How to make green incentives pay

Hello from Miami. I’m here at the iConnections Global Alts conference to moderate a panel on impact investing.

And it is a good time to talk about impact because sustainable investing overall has had a difficult few months. Our colleagues on the climate team dug into the Morningstar numbers for sustainable investing in 2023. Climate-focused funds attracted $37.8bn of new investor money in 2023, compared with a record $151bn in 2021, they reported. Last year was the weakest for net inflows since 2019, when interest in green investments intensified. READ MORE

ADM postpones some executive bonuses amid accounting probe

Archer-Daniels-Midland Co will delay paying performance bonuses to some executives until its financial statements are completed and audited, according to a staff memo seen by Reuters.

The delay, detailed in a memo sent to staff on Thursday, comes days after ADM sidelined its chief financial officer and brought in outside lawyers to launch an investigation into accounting practices last week. READ MORE

North American companies continue to link executive pay programs to ESG measures

The adoption of environmental, social and governance measures in executive incentive plans continues to increase across markets, especially in North America, according to a new report by WTW.

The report, which reviewed public disclosures from more than 1,100 global companies, found metrics related to human capital remained the most popular across all ESG categories, used by 75 per cent of TSX 60 companies and 70 per cent of S&P 500 companies. READ MORE

A Road Map for Developing Your Global Pay Equity Strategy

Pay transparency legislation aimed in part at helping to improve pay equity continues to expand around the world. But organizations won’t achieve global pay equity through legal compliance alone. Developing a global pay equity strategy is also essential. Employers that create such a strategy are more likely to achieve pay equity and to enjoy resulting benefits such as the ability to attract and retain top talent, increased levels of employee engagement and trust, and more inclusive cultures. READ MORE

Why Compensation Cost of Sales Is a Metric That Deserves Your Attention

Now that it’s January, your 2024 sales compensation program has been rolled out and everything is in place for a successful sales year. As the year progresses, however, someone will eventually ask, “Is our compensation program competitive? Are we paying too much or not enough?” Often, there’s a rush to look at target pay levels when the problem lies in other areas. This is why leaders should measure and benchmark their compensation cost of sales (CCOS).  

CCOS is an important metric on your sales dashboard — both a leading and lagging indicator that, when properly understood and interpreted, can point toward useful action. It is also a useful measure that helps steer a broader conversation about salesforce investment beyond target pay levels.  READ MORE

Wayne LaPierre says he approved helicopter rides so NRA execs could avoid traffic while going to NASCAR races

National Rifle Association leader Wayne LaPierre testified Monday that he authorized thousands of dollars in helicopter rides so that executives of the gun rights group could avoid getting stuck in traffic while traveling to and from NASCAR races.

On his second day on the stand in his civil corruption trial, LaPierre, 74, was shown three invoices for helicopter services, totaling more than $16,000. He confirmed that he approved those flights in 2015 and 2016 and said helicopter trips were a “practice” at the time. READ MORE

‘Time to rein in the millionaire and billionaire CEOs’: Bernie Sanders, Senate Democrats take aim at companies paying top execs more than 50 times their typical worker's salary

Sen. Bernie Sanders’ quest to tackle corporate greed in America continues on.

The self-described democratic socialist has unveiled a new bill — alongside a group of Democratic lawmakers — which would bump taxes for companies that pay their top executives over 50 times more than their typical worker's salary. READ MORE

President Joe Biden distorts income tax rates for the richest Americans

In a recent speech touting his economic policies, President Joe Biden took aim at the tax rates of the wealthiest Americans.

During the president’s Jan. 25 stop in Superior, Wis., he said: "There are a thousand billionaires now, and you know what their average tax rate is? Eight percent."

Biden has used this figure before, but it’s inaccurate because it uses a hypothetical calculation and isn’t a reference to the current tax code. READ MORE

25 States with Highest Average Salary in America

In this article, we will look at the 25 states with highest average salary in America. We have also discussed some statistics related to the US economy. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, head straight to the 10 States with Highest Average Salary in America.

Since around 1890, the United States has held the position of the world's largest economy by nominal measures. With a gross domestic product (GDP) of $27 trillion, the US economy constitutes over 15% of the global gross world product at purchasing power parity (PPP). The average gross annual wage per full-time employee in the USA was $74,738 in 2021, or around $6,228 per month.  READ MORE

Some companies may soon not be able to ask for your salary history

On the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the White House announced new rules intended to promote equal pay for federal workers and contractors.

The new rules, which have yet to take effect, apply to federal agencies and contractors. The rule would prohibit these employers from seeking and using information about job applicants' salary history when making employment decisions. READ MORE

Trends in Director Compensation

Historically, public company directors served without pay and with light workloads. Even after 1969, when Delaware law first authorized directors to set their own compensation, pay remained nominal. Directors generally kept a low profile, with a mandate often limited to advising or cheering on the chief executive.

All that has changed—gradually for several decades and more rapidly in recent years. Today, serving as a public company director entails increased demands on directors, along with related liability risks.  Directors are expected to adhere to stringent independence standards; preside over both strategic direction and oversight of every possible risk; and be on call to respond to crises. READ MORE

New independent contractor rule signals a busy year for compliance

The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced a final rule that aims to clarify when a worker qualifies as an employee or an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The long-awaited rule kicks off a year in which legal experts expect HR leaders to increasingly focus on compliance issues.

According to a DOL press release, the new rule, which became effective Jan. 11, “provides guidance on proper classification and seeks to combat employee misclassification,” which the DOL says can impact workers’ right to minimum wage and overtime pay, as well as facilitate wage theft and harm competition. READ MORE

Your salary history can hold you back from making more money throughout your career

Across the economy and country, women — and especially women of color — are paid less than their peers. The Biden administration wants to change that.

On Monday, the administration announced that it's rolling out two new policies to try and level the playing field. In the federal government, the Office of Personnel Management will institute a new rule that will prohibit the use of an applicant's salary history in setting pay for a role in the federal government. In other words, applicants for federal jobs won't have their salary histories held against them. READ MORE