The Advisors' Blog

You can’t go a day right now without seeing reports that a company or industry is laying off employees. The economic outlook seems to whipsaw every few days right now, so maybe things will turn around. But with the main reasons for cuts appearing to be the rise of AI solutions and uncertainty, it’s also possible the labor market for non-executives won’t recover any time soon.

As Meredith blogged just a couple years back, some companies find themselves in a tricky position if they implement generous executive pay plans that have to be justified many months down the road – perhaps following a reduction in force. Consider this blog a reminder for your comp committee to ask questions and think ahead on that issue – because even if it’s out of fashion to care about whether “CEO compensation justifications ring hollow amidst layoffs,” I also can’t think of anyone who wants to be the poster child for a future “eat the rich” campaign.

As usual, The Onion has a timeless take…

And fun fact! Meredith’s husband and brother-in-law were staffers at The Onion for years, working on the graphics and visual effects that readers know & love. You may even be able to spot a photo of Meredith’s parents accompanying an article.

– Liz Dunshee