A Sample Stock Option Plan

The intent of this article is to explain the components of an Employee Stock Option Plan to Human Resources professionals and managers that may need to explain the complexities of a plan to employees.  Stock option plans are the large contracts that govern stock options programs. Stock option agreements are the individual options grants, vesting

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9 Tips for Establishing Pay Structures

Pay Structures A company’s pay structure is the method of administering its pay philosophy. The two leading types of pay structures are the internal equity method, which uses a tightly constructed grid to ensure that each job is compensated according to the jobs above and below it in a hierarchy, and market pricing, where each

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7 Ways Your Pay Philosophy Attracts Top Talent

A Good Pay Philosophy Attracts, Retains, and Motivates Employees What are Pay Philosophies? A pay philosophy is a company’s commitment to how it values employees. A consistent pay philosophy gives the company and the employee a frame of reference when discussing salary in a negotiation. The goal of a pay philosophy is to attract, retain,

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Overview of Employee Incentive Pay

Employees in approximately one-third of all companies are eligible for bonuses of some kind. Bonuses are given to employees to serve the following purposes: to create incentives to reduce costs; to pay people for doing a good job; and to encourage employees to think like shareholders. Bonuses reflect employees’ level of responsibility in the organization,

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Building Diversity: Why it Starts with Your Company’s Employee Value Proposition

We can Google a checklist for anything these days, and workplace diversity is no exception. Diversity checklists from numerous countries show up in the search, reminding us that workplace diversity is of global interest—we are working within a globalized economy and within a multicultural workforce. Organizations that do not have a strong diversity and inclusion

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How to Lose Your New Hires in 10 Easy Steps

“Hands-Off” Managers Hurt Employee Retention Is “Hands-Off” a Good Idea? It has taken forever to fill that open position on your team, and now you want to get through the next few weeks with as little effort as possible. Just follow this handy guide to make the new hire experience easy for you, the “hands-off”

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Should Tattoos Be Allowed in the Workplace?

See How Corporate Policies About Tattoos Affect Hiring, Retention Maybe it’s a tribal arm band, orchids on the lower back playing peek-a-boo with coworkers, or—gulp!—they’re wearing it on their face a la Mike Tyson. But even if it’s that cute little leprechaun on their ankle, our latest survey results show visible tattoos at work could

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8 Steps to Improving Retention Strategies

Employee Retention Myths and Tips EMPLOYER MYTH #1: Employees are browsing but not actively looking around for new jobs FACT: Over 60% of employees are actively looking to leave their employer within the next three months. Additionally, the intensity of employees’ job search is grossly underestimated by many employers. Many employers understand that their employees

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Top 10 Compensation Mistakes Made by Small Businesses

Why Failure to Motivate Your Employees Will Drive Them to Leave What We’ve Seen Small businesses frequently fall into the trap of treating compensation programs as “something to worry about when we get bigger.” The fact is, small organizations need to attract, retain and motivate employees, and compensation is a critical piece of total rewards.

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Job Wars: The Competition of the Future

The Cooperation Axis Humanity has primarily been driven in its interactions along one of two dimensions: cooperation and competition. There’s an interesting book by Robert Wright, called Non Zero, which addresses the aspect of cooperation on two levels: that of the individual and that of society. He argues that since humans gain from cooperation, they

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What Is Your Company’s Personality Style?

Creating & Honing a Company Culture Engages Employees & Attracts the Right Kind of Talent All Businesses Have a Personality Style Just as people have different personality styles, organizations have different styles, too. An organization’s style or culture is influenced by many factors — by the person or people who started it, by its current

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7 Tips for Everyone to Get More from the Process

Performance Review Myths & Tips: Your Employees Don’t Always “Get It” It’s Performance Review Season. Is Your Process Working? Insight from Employees on Performance Reviews and Seven Tips for Everyone to Get More from the Process EMPLOYER MYTH #1:  Your employees “Get It.” FACT:  Many employees don’t understand how the performance review impacts their compensation.

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10 Easy Ways to Reward Employees

A Little Recognition Can Go a Long Way Towards Satisfied Employees 10 Easy Ways to Reward Employees Some bosses feel a paycheck is the only reward an employee needs. But employees want to feel that their hard work is appreciated, whether they are paid minimum wage or a six-figure salary. Rewards like gift cards and

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The Importance of Job Descriptions

Descriptions of job titles appear in a variety of forms in the workplace. Recruitment ads, compensation surveys and other benchmarking tools, as well as corporate or departmental development plans all use some method of describing a job. The brief descriptions of highlighted positions that are seen in compensation surveys and other benchmarking tools are called

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5 Ways to Handle the “Big Personality” at Work

Employees with Big Egos Can Also Be Big Headaches If Left Unchecked Big Potential, Big Problems The “big personality” at work can be extremely beneficial to business in the right circumstances, but he/she can also present challenges to an employer and to colleagues. These tips offer advice for key ways to deal with a work

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5 Reasons to Start an Employee Wellness Program

Healthy Employees Boost Morale & Productivity at Work A Healthy Company Starts With Healthy Workers The health and wellness of your employees is as important to your business as your customers and the products and services you sell. That’s why it’s more important than ever to develop an employee wellness program designed to keep your

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