Did wages keep up with inflation in 2021? Only for the wealthy, analysis shows

The hottest inflation in four decades is inflicting financial pain on millions of Americans, but no one has been harder hit by rising consumer prices than the lowest-income households, according to a new analysis published on Tuesday.

Findings from the Penn Wharton Budget Model, a nonpartisan group at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, show that although increases in wage earnings last year offset the higher cost-of-living due to inflation for most households with incomes between $20,000 and $100,000, that was not the case for the poorest Americans. READ MORE

Most US Employers Plan To Hike Pay and Address Pay Equity in 2022

If there was ever a time for employers to offer financial incentives to workers, it’s now, with millions of workers voluntarily leaving the workforce, the U.S. facing a massive labor shortage and American consumers grappling with the highest inflation rate in decades.

The vast majority of employers plan to respond by hiking their base pay rates this year, with many offering larger-than-normal raises, according to a new survey from Payscale. READ MORE

Companies speed up salary hikes, front load stock vesting

When Amazon announced changes last month to attract and retain talent, analysts tended to focus on the big jump in its base salary, from $160,000 to $350,000. But in another change, the company reportedly is also speeding up its stock vesting, which would enable some employees to access the value of their equity holdings much earlier, including in some cases under a monthly vesting schedule. Prior to the change, vesting was back-end-loaded, at a rate of 5% after the first year, 15% after the second and 20% every six months over the next two years. READ MORE

Rising opposition to CEO pay tied to 'questionable practices,' report says

More frequent shareholder revolts at companies like Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH.N) and General Electric show corporate directors should hesitate to hike CEO pay during tough times, according to a new report.

Proxy votes against executive pay at S&P 500 companies became more common last year and were often sparked by "questionable practices and metrics" like when companies eased performance targets during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report by As You Sow, a shareholder advocacy group focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. READ MORE

Most Overpaid CEOs in The S&P 500

Shareholders are starting to push back against outsize CEO pay, but some of the nation's best-known companies are still overpaying their chief executives for paltry performance.

That's according to investor advocacy group As You Sow, which published its eighth-annual report Thursday on the 100 most overpaid bosses of S&P 500 companies. Based on data provided by Institutional Shareholder Services, a shareholder advisory firm, the report found that CEO pay is increasingly becoming untethered from company performance, and, as a result, shareholders are increasingly rejecting pay packages when put to a vote. READ MORE

From equal pay to more paternity leave, here are 5 ways business leaders can fight for gender equity

As a gender economist, my job is to examine key trends of intersectional gender equity and quantify them in economic terms. The past two years have kept me on my toes as the pandemic has brought the cracks of intersectional gender equity to the surface. Women were not only on the front lines of the pandemic, they shouldered the majority of the job losses and fell out of the workforce at a rapid clip. READ MORE

Never Respond First in a Negotiation

One of the most challenging spots in any negotiation is when you get asked the question: What do you want to get paid? This is a highly uncomfortable position to be in, especially when you recognize that the first rule of negotiation is that the first person who talks loses. The last thing you want to do is to say a number that's too high, or worse, too low that you get stuck with. So, if you get asked this question, what can you do to help ensure that you don't leave money on the table?

The good news is that there is an effective strategy for dealing with this. READ MORE

How Companies Should Respond To The Wage Inflation Situation

The Covid-19 pandemic has radically transformed the global economy and labor market. As a result of these changes, countries such as the U.S. are now experiencing significant wage inflation. Currently, many economic experts have suggested that the current ecosystem of wage inflation may be temporary. In reality, however, I believe that the wage inflation situation is permanent, systemic and in some ways contagious. Efforts to address ongoing wage inflation must account for these considerations. READ MORE

Salaries Increase Across Industries as Workers Drive Change in Today's Labor Market

With workers in firm command of the labor market for the first time in decades, salaries for in-demand positions in key industries are rising at staggering rates, according to a new report from Randstad USA. For example, wages in engineering are rising as much as 19 percent. The report found increases across all eight measured industries as Americans quit their jobs at an unprecedented rate to pursue new, more lucrative opportunities. READ MORE

Nonprofit Salaries And The Leadership Gap

Recently, I was having a friendly conversation with someone at a professional event when he asked me what I did for a living. When I told him I was the executive director of a nonprofit organization, his demeanor changed.

“I hate the word nonprofit,” he said. “I always get anxious when I hear it because I know someone’s making a profit.” Although he was quite a nice guy, his manner was a little defensive. READ MORE

Apple Store Employees Want to Unionize, Use Android Phones to Avoid Tim Cook’s Snooping

Largely motivated by employee wages that have stagnated in the face of growing inflation and seeing workers at companies like Starbucks successfully unionize, retail workers are hoping to push the world’s most valuable company to improve worker conditions and pay levels. Apple currently has over 500 retail locations worldwide and over 270 in the United States. READ MORE

A shorter work week, cash to invest: Companies add perks to attract workers

It's a job seekers' market, and employers are stepping up their benefits in a bid to attract and retain workers.

People are walking away from their jobs in droves, with a record number of workers quitting their jobs last year, according to the Labor Department. And with nearly 11 million job openings at the end of December, companies are having a hard time hiring -- and keeping -- employees. READ MORE

Deferring the Tax Hit on a Grant Equity to an Employee – Are You Prepared to Enforce the Forfeiture Provision?

A constant challenge in the world of the closely held business, and one that is likely to become even more daunting as Baby Boomers continue to pass their businesses along to younger family members[i] – many of whom may share the older generation’s appreciation for living well, but neither its drive nor its business acumen – is the retention of key employees who are able to operate the business profitably in spite of changes in ownership or leadership within the family and the business. READ MORE

FTC eyes rule to claw back money from companies that lie about gig worker earnings

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which enforces consumer protection rules, voted on Thursday to embark on regulations that would allow it to win back money from companies that are deceptive about the earnings that workers can make.

The FTC has previously gone after companies such as Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) in 2017 and Amazon.com Inc last year but has been prevented from tackling recent similar cases because of a Supreme Court ruling in April 2021 that said the agency had inappropriately used its rule-making powers to claw back ill-gotten gains. READ MORE