A good executive compensation strategy clearly signals the company’s goals, priorities and vision to employees and the marketplace alike, powerfully supporting its ability to build a strong management team that is focused on the company’s individual business strategy. More generic pay programs that "conform to the norm" in response to external pressures rarely do so.
That’s why we strongly recommend that Directors in the current economic and governance environment strive to “Go Beyond” – beyond best practices, beyond data, beyond check-the-box compliance, and beyond the obvious. They must be willing to think outside the box of standard practices to create and effectively communicate the pay programs that are right for their company.
This white paper outlines five key ways to help companies get there:
- Buck Trends and “Best Practices” in Favor of Business-Based Plans. Compensation should reflect the needs of the business. Our goal is to build great companies. If we perform, Say on Pay will take care of itself.
- Link Realizable Pay to Compensation Decision-Making. Understanding pay targets is important, but analyzing actual pay relative to actual performance gives Committees real, actionable information.
- Spend More Time on the Performance Side of the Equation. There are two sides to the pay-for-performance equation. It’s critical that we get both sides "right."
- Apply a New Lens to Equity Plan Design and Award Values. The LTI vehicles we use and the size of awards we make need to reflect performance and retention strategies.
- Customize Your Risk/Reward Profile to Your Business. Compensation plans should evolve to reflect the business risks and HR needs of companies at different life-cycle stages.