ISS Offers New Equity Compensation Plan Data Verification Portal

Greg Gautam • August 28, 2014

Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”), a leading proxy advisory firm, recently launched a new data verification portal to assist it in verifying the information it uses in evaluating public company equity compensation plans. Public companies that file their proxy statements after September 8, 2014 (and that have an equity plan proposal on their proxy ballot), can use the portal to verify the key data points that ISS will use in its equity plan evaluation.

According to a recent set of FAQs , the data verification period will open after the date a participating company files its proxy statement. After the proxy is filed, ISS will direct the participating company to verify key data points and to request changes. Participating companies will then have two business days to respond to the ISS data verification request. Companies that request changes should expect a response from ISS within five days after the date the company submitted changes.

In light of the short data verification period, public companies may wish to consider registering for the portal in advance (outside company advisors cannot register for the portal). To prepare for the verification process, companies may also wish to familiarize themselves with Appendix A of the FAQs which sets forth 27 data verification questions.

Employee burnout: what it is and how to prevent it

By Mardy Gould • May 24, 2024
Employee burnout has become an epidemic in today’s modern workplace. So much so that the World Health Organization (WHO) officially recognizes it as an “occupational phenomenon.”1 While many used to consider mounting workplace stress an individual employee problem, these days, it’s become an employer’s responsibility to prevent burnout before it hurts productivity and business performance—not to mention your employees’ physical and mental health. Luckily, you can prevent burnout from affecting your workforce in several ways. This article will explore the causes and signs of employee burnout and the steps you can take to create a positive work environment where employees feel safe from toxic stress levels.

Form 720 and PCORI fee FAQs

By Mardy Gould • May 23, 2024
If you're a small business owner, you may have heard of the acronym PCORI and the fees that come with it. But what is PCORI, and how does it apply to your organization? Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), sponsors of self-insured health plans must pay a fee to fund the federal Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). PCORI is an independent organization the ACA created to conduct research to help healthcare consumers make better decisions for their specific needs and outcomes. It also performs research related to clinical effectiveness. Employers offering a self-insured medical reimbursement health plan, such as a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), must pay this fee by July 31 each year via Form 7201. This fee was initially set to expire in 2019, but Congress extended it through September 30, 20292, due to the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 20203.
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