Category Archives: Executive Compensation

Executives Cash in as Companies March Toward Bankruptcy 

Neiman Marcus is the latest company to raise eyebrows with a generous performance- and retention-based compensation plan for a group of executives at a time when the company itself is fighting for survival.    In July, investors, furloughed employees and bankruptcy trustee Henry Hobbs howled at the prospect of a $10 million compensation package for the high-end retailer’s CEO and a … Continue reading

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Harassment Skeletons in McDonald’s Closet Hasten CEO Steve Easterbrook Downfall 

Even by today’s standards of board oversight in the #MeToo era, the speed of McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook’s fall was breathtaking. In just four short years at the helm, Easterbrook was credited with nearly doubling the company’s share price and … Continue reading

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C-Suite Lessons from Ghosn’s Nissan Ouster

For Carlos Ghosn – one of the highest-flying chief executives in the world (literally) – home has been a 50-square-foot cell since Japanese authorities announced a series of vague allegations against him for underreporting his compensation and misusing company property. … Continue reading

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Study Finds Public Losing Patience When CEOs Act Out

Add Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, Amazon’s entertainment chief Roy Price and KB Home’s Jeffrey Mezger to the growing list of executives making headlines for the wrong reasons. One of the most powerful producers in Hollywood, Weinstein was forced out after … Continue reading

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Your Employment Agreement is Nothing Like a Mortgage Document

Another report on employment contracts is discouraging but not surprising. A survey of 1,000 people in the U.K. showed that more than 90 percent didn’t read their employment contracts – despite the fact that the terms can haunt them for … Continue reading

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Massage Envy No More

Houston Chronicle business columnist Chris Tomlinson recently interviewed me about how a woman’s search for a better job landed her in serious legal trouble. The unfortunate story involves Maxie Foster, who worked for years as a receptionist to pay her … Continue reading

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Considering a New Job? Please Talk to Your Lawyer

Zillow recently reached a whopping $130 million settlement with Realtor.com operator Move Inc. shortly before the two online real estate giants went to trial over alleged misappropriation of trade secrets. While the settlement amount is a far cry from the … Continue reading

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Crass Executive Spending Puts Leading Veterans Charity under a Cloud

As obvious as it seems, abusing an expense account with lavish personal spending is one of the most common ways a CEO can get into trouble. Being an executive comes with reasonable perks that are necessary and helpful to doing the job. But some people get carried away and forget that these funds are not for their personal use and enjoyment. Continue reading

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Do Texas Execs Get Paid for Unused Vacation Time? It Depends

A recent study revealed that 41 percent of American workers don’t plan to use all of their paid time off. Given the level of competitiveness in the C-suite, it stands to reason that an even higher percentage of executives leave a significant amount of vacation on the table each year. Not only is this a bad idea – taking time away from work can pay off exponentially in more refreshed, focused workers at every level of the company – but it also means that executives who leave their employers may be walking away from a portion of their compensation. Continue reading

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Former BBC Head’s Payout Adds to Network’s PR Woes

George Entwistle, the BBC’s former director general , resigned under fire recently over a two-pronged scandal involving the network’s handling of child abuse charges. The circumstances of the case are disturbing enough,but the BBC Trust, the broadcaster’s governing body, made it worse by giving Entwistle an overly generous payout when he left. That’s a blatant violation of Ahmad’s First Rule of Resigning Under Fire: Don’t let your severance package cause more troubles for you or your former employer.

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