Rainmakers will make a lot of money, agrees John A. Challenger, executive vice president of Challenger Gray and Christmas, an international outplacement firm based in Chicago. The windfall is not limited to stars. High technology companies frequently rely on stock options to attract quality employees and to connect the employee s work future to the company. Stock options have turned more than a few Cisco employees into millionaires, Beck says. Cisco employees receive options when they are hired and become fully vested after four years.
Employees can receive additional options annually, based on their performance.
A number of people who have been here for a long time have done very well, Beck says. Keeping the stars requires a creative mix of substantial stock options and nonmonetary benefits such as allowing telecommuting and flexible hours. UNUM has granted its employees 150 stock options, redeemable if the company reaches its business goals in 1998. There are several incentive and stock options programs for its top employees, he says. In addition to enhanced compensation, Unisys top performers receive added educational and networking opportunities, such as a week at the Wharton School of Business for leadership programs, Bradford says.