The GEO Awards Categories

The GEO Awards Celebration

Any kind of plan that gives employees the opportunity of owning stock or receiving the cash value of the stock or increase in value of the stock can be submitted for an award. Award preference will be made for plans that extend beyond executive compensation, however all plans will be considered on their relative merits. Applicants do not necessarily have to have plans that are ultimately settled in stock distributions; companies with equity-like plans that model the benefit allocated to employees on a linkage to the performance of corporate stock may also apply for the awards (i.e., Stock Appreciation Rights, Phantom Stock).

The GEO awards categories represent the general distinctions in how plans can be promoted, designed, and operated to the highest calibre. These categories fall under Best Plan Communication, Best Use of Technology, Most Innovative and Creative Design, Best Plan Effectiveness, Best Use of Employee Share Plans in a Corporate Action, Best in Financial Education, and The Judges' Award.

Detailed Descriptions of the Categories:

Best Plan Communication
Communication is key to the successful operation of any employee stock plan and operating plans internationally presents special geographic, linguistic, and cultural challenges. Judges look for the most effective and appropriate communication methods and materials used in a plan. In addition, judges consider a company’s size and the number of employees to whom the company must communicate the plan. Awards are not based on the amount of money spent on a communications program but, rather on their content, message delivered, coherency, and style.

Best Use of Technology
The best designed and communicated global stock plans can be prohibitively expensive and time consuming if not properly managed and operated. The use of paper/print confirmation, enrollment, account management forms, and communication materials inherently slow the implementation and management of these plans. Corporate stock plan administration departments have thus found websites, intranets, and other electronic tools invaluable and cost effective in managing, communicating, and administering international equity compensation plans.

The GEO Award for Best Use of Technology is granted to companies that develop innovative, appropriate, and comprehensive technological solutions to share plan administration, communication, and internal project management.

Most Innovative and Creative Plan Design
Share plans can be created to meet a multitude of corporate objectives that must be balanced with the legal, regulatory, and tax issues, both in the headquarters country as well as in other jurisdictions.. An equally important challenge is to create a global plan that maintains the core corporate philosophy while adapting to local cultural concerns. This category allows applicants to demonstrate how creative they are in working around potential stumbling blocks in developing and the innovation displayed in implementing global share ownership plans.

Measurements in this category include how well the plan was creatively adapted to local tax and regulatory laws, innovative ways to increase employee participation and excitement, and how their plan differs from competitors or industry norms.

Best Plan Effectiveness
Share plans are key elements in helping a company achieve its corporate mission and goals. This award category is to highlight companies that have spent time and energy developing an employee equity compensation plan that works well towards meeting key corporate objectives. The criteria for this category is based on the assessment of employee participation and other ways of involving employees in the successful operation of the company. An essential component of assessing effectiveness is a clear statement of the goals of the plan in addition to demonstrated measurement technique to measure progress in achieving those goals.

Best Use of Employee Share Plans in a Corporate Action
Equity compensation programs are increasingly viewed as a strategic tool in preparing for and executing mergers, acquisitions, reorganization or divestitures. This award recognizes excellence in the use of employee share plans in support of specific objectives furthering a corporate action. Measurements include fair or enhanced treatment for affected employees, effective communication of implications to share plan participants, and demonstrated commitment to employee share plans after the conclusion of the corporate action.

Qualified corporate actions include mergers, acquisitions, restructuring, divestitures and similar actions. Note that option exchange programs and similar programs are not, for the purposes of this award, considered corporate actions.

Best in Financial Education
There is an increasing awareness among companies that their responsibility to employees extends beyond the implementation of a share plan. Providing adequate financial education to employees is being seen as one of the key features of successful global stock plans.

The GEO Awards for Best in Financial Education are granted to companies who have implemented a Financial Education program which best meets the challenge of providing independent and objective advice to employees.

The Judges' Award (Optional)
In addition to the award categories, the GEO Award Judges may award a company, organization, or individual that has made an exceptional contribution towards promoting global employee share ownership. Judges may select the company or organization from the annual applicant pool, however the Judges have the discretion to select any company, organization, or individual they believe warrants this award. Nominations will not be solicited for the Judges’ Award. This award is intended to be granted to a company, organization, or individual that needs no application – a winner that is recognized as a leader in the field. If the award is given to a company or organization, the Judges will evaluate the overall impact of the equity plan, or promotion of equity plans, has had on its employees, shareholders, community, and the business environment. Individual awards will be based on the contribution of that person to the equity compensation profession over their lifetime.

The successful companies will be judged on the following criteria:

• Communicating the risks and rewards of the share plan in the overall context of financial planning
• Communicating clearly
• Company endorsement of the responsibility to take appropriate financial advice
• The innovative use of methods of communication to ensure maximum take-up
• Broad coverage of all aspects of financial education
• Assisting employees in the awareness of diversifying risk
• Providing employees access to independent and accredited specialists
• Use of innovative channels to provide financial education to employees (i.e., video/web/CD)
• Easy access to information after seminars, meetings, etc. – (e.g., use of intranet, call centers)
• Employee feedback and evaluation of results