The Information’s Tech Pay Survey Shows Power Shift to Employees

The technology-business boom is giving white-collar workers more of what they want.

At tech companies, the traditional practice of allowing employees’ shares to vest only after a worker reaches a full year of employment, known as a one-year “cliff,” appears to be eroding. More than 20% of managers and employees surveyed by The Information last month said their stock begins to vest right away or after the end of their third month of employment—a radical shift from several years ago.

The findings from a 40-question survey about compensation and workplace practices, completed by 1,552 subscribers to The Information, show how the balance of power has started to shift toward employees amid the surge of capital for startups and record earnings of bigger companies. Another indicator of that shift: 42% of survey respondents said their companies didn’t restrict the geographic location where they work.

Separately, the majority of respondents said their companies rarely use hiring practices that are shown to improve diversity. And most of the surveyed workers, including many managers, said they wouldn’t work for a company that bans political speech in the office. Respondents also weighed in on pay negotiations, bans on political conversation in the workplace, and what family-oriented benefits employers were offering.