What Corporate Leaders Can Expect From Trump on Executive Pay

While some Trump-era policies may return, the corporate landscape has evolved significantly since 2020 — particularly in areas like ESG initiatives, shareholder activism and compensation transparency. The incoming administration faces different challenges than it did four years ago, including an entrenched proxy advisory system, established compensation disclosure requirements under Dodd-Frank and heightened investor expectations around executive pay transparency. 

Though wholesale regulatory changes appear unlikely in the short term, shifts in enforcement priorities and key personnel appointments could substantially impact how companies approach executive compensation. READ MORE

Crafting an Effective Proxy Statement: A Key Tool for Articulating Executive Compensation Practices

A well-crafted proxy statement serves as more than just a regulatory filing; it is a vital communication tool that provides transparency, builds trust, and fosters alignment between a company and its investors. For shareholders, particularly those invested in publicly traded companies, understanding how executive compensation is structured and justified is crucial for making informed decisions. The proxy statement, typically filed annually, outlines executive pay practices, governance matters, and other key corporate issues. It should present these elements clearly, ensuring shareholders feel confident that the company’s compensation policies align with long-term performance and their interests.

This article explores how companies can craft an effective proxy statement that not only fulfills regulatory requirements but also functions as a compelling communication piece for shareholders. READ MORE

5 compensation and benefits trends to buy into in 2025

Amid low unemployment levels and a growing skills gap, employers are retooling their compensation and benefits strategy to attract and retain workers. In 2025, compensation budgets are expected to remain above historical trends, and benefits will become even more personalized, experts say.  

Josh Bersin, CEO of human capital advisory firm The Josh Bersin Co., said companies will need to ask themselves what deal they offer to workers and how their employee experience compares in the battle for talent.  READ MORE

ISS and Glass Lewis Announce Compensation-Related Updates For 2025 Proxy Season

Recently, Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) released updates to its voting policies for 2025, including new and updated responses to its Compensation Policies FAQs and new Value-Adjusted Burn Rate Benchmarks (based on company size and industry) in its Equity Compensation Plans FAQs. These updates follow the off-cycle update that ISS announced for its Compensation Policies FAQs this past October, which we reported on here. Similarly, Glass Lewis (“GL”) also recently released its annual Benchmark Policy Guidelines for 2025. Consistent with the last few years, this year’s updates by ISS and GL reflect incremental, rather than transformational, changes to their respective policies relating to compensation practices. READ MORE

15 Tips For Designing Competitive, Equitable Compensation Packages

In today’s competitive job market, employers that want to attract and retain top talent must design compensation packages that are appealing and fair across all levels of the company. However, these pay structures also need to align with organizational needs and budgets.

To help HR leaders and their teams strike this balance, the members of Forbes Human Resources Council share their top tips for designing equitable and competitive compensation packages. From researching market pricing and trends to exploring benefits beyond salary, these strategies can set your organization apart while fostering fairness and inclusivity. READ MORE

7 Remote Jobs That Pay $186,000+ In 2025

Did you read that right, $186,000? Yes, that precise figure is not a mistake. That's the average salary Americans say they need to earn to feel financially comfortable, per a recent poll conducted by Bankrate. The survey explored the sentiments of varying demographics of American workers, covering Gen Zers, to Gen Xers, to Black Americans, to Hispanics, to Westerners, to those making under $50,000 or $100,000 or more, and everyone in between. READ MORE

How to negotiate your salary in 2025

A majority, 56% of U.S. workers are looking for a new job or plan to in 2025, according to an October 2024 Resume Templates survey of 1,258 U.S. workers. Their reasons vary: 37% feel undervalued, another 37% feel burned out and 40% cite low pay.

If you, too, are hoping to get a pay bump in 2025 but not necessarily looking to leave your job, you can still try to negotiate for a higher salary where you currently work.  READ MORE

Compensation budgets to remain above historical trends in 2025, employers say

Employers recognize the need to invest in their workers to improve retention, given the tight labor market and low levels of unemployment, Lauren Mason, Mercer’s U.S. workforce solutions leader, said in a statement.

“To remain competitive in this environment, employers will need to look beyond compensation and transform work itself to improve the employee experience and unlock greater productivity,” Mason said. READ MORE

Salaries of $500,000 and up are 'a dime a dozen' in this California region, report says

More than 1 million people across the country earn paychecks of $500,000 or higher, according to a report that analyzed payroll records on millions of salaries paid over the course of a year.

The study titled "High-paying jobs? They’re a dime a dozen," which was done by ADP, a leading management company that provides payroll and other services, concluded that “a substantial number of professionals found in every major metro” earn more than half a million dollars annually. Government data, including the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, typically obscure the prevalence of hefty paychecks by capping the level of wages reported. READ MORE

Taylor Swift Hit With Backlash After Giving Crew $200 Million In Bonuses

Welcome to 2024, where some people are somehow angry at Taylor Swift for "only" giving nearly $200 MILLION in bonuses to her touring staff and crew this past week.

As I reported earlier this week, Swift graciously gave massive bonuses to each and every single one of her crew members both last year and this year as a thank-you. We're not talking about just those that are on stage with her, but those that literally are the ones that made the Eras Tour happen and be such the massive success that it was - even the truck drivers received a surprise $100,000 check from Swift! READ MORE

It’s time to prepare for FASB’s new compensation reporting rules

The Financial Accounting Standards Board has moved forward with a significant change that will require public companies to disclose more granular details about their employee compensation packages, including incentive compensation, in financial reports.

The new accounting standard will fundamentally change how businesses track and report compensation, especially in areas like bonuses, commissions, and other variable pay structures. While this change aims to bring more transparency, it highlights a glaring issue: many companies don’t fully understand the true cost or return on investment of incentive compensation, and have no way to properly measure or report on their programs’ business impact. READ MORE

More work, same salary. How employees should respond to a 'dry promotion'

Soon after Kay took on a new role at an e-commerce company in the fall of 2023, the responsibilities began to pile up. 

Kay – who asked USA TODAY to not use her full name for fear of losing her job – was originally told she would oversee customer service agents as a team lead. But with the rapid advancements in AI chatbots like ChatGPT, her job shifted to a high-stakes position focused on automating customer support.  READ MORE

Salary Threshold Increase for Exempt Employees Blocked

A federal district court in Texas has blocked a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) final rule that would have increased the salary thresholds for certain exempt employees on January 1, 2025. As a result, the rule —and its accompanying threshold increases — will no longer go into effect, and the salary threshold increase that took effect on July 1, 2024, has been undone. For employers already dealing with a host of new laws taking effect in 2025, the decision may bring some relief, along with uncertainty of what to do with the changes they may have already made. READ MORE

Elon’s Shocking $56 Billion Yearly Pay: Is It Too Much?

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has recently faced another legal setback regarding his massive compensation plan. Judge Kathaleen St. J. McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery upheld her previous decision from January to cancel the $56 billion package awarded in 2018. Despite a second shareholder vote in June to reinstate it, the judge ruled that the initial process was “deeply flawed” and that the subsequent vote did not rectify these issues. READ MORE