The Standard Releases Internet Workforce Compensation Study 2000

The pay disparity between workers and bosses has become more pronounced. The median salary for a CEO is $204,000 with more than $80,000 in bonus, and $240,000 in cash compensation. Sixty-four percent of top management workers are more satisfied with their jobs than other groups of workers; they are also earning the highest salaries. While the mainstream perception is that all Net workers are well paid, rank-and-file employees surveyed by The Standard earn about $50,000 a year. With options failing to turn rank-and-file employees into instant millionaires, many complain about the size of their paychecks.

The Standard's "Internet Workforce Compensation Study 2000" surveyed a random sample of subscribers to The Standard's eighteen e-mail newsletters. The 2,621 qualified Internet employees who responded to the survey included a broad cross section of Net workers -- executives, mid-level managers, technical professionals and financiers. The margin of error for this sample size is plus or minus 1.91 percentage points. IDG Research Services performed the research for The Standard.

The study also points out that drastic changes are taking place within the Internet Economy workplace. Outlandish perks, like free lunches, weekly massages and pet-friendly policies, are becoming less of the norm. Net companies are shifting to a more fiscally conservative approach and waking up to the notion that old-fashioned business values like a flexible working environment and supportive management may be better for long-term success.

Other study findings include:

-- "Challenging work," "salary/bonuses/commission" and "fun place to work" are
the biggest overall drivers of Net worker satisfaction.

-- More than 70% of all workers are extremely satisfied with their co-workers,
once again stressing the importance of the office culture.

-- Forty-six percent of workers are very satisfied with the vision and
execution of their company's top executives.

-- The larger the salary, the less likely respondents were looking for a new
job.

-- Forty-five percent of all workers feel they earn less than others. Yet, few
seem to abandoning their jobs.

-- Fourteen percent work more than 12 hours in an average business day.

-- Twenty-eight percent of workers are very likely to quit and join a new
company in the next year.

-- Fifty-five percent receive stock options (a median of 6,000 shares). But it
is salary that drives workers, not options.