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In preparing for the CEO pay ratio rule, comparing how your pay ratio compares to a set of industry peers is the analysis most shareholders will likely make. Using our extensive survey data, we show how ratios differ within the technology and life sciences sectors by industry as well as revenue size and workforce location.
Published: February 2017 Read Article ›
Silicon Valley isn't the only place where the market for technical talent is red hot. In fact, base salaries for new hires are rising faster in a number of other technology hubs across the US. Our latest article examines multi-year trends in key markets and explores what these trends mean for talent-hungry technology companies.
Published: January 2017 Read Article ›
When benchmarking pay to determine the competitive job market in countries that have especially powerful economic or industrial hubs, it's important to take a periodic review of regional pay premiums to see how much they are changing. Following up on our research from nearly three years ago, we revisit regional pay differences among UK technology companies and find the premium commanded in London is stronger than ever.
In the November 2016 issue of WorldatWork's Sales Compensation Focus newsletter, Radford's Scott Barton discusses how to effectively communicate with and achieve support from the C-suite when making changes to your sales compensation plan.
On March 30, 2016, FASB released the final version of the updates to Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718: Compensation-Stock Compensation (“ASC 718”). The update includes an option on how a company may account for forfeitures in its expense amortization.
Published: December 2016 Read Article ›
ISS and Glass Lewis have both released their final 2017 policy updates. Key changes include amendments to director pay and governance policies in the US, and pay-for-performance and director grant policies in Europe and Canada. Read our full analysis in our new client alert.
ISS has added six new financial metrics to its qualitative pay-for-performance assessment. While many of our technology and life sciences clients will welcome a more diverse view on measuring performance relative to pay, pre-commercial biopharma companies won’t find these new metrics a relevant measurement of company success. In this client alert, we discuss actions companies can take now to prepare for changes in the upcoming proxy season.
Published: November 2016 Read Article ›
As your business begins to scale rapidly, it can be a challenge to take your existing sales team and sales incentive plan along for the ride. In this article, we examine how sales roles and incentives evolve by stage of development, and we offer a 7-step process of approaching the redesign of your sales compensation plan.
ISS just released its proposed 2017 policy updates, and while it appears that ISS has punted on a number of executive compensation issues in the United States, the firm is proposing a number of compensation changes in Europe and Canada. Read our summary of the policy updates and submit your comments to ISS by November 10.
In the September 2016 issue of WorldatWork's Sales Compensation Focus newsletter, Radford's Scott Barton discusses how to get buy-in from your sales team when rolling out a new sales compensation plan.
Published: October 2016 Read Article ›
ISS' 2016 Global Policy Survey asked questions on a range of issues, from executive and director pay to dual-class share structures for IPOs. In our new client alert, we examine all of the potential policy changes that could have the biggest impact on our clients in 2017 and beyond.
When thinking about the right approach for establishing employee salaries, many of our clients in the highly-competitive technology and life sciences sectors are embracing market-based salary structures. This method allows hiring managers to keep a pulse on the market while adhering to acceptable upper and lower limits set by the company.
Companies can adopt a number of approaches to comply with new federal overtime rules in the United States, which go into effect at the end of 2016. Our new article discusses your options, weighing the pros and cons of each, and provides a roadmap for executing an effective employee communications plan discussing the changes you make.
As executive compensation planning season kicks off, and another proxy season looms, our consulting team decided to take a look back at this year’s Say-on-Pay results for technology companies, including insights on key lessons learned from companies facing high levels of shareholder opposition.
Published: September 2016 Read Article ›
The life sciences sector continues to face high levels of market volatility, which could impact next year’s Say-on-Pay results. With this in mind, our consulting team decided to take a look back at this year’s Say-on-Pay results for life sciences firms, including insights on key lessons learned by companies facing high levels of shareholder opposition.
At the high-growth companies we work with, the use of new-hire "inducement grants" is on the rise. Our latest white paper, co-authored with Cooley LLP, presents new research on how technology and life sciences companies can best leverage inducement grants to compete for increasingly scarce talent, and the effect this has on equity burn rates.
Voluntary turnover for sales employees at technology and life sciences companies is, once again, at a five-year high. With US companies reporting aggressive hiring plans, sales managers and HR professionals need to assess whether their current compensation plans can remain effective in an ever more competitive market for talent.
All biopharma companies face rising competition, an increasingly turbulent regulatory landscape, and the need to remain on the edge of innovation. Amidst the chaos, harnessing workforce analytics data has the potential to make HR and compensation leaders an indispensable partner in guiding long-term business strategy.
In key life sciences markets around the world, the use of retention bonuses is up sharply from three years ago. With employee turnover on the rise and many companies reporting aggressive hiring plans, retaining high performers is a top priority for life sciences companies.
Published: August 2016 Read Article ›
A set of high-level compensation and governance principles were released last month by a select group of business leaders representing a handful of America’s largest companies and mutual funds. The principles highlight the importance of individualized and well-articulated compensation plans but also take a position on a number of issues.
The SEC recently approved a new Nasdaq rule, requiring disclosure of "Golden Leash" director compensation arrangements, which took effect August 1, 2016. Nasdaq's new rule requires disclosure of special payments to third party nominees to boards. It focuses largely on activist hedge fund nominees, and explicitly exempts most venture capital directors.
ISS has opened up its annual policy survey for comments from the corporate community. The survey indicates ISS is considering several changes to its compensation voting policies across the globe. Issuers have until August 30 to submit comments.
Massachusetts recently became the first state to ban employers from asking job candidates for their salary history, including benefits and other compensation, which increases the importance of accurate market data as well as the benefits of a formal pay program.
Recent statements by an SEC official triggered erroneous media accounts that companies might be overstating illiquidity discounts for equity awards with mandatory holding periods. We sought clarification from the SEC and separate fact from fiction in our latest client alert.
In multiple markets around the world, the use of retention awards at technology companies is up dramatically from three years ago. As employee turnover, market volatility and competition from outside the technology sector continue to rise, creating long-term retention strategies will be key.
Published: July 2016 Read Article ›
The House Financial Services Committee passed two separate bills this month that would have a direct impact on executive compensation voting policies and disclosure regimes. While there is a good chance neither bill will make it out of the full House during this election term, the bills shed insight on the political focus of the Committee.
Since 2010, the compensation cost of sales as a percent of revenue has increased significantly at software companies, but fewer sales people are hitting their quotas. It's not a good look, and companies continue to increase quotas to justify rising expenses. We explain how to bring cost and performance back in balance.
In the May 2016 issue of WorldatWork's Sales Compensation Focus newsletter, Radford's Scott Barton discusses how utilize a mid-year review to spot pain points in your sales compensation plan before real turbulence emerges.
Published: June 2016 Read Article ›
Reviewing compensation peer groups is usually treated as a routine exercise. However, when your company or industry experiences significant changes or the stock market is highly volatile, a more rigorous review is prudent. Read our five tips for staying on top of your peer group game.
Voluntary employee turnover at technology companies in Brazil has slowed for the past four years, suggesting limited job opportunities amid the country's political and economic crisis. However, if we peel back the layers, we find sales employee turnover has rebounded in the past year and the Brazilian startup scene is attracting government support and foreign investment.