Our last article, “Ensuring That Your Performance And Reward Systems Do Not Do Compensatory Damage", engendered a great deal of interest and a large number of readers asked us to specifically touch upon our experience and recommendations in the area of executive hiring and compensation. As a result, some thoughts are outlined below. During the last eighteen months executive turnover has become higher than it ever has been in history, throughout nearly all developed nations. For our purposes, "executive" is defined as employees with base compensation in excess of $150,000 or its equivalent.

2000 was the best year in history for executive search firms in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and Latin America, and 2001 showed little abatement. According to our contacts in the U.S. and international executive search communities approximately 50% of that activity has resulted from voluntary executive departures, approximately 30% of that activity has resulted from involuntary executive departures, and approximately 20% of that activity has resulted from newly established executive positions. At the same time senior executive total compensation has, in general terms, climbed substantially in comparison to other employee populations. From a business perspective, despite varying opinions on the subject, that is neither good nor bad. It has, however, contributed to the likelihood of executive departures as the economy turns around.