Microsoft employees to get shares instead of options
InfoWorld | at | by Mike
Microsoft will replace its employee stock option plan with a program that will allow employees to earn actual Microsoft shares, the company said Tuesday. The "Stock Award" program will begin in September and is the result of a more than year-long review of compensation at Microsoft by the software maker's top management, with input from employees, the Redmond, Washington, company said in a statement.
The new scheme should help Microsoft attract and retain the best employees, the company said. Furthermore, although the plan is open to potentially all of Microsoft's employees, for 600 key executives a significant amount of stock-based compensation will depend on growth in customer numbers and customer satisfaction, Microsoft said.