in 2017 , the company granted 440076 shares of restricted class a common stock and 7568 shares of restricted stock units .restricted common stock and restricted stock units generally have a vesting period of two to four years .the fair value related to these grants was $ 58.7 million , which is recognized as compensation expense on an accelerated basis over the vesting period .dividends are accrued on restricted class a common stock and restricted stock units and are paid once the restricted stock vests .in 2017 , the company also granted 203298 performance shares .the fair value related to these grants was $ 25.3 million , which is recognized as compensation expense on an accelerated and straight-lined basis over the vesting period .the vesting of these shares is contingent on meeting stated performance or market conditions .the following table summarizes restricted stock , restricted stock units , and performance shares activity for 2017 : number of shares weighted average grant date fair value .
[['', 'number of shares', 'weightedaveragegrant datefair value'], ['outstanding at december 31 2016', '1820578', '$ 98'], ['granted', '650942', '129'], ['vested', '-510590 ( 510590 )', '87'], ['cancelled', '-401699 ( 401699 )', '95'], ['outstanding at december 31 2017', '1559231', '116']]
the total fair value of restricted stock , restricted stock units , and performance shares that vested during 2017 , 2016 and 2015 was $ 66.0 million , $ 59.8 million and $ 43.3 million , respectively .under the espp , eligible employees may acquire shares of class a common stock using after-tax payroll deductions made during consecutive offering periods of approximately six months in duration .shares are purchased at the end of each offering period at a price of 90% ( 90 % ) of the closing price of the class a common stock as reported on the nasdaq global select market .compensation expense is recognized on the dates of purchase for the discount from the closing price .in 2017 , 2016 and 2015 , a total of 19936 , 19858 and 19756 shares , respectively , of class a common stock were issued to participating employees .these shares are subject to a six-month holding period .annual expense of $ 0.3 million for the purchase discount was recognized in 2017 , and $ 0.2 million was recognized in both 2016 and 2015 .non-executive directors receive an annual award of class a common stock with a value equal to $ 100000 .non-executive directors may also elect to receive some or all of the cash portion of their annual stipend , up to $ 60000 , in shares of stock based on the closing price at the date of distribution .as a result , 19736 shares , 26439 shares and 25853 shares of class a common stock were issued to non-executive directors during 2017 , 2016 and 2015 , respectively .these shares are not subject to any vesting restrictions .expense of $ 2.5 million , $ 2.4 million and $ 2.5 million related to these stock-based payments was recognized for the years ended december 31 , 2017 , 2016 and 2015 , respectively. .

Question: considering the class a common stocks , what is the percentage's increase of the number issued to participating employees in relation non-executive directors amidst 2016 and 2017?
Answer: 34.4%
Explanation: considering the class a common stocks issued between 2016 and 2017 , the ratio of the variation of stocks issued to employees and non directors is calculated dividing the number of shares issued in 2017 by the number issued in 2016 , then dividing both results .