In response to a request by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (Oregon), Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and Patty Murray (Washington), the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) earlier this year completed a study and published a report with its findings on executive retirement plans and specifically “top hat” plans. The report examined the prevalence, key advantages and revenue effects of executive retirement plans and how federal oversight protects benefits and prevents ineligible participation. READ MORE
Performance Appraisal & Rewards in Response to COVID-19
Most organizations don’t have a playbook to pull through the ongoing public health crisis. A pandemic of this scale has not emerged in many countries in well over 100 years (i.e. Spanish flu). And the lessons from most recent events in the last 20 years like the relatively mild swine flu (H1N1) in 2009, the dot-com bubble of 2001, and the 2008-09 Great Recession, are nowhere near suitable to withstand the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Buzzwords such as “agile,” “resilience,” and “flexibility” have become almost banal to describe the grim reality of our daily lives and the decisions we must take, as the full effects of the coronavirus pandemic now unfold. READ MORE
Three Salary Negotiation Strategies For Women
Let's talk about money.
Are you cringing at the idea?
You're not alone. When it comes to talking money during salary negotiations, women often avoid the subject like the plague. READ MORE
Here are year-end planning tips for employees getting equity compensation
This year may be like no other, but if you’re an employee who receives equity compensation, you can’t ignore the importance of year-end financial planning to get the most out of that benefit. READ MORE
The need for true equity in equity compensation
I began my career at Oracle in the mid-1980s and have since been around the proverbial block, particularly in Silicon Valley working for and with companies ranging from the Fortune 50 to global consulting companies to leading a number of startups, including the SaaS company I presently lead. Throughout my career, I’ve carved out a niche not only working with technology companies, but focused on designing and implementing global compensation programs. READ MORE
How to ask for a raise in the middle of a pandemic
You've been working longer days and increasing your output, taking on more responsibilities, and really stepping up. You've earned a pay raise.
Billionaire hid capital gains income for 20 years, now it's time to pay up
Federal prosecutors charged Texas billionaire Robert Brockman on Thursday with a $2 billion tax fraud scheme in what they say is the largest such case against an American. READ MORE
How Are Bonuses Taxed?
One way to recognize employees for a job well done is to reward them with a bonus. But although bonuses are great for employee appreciation, they come with a twist: their own tax rules. Bonuses are taxed differently than regular wages, so it's important to understand the proper tax calculations to make sure you're withholding the right amounts. READ MORE
Using financial forecasts to set compensation
COVID-19 has entirely changed the way many companies operate, from go-to-market strategies and where employees work to the fulfilment of products and services.
Financial leaders will have to rely on new data and information, as opposed to historical figures they used in prior years, to create forecasts and compensation models and incentives for the year ahead. READ MORE
AAA reps allege they weren't paid for 30 minutes of required pre-shift activities
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state laws often require that employers pay workers for pre-shift and post-shift activities. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) sometimes considers these activities compensable work time. But the line isn't always completely clear. A 2014 U.S. Supreme Court case concluded that only principal activities — tasks that are an "indispensable" and "integral" part of an employee's duties — are compensable. READ MORE
McDonald’s Sues Former CEO to Recoup Millions in Severance Alleging of Improper Employee Relationships
McDonald’s Corporation (McDonald’s) sued its former Chief Executive Officer, Steve Easterbrook, in August 2020 in an effort to force him to repay the $40 million in severance and equity awards provided to him when the company terminated his employment. READ MORE
Planning to motivate employees with stock awards? Know how it works
With the COVID-19 pandemic presenting unprecedented business disruption, stock awards could be an effective tool for motivating and retaining key talent while deferring immediate cash outflow READ MORE
Raising Wages Is Just a Start on Fixing Skilled Worker Visas
The visa program for skilled workers is a net positive for American society despite a number of problems that make it a target of critics who worry that cheap foreign workers are taking Americans’ jobs and lowering wages. READ MORE
Starbucks links executive pay to workforce diversity goals
Starbucks will pay its executives based partly on the progress they make toward diversifying the company’s workforce, the coffee giant said Wednesday. READ MORE
These Are the 100 Companies That Offer the Best Compensation in 2020
There are a lot of factors to consider when looking at a job. If everything goes your way, you want a job that makes you happy. It's important. Most often, however, the biggest factor is compensation. It's hard to be happy with your employment if you're not being compensated fairly. READ MORE
There’s a lot more to consider about compensation than just salary
Trust Is Key For Performance Management When Working Remotely
As the number of digital devices we use has risen, the blurring of boundaries between our work and personal lives have inevitably blurred, with the mass adoption of remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic shattering any divide entirely. READ MORE
What Is an 83(b) Election and Why Should Startup Founders Care?
A Section 83(b) election is a short, generally one-page document you send to the IRS to notify them that you wish to be taxed in connection with property subject to a "substantial risk of forfeiture" (more on this below) that you receive in exchange for services when you receive it, rather than when it vests. READ MORE
How has COVID-19 affected CEO pay?
In this new study, Equilar and the Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford examine how COVID-19 has affected CEO compensation. Are boards focused more on making sure that CEOs have the right incentives to continue their jobs under trying circumstances? After all, in the case of the pandemic, the trying circumstances are not of their own making. Or are boards more inclined to focus on showing the public and other stakeholders, especially employees, that CEOs are "sharing the pain"? READ MORE
Best Practices & Considerations for Making Pay Equity Disclosures
Not too long ago, most organizations wouldn’t have dared to make a statement that could even possibly be read as implying women were paid less than men. Putting aside potential legal risks, making such a statement would likely have been a public relations disaster. But times have changed and corporate culture has moved with the times. How much you get paid has become water-cooler talk and organizations are voluntarily disclosing their pay gaps. READ MORE