That's good news for you, the employee. What Employees Want What employees want varies based on their personal needs. In most cases cash is the most important element of a compensation plan. However, perks that make it easier to balance one's work life with one's personal life may be more important to some. Stock options alone are less tempting than they were a year ago.
Stock options are only attractive if the promise of high financial rewards exists.
What you need to know as an employee in the dot-com world is that you have the power to do something you may never have been able to do before. You can, as Stacy did, control the elements of your compensation plan. For Jerry, a ColdFusion expert, the lure is cash. When I'm looking for a job, the deciding factor is salary. I also look for stock options, but I wouldn't take a job based on options alone.