We realize that working in the area of equity compensation and employee benefit programs can be a challenging task with many intricate laws and cultural differences on both a domestic and international basis that must be taken into account.  Companies implementing global equity compensation and benefit plans often have to balance the desire to manage the implementation of a program and its ongoing compliance from one central location – be it in the U.S. or outside the U.S. – against the importance of working with local subsidiaries to coordinate the implementation and compliance efforts and to address unique legal or cultural concerns.

 

GES attorneys are experienced in project management and administration of global equity compensation programs and can guide companies through the design and implementation of such programs and the establishment of ongoing compliance procedures on a global basis. 

 

With respect to project management, attorneys in the GES group have worked on global stock plans from the ground up – beginning with international plan and prospectus design, to the selection of a suitable global stock plan team to lead the project, to developing timelines and strategies for global implementation, to the creation of and support for client extranet sites to assist in project management, to the preparation of administrative procedures and training modules for internal personnel and consultants, to completion of legal filings, to the drafting of employee communications and translation of documents, and finally to establishing ongoing procedures for ensuring legal compliance and ease of plan administration for years to come. 

 

GES attorneys have managed such projects directly with the client or working indirectly with consultants selected by the client.  Depending on the scope of the program, we may provide a few simple project management services or the full range of services.

 

GES attorneys pride themselves in their ability to provide communication materials which are well written, legally accurate and take local language and customs into account.  GES attorneys are sensitive to issues as simple as knowing that employees in the United Kingdom are used to “ticking” the box whereas U.S. employees typically “check” the box – as well as more complicated cultural differences, such as knowing Italian employees generally prefer to take advantage of the tax systems for shares that results in automatic withholding by an authorized broker because they do not like to report capital gains themselves. 

 

GES attorneys routinely prepare all types of employee communications including offer letters, grant notices, option agreements, enrollment forms, country-specific employee information sheets, internal plan administrative procedures, international brochures or guidelines, country-specific PowerPoint presentations introducing plan benefits to employees, summary plan descriptions, country-specific employee tax summaries, and frequently asked questions handouts. 

 

The GES group also provides a full range of translation services to our clients.  We advise companies on which countries require that equity compensation and benefit plan documents be translated into the local languages.  Once a company decides that certain documents – for legal or other reasons – will be translated, we can assist in the translation of all types of employee communications, from complicated legal filings and employee tax information to cover letters explaining to an employee that an option grant has been made.