Short- and Long-Term Incentive Design Study

Radford McLagan Compensation Database

Short- and Long-Term Incentive Design Study

Contact us to learn more about participating in the Radford McLagan Compensation Database.

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Understanding the mechanics of short- and long-term incentive plan design is no easy feat. To help you sort through the chaos, our annual study of plan design practices provides Radford McLagan Compensation Database clients with detailed information on the key factors you'll need to consider when deciding on how to make your programs as compelling and competitive as possible.

Study Scope

By making our entire suite of market practice studies automatically available to Radford McLagan Compensation Database participants and providing complimentary results to every organization providing a complete and timely submission, we’ve maximized our data collection efforts and your participation value. Our most recent Short- and Long-Term Incentive Design Study includes:

  • 2300+

    Short- and Long-Term Incentive Participants

  • 43

    Surveyed Countries

Covered Practices

Our Short- and Long-Term Incentive Design Study covers the following key market practices:

    Short-Term Incentives

  • Formal bonus plans
  • Discretionary bonus plans
  • Cash profit-sharing plans
  • Variable pay spending levels
  • General plan design features, including
  • Eligibility/receipt, funding metrics

    Long-Term Incentives

  • Stock option plans
  • Restricted Stock plans
  • Performance award plans
  • Equity guideline geographic differentials
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plans (ESPP)
  • General plan design features including eligibility and vesting schedules.
Sample Radford McLagan Compensation Database Outputs

Sample Market Practice Studies Reports and Outputs

Source: Radford McLagan Compensation Database

Timing

Our Short- and Long-Term Incentive Design Study is conducted once a year with the following general schedule:

  • Data collection opens — February 2024
  • Data collection closes — Initial due date August 2024; Data collection will continue through October 2024
  • Results published — October 2024

Results

Results for the Short- and Long-Term Incentive Design Study are provided in a PDF format. Separate reports are created for short-term incentive practices and long-term incentive practices. All global reports include data for as many countries as possible where there is enough information to publish results.

Eligibility

Access to the Short- and Long-Term Incentive Design Study is limited to Radford McLagan Compensation Database participants. All clients are automatically invited to submit data once a year via an online questionnaire posted on the Human Capital Analytics platform. To check on your company's submission status, while signed into Human Capital Analytics, click on the Participate tab and navigate to the Submit Market Practice Studies Data page and look for the "Short- and Long-Term Incentive Design" tile.

Pricing

All Radford McLagan Compensation Database participants who provide a complete and timely submission to the Short- and Long-Term Incentive Design Study will receive a complimentary copy of overall study results at the time of publication. Custom peer group analysis can be purchased separately at additional cost.

Radford McLagan Compensation Database participants who do not submit information to this study can purchase overall study results for a fee at the time of publication.