What you’ll learn from this episode:

● Why third parties may give advice that employers can’t: “Is the company going to go bankrupt or grow 10X? The company doesn't want to take either stance. The company can't tell all its employees, ’We are definitely going to be worth $10 billion. You should exercise now.’ What happens if it doesn't?”

● How equity compensation decisions vary from person to person: “[Our goal is to help people] make the right decision for them and that is not always exercising. Sometimes it's better to not exercise. Sometimes it's better to wait two years and see what's going to happen. It depends on the individual. ”

The guest speaker is neither an employee nor affiliated with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC or its affiliates. Opinions expressed by the guest speaker are solely his or her own and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.

This material has been prepared for informational purposes only. It is not an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell any security or other financial instrument or to participate in any trading strategy. This material does not provide individually tailored investment advice and has been prepared without regard to the individual financial circumstances and objectives of persons who receive it.

Information contained herein has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness.

Morgan Stanley at Work, Shareworks, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, and its affiliates and employees do not provide legal or tax advice. You should always consult with and rely on your own legal and/or tax advisors.

Morgan Stanley at Work and Shareworks services are provided by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, member SIPC, and its affiliates, all wholly owned subsidiaries of Morgan Stanley.

CRC 4699360 (04/22)

From Shareworks by Morgan Stanley, this is Thriving Globally with Equity: A podcast following companies as they break into global markets.

In today's episode, Leslie Schmidt and Lauren Stempel, both Head of Sales at Betts Recruiting, join the show to share detailed points of view on significant changes in the recruitment landscape, talent attraction challenges and scenarios for a new generation, and why companies need to get creative and start reconsidering their compensations and equity packages. Listen to this episode to learn why the hiring market has changed so drastically within the last months and what are the new assets that are here to stay.

Jump straight into:

(00:40) A complete market shift: Market competition in the recruiting industry after the 2020 downfall - “It's now the hottest and most competitive hiring market that I've ever seen in my career in recruiting.”

(03:53) - A new generation of candidates: How are companies trying to attract and retain good employees - “They're thinking about their future. They're actually looking for financial advice and guidance and they're trying to save money.”

(07:54) - The challenges and values of explaining equity compensation to employees - “Walk them through what that number could mean for them in the long run, because they're supposed to be signing on for the future they see with you as the company.”

(9:06) - On the run for lower costs: How the pandemic has triggered an exodus to less expensive cities in the US - “About 26% of the candidates have moved out of the Bay Area and people aren't doing a commute anymore. They don't want to”.

Resources

Connect with Leslie and Lauren through LinkedIn

Betts Recruiting

Thanks for joining us! To learn more, check out our website, where you'll find other episodes of Thriving Globally with Equity, along with deep-dive articles on each story.

Thriving Globally with Equity is a production from Shareworks by Morgan Stanley, written by David Vallance from Campfire Labs, narrated by Mercy Lee Bell, with additional production and editing by StudioPod Media.

Jeffrey Le Sage isn’t your usual tech founder. His background is in the practice of law, not engineering. He cut his teeth writing contracts, not code. Although he has lived in California for years, Los Angeles—not Silicon Valley—is where he calls home.

Yet, his experiences provide him with a unique perspective on the startup world; specifically, employee equity. After two decades wading through the moral quandaries, administrative headaches and tax inefficiencies sometimes associated with the field, he went on to found Liquid Stock, a fintech startup that aims to improve access to liquidity for employees of pre-IPO companies.

• How some entrepreneurs became fixated on retention: “As a lawyer advising companies, I heard people say they wanted to keep their employees where they are and stop them from exercising their options,” said La Sage. “I heard some people justify it saying they were protecting their employees from the vultures.”
• Why employee-first cultures may be on the rise: “You're seeing companies led by employee-first cultures,” said La Sage” “They realized that they have to take care of their people. You can't just forget them, tie them down, and assume that they're going to remain contributors to your company.
• The advantage of turning options holders into shareholders: “One large eCommerce company had a massive unforeseen dividend,” said La Sage. “A bunch of employees who had exercised their options participated in that dividend because they were shareholders. The others hadn't and missed out.”