Compensation and benefits

Companies pay a premium for prestigious degrees. Should they?

Using the results of a survey of 380 companies in 34 industries, this author examines three basic types of compensation plans: salary, commission, and combination (salary plus commission). Most companies in the study favored a combination plan, but such plans have some disadvantages to offset their obvious attractiveness. The author sets out the possible reasons […]

You’ve decided to start a company. Your business plan is based on sound strategy and thorough market research. Your background and training have prepared you for the challenge. Now you must assemble the quality management team that venture investors demand. So you begin the search for a topflight engineer to head product development and a […]

Analysis of college coach compensation shows how hard it is to align pay with performance.

Here’s how to prepare.

To maximize information exchange among employees, don't reward individual performance.

A survey reveals the potential for hidden biases.

Investors should provide money, information, and discipline. They often fall short.

Economic hardship is making some companies reconsider their contributions.

Wages and productivity have decoupled.

Employers have a rare opportunity to recruit from the ranks of the world’s leading digital companies.

Cheryl Jamis, the high-powered marketing director for a large UK-based clothing retailer, seems to have it all--corner office included. What's more, she...

Short-term, virtual, and cross-cultural teams have become the new norm, but building trust among team members is particularly challenging. That has implications...

Results from a study on hand hygiene at a hospital.

Four ways to make everyone happier.

Larry was a mid- to senior-level employee at Overlook, a technology company. (Names have been changed.) I began to work with him while he was running a project to bring Overlook’s newest technology tool to the marketplace. Despite a number of obstacles, some of which came from inside Overlook, Larry delivered the product on time […]

Lessons from PwC’s paydown program.

The problem with common performance ratings.

To spur innovation, businesses have spent billions on internal venture capital, incubators, and accelerators. Yet survey after survey indicates these...

Some U.S. companies are starting to offer a range of benefits, from building housing for employees to subsidizing rents and mortgages.