uneven, which means companies must pay close attention to the market. Our article highlights where the market is moving fastest and what companies can do about it.

Published: August 2018
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ISS Policy Survey Hints at Changes to Pay-For-Performance, Director Pay and More

From gender diversity on boards to quantitative pay-for-performance screens and “excessive” director pay, ISS is considering 10 potential policy changes for 2019. We explain what each policy up for consideration entails and how likely it is to be changed.

Published: August 2018
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Is It Time for Your Compensation Philosophy to Evolve? We Think So.

As issues like gender pay equity and pay transparency grow in prominence, a number of companies are beginning to rethink how they describe their approach to setting pay. In our view, these new forces will eventually compel companies to rethink and rewrite their compensation philosophies.

Published: August 2018
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The Spotlight: Brooke Green, Partner, Radford

Brooke Green is a Partner and leader of Employee Rewards and Talent Consulting for Aon’s Radford division. She leads consulting teams focused on providing talent management and rewards advice to technology and life sciences companies. Brooke has significant experience developing compensation and career frameworks for various firms, including small start-ups and large global industry leaders. She has been practicing in the San Francisco Bay area for over 20 years.

Published: August 2018
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Why Some Technology Companies in Asia are Breaking Up Their Salary Broadbands

Creating broad salary bands is a common practice throughout much of Asia, but a growing number of technology firms are now developing narrower, more aggressive salary ranges to keep pace with the market for in-demand jobs. We explain when you should think about breaking up your salary bands, how to develop narrower ranges and questions you should ask your compensation and HR teams in the process.

Published: August 2018
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First Look at 2018 Global LTI Survey Results to Fuel Your Global Compensation Strategy

LTI awards are typically the largest component of pay, and can therefore have the greatest impact on decision making for global management. Yet the process of determining eligibility, award size and performance measures of LTI grants can be complex and challenging to navigate.

Published: August 2018
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What We Learned from the 2018 Proxy Season

Another proxy season has wrapped up and, with it, the eighth year of say-on-pay votes are in the books for most public companies. Negative vote recommendations for say-on-pay proposals from Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (ISS) and Glass Lewis & Co. (Glass Lewis) went up slightly—as did the number of outright say-on-pay failures for both the Russell 3000 Index and S&P 500 Index. When it comes to equity proposal votes, ISS and Glass Lewis models are not always needed for sufficient shareholder support. Companies can obtain necessary shares to adequately fund their programs by engaging directly with their shareholders—even in the face of receiving negative recommendations. In any case, for both say-on-pay and positive share plan proposals, it all comes down to planning ahead.

Published: August 2018
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Lessons from the 2018 Proxy Season for Say-on-Pay and Equity Plan Votes

The 2018 proxy season saw a drop in proxy advisor and shareholder support for Say-on-Pay and an increase in non-proxy advisor compliant equity share plans. We explain the factors behind proxy season trends and what those involved in executive compensation can do to prepare in the off season.

Published: July 2018
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Director Overboarding Trends from the 2018 Proxy Season

While a number of investors still look to the proxy advisory firms for guidance on director overboarding, an increasing number now apply their own limits. Investors that do not follow proxy advisor recommendations have often adopted their own approach to evaluating board commitments as part of an overall trend we’re observing where investors are focusing on board composition and efficacy.

Published: July 2018
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SEC Enforcement Action on Perks Disclosure Reminds Issuers to Be Mindful of the Standard

The SEC’s recent enforcement action against a large, US-based company for failure to properly disclosed executive perquisites is a good reminder to all issuers of the circumstances under which detailed disclosure is required.

Published: July 2018
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SEC Enforcement Action on Perks Disclosure Reminds Issuers to Be Mindful of the Standard

The SEC’s recent enforcement action against a large, US-based company for failure to properly disclosed executive perquisites is a good reminder to all issuers of the circumstances under which detailed disclosure is required.

Published: July 2018
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Final Update on the CEO Pay Ratio: Here’s What You Should Know Before the 2019 Proxy Season

This is our last CEO pay ratio update for the year so you can arm yourself with the knowledge you need as you start to prepare for the 2019 proxy season.

Published: July 2018
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SEC Expands Scope of Companies that Qualify for Reduced Compensation Disclosure

The SEC recently amended its definition of smaller reporting companies (SRCs), which could pave the way for nearly a thousand additional companies to take advantage of reduced compensation disclosure requirements. However, it may not be wise for every qualified company to scale back their disclosures, particularly if they have active investors who have expressed concerns via Say-on-Pay votes in the past.

Published: July 2018
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Captive Finance: Gaining Competitive Advantage

Headline news can be a distraction. Evolving geopolitics and potentially disruptive economic and political outcomes block our field of vision from the deep connectivity of our world. Our technology, goods, and services are globally integrated on a massive scale. Everything, from children’s toys to shampoo to bulldozers, is part of a global supply chain that links people and resources to produce outcomes that would be unachievable without cooperation.

Published: July 2018
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Do Global Salary Increase Projections for 2019 Point to Stronger World Economy?

A sneak peek at Aon’s Global Salary Increase Survey for 2018/2019, which covers nearly 130 countries around the globe, shows that 2018 salary increases worldwide were higher than 2017 inflation. As a result, employees saw an improvement in their purchasing power.

Published: July 2018
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Understanding Your FinTech DNA to Create a Culture that Truly Stands Out from the Crowd

When it comes to creating compelling company cultures, financial technology (FinTech) firms are in an enviable position—they can pick and choose best practices and styles from both the financial services and technology sectors to carve out their own path.

Published: July 2018
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To Compete for Talent, European Life Sciences Firms Burn More Equity Once Listed in the US

Life sciences companies headquartered in Europe have long used less equity compensation than their US peers. However, as more European companies list on US stock exchanges, and at earlier stages in their development cycles, a middle ground is emerging. In this article, we explore how US-listed European biopharma companies may encourage increased overhang and burn rates in Europe.

Published: July 2018
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SEC Expands Scope of Companies that Qualify for Reduced Compensation Disclosure

The SEC recently amended its definition of smaller reporting companies (SRCs), which could pave the way for nearly a thousand additional companies to take advantage of reduced compensation disclosure requirements. However, it may not be wise for every qualified company to scale back their disclosures, particularly if they have active investors who have expressed concerns via Say-on-Pay votes in the past.

Published: July 2018
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Executive Compensation Summer Checklist: Take Steps Now to Prepare for Your Year-End

Are you looking for some ways to reduce the stress of your next executive compensation planning cycle? Follow our summertime executive compensation checklist to discover three important tasks you can take care of now to make your Q3 and Q4 far less hectic.

Published: June 2018
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What You Should Know About Rewarding Your People in China

Over the past decade, there has been an enormous amount of change in China's business and employment environment. We have seen the continuous reformation of state-owned enterprises, the rapid rise of private-owned businesses, extensive readjustment of industrial structures, and an increasing number of new employees entering the workforce.

Published: June 2018
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As Companies Scramble to Hire More Cyber Security Experts, Compensation for the Role Increases with Demand

Cyber security is among companies’ primary concerns today with no company seemingly immune to widespread breaches with long-lasting effects. Given these startling statistics, it’s not surprising that more organizations are hiring a dedicated cyber security function as opposed to having it covered by a traditional IT role.

Published: June 2018
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