What is an employee share scheme?

An Employee Share Scheme (ESS) is a form of remuneration given to employees, often as a reward, allowing businesses to attract and retain key staff and increase performance while aligning employee interests with company shareholders. In an ESS, an employee can typically: In an ESS, an employee can typically: buy company shares at a discounted price; be offered company shares as a part of their salary package; or be given the opportunity to buy company shares in the future. In most cases, tax concessions are available for an ESS. Common types of ESS include: Employee Share Plans (ESPs) Employee Share Options Plans (ESOPs) Performance Rights Plans (PRPs) Loan Funded Share Plans (LFSPs)

Is an employee share plan beneficial for employees?

Employee share plans are usually offered as a form of remuneration under an incentive scheme, where employees are rewarded with ordinary shares of the company. Sometimes this is in lieu of salary increases and is an effective way to help with a company’s cash flow. Employee share plans are widely considered to be beneficial to employees and shareholders alike as they create ownership for employees and increase employee retention rates. These types of plans can also be tax-beneficial to employees and the company.

What is the difference between employee shares, options, and rights plans?

Employee shares are shares issued to employees in the company of employment, usually with holding restrictions attached. Employee options and rights are rights to future shares that the employee can exercise after a certain period of time. Options usually have an exercise price that must be paid in order to receive shares, whereas rights can typically be converted after a period of time with no payment required. All three employee share schemes are designed to motivate and reward employees for their hard work and loyalty to the company.

What kind of employees are eligible for an employee equity plan?

Typically, all employees can participate in an employee equity plan. However, the company can decide which employees can participate, what amount to offer and the conditions that are attached.

What are the tax benefits of employee share schemes?

Employee share schemes offer employees and employers a significant amount of tax benefits. Some include: Deferring income tax on salary in lieu of shares; Issuance of tax-free shares; Deferring income tax for up to 10 years; and Company tax deductions for the value of the shares issued.

What employee share option plans should a start-up have?

Attracting and motivating quality talent via employee share option plans and other employee share schemes is a very common solution for start-ups. The most common plan used for Australian start-up companies is the Start-Up Options Plan. This allows the company to issue options with tax incentives to the employees and the company. If you are looking for an employee share option plan for your start-up, contact BoardRoom today to speak with a specialist. We will help you select an ESOP plan or scheme suited to your needs.

How can BoardRoom help with your employee equity plan?

At BoardRoom, we can manage your Australian or global employee equity plan, from the design phase through to implementation and administration. We have access to leading technologies and a panel of experts to guide you through your implementation and administration needs, ensuring that the process is seamless and worry-free. Our systems are completely flexible, allowing us to tailor a solution to meet your needs. Contact us now to see how we can help your business implement and administer your new employee share option plans or existing employee share scheme.

Employee Share Option Plans (ESOPs)

BoardRoom provides an extensive range of services that address employee share option plans (ESOPs) for listed entities on the ASX, NSX, and SSX, as well as unlisted entities, including proprietary companies, unlisted property trusts, equity funds and organisations considering an IPO.

Listed Share Registry

Unlisted Unit Registry

Private Entity Registry

Corporate Actions

Pre-IPO

Employee Plans

Corporate Secretarial

ESG Access

Payroll

BoardRoom Partner Services

A business is only as good as its employees. Employee Share Plans (ESPs) and employee share option plans are great schemes for businesses to reward and provide compensation for their employees. While freeing up cash for the company, ESOPs also provide an inherent incentive for employees as they become personally invested in the well-being of your company. This way, you can guarantee that not only will your employees feel valued and respected within the company but also sustain the growth and success of your business.

What are employee share schemes?

Employee share schemes are remuneration programmes offered by a company to their employees. They allow employees to buy or be allotted company shares while bringing a wide array of tax benefits, incentives, and more to both the employee and the company.

The only downside to employee share schemes is that they can become increasingly complicated, especially as your company grows. But that’s where an ESOP provider like BoardRoom comes in. We help tailor and manage all the technical aspects of your employee share scheme so that you can focus on what truly matters for your business’s success.

Advantages of an Employee Share Scheme as an Owner

Employee Share Schemes can have numerous advantages for both the employees and the company itself.

Engagement and Retention: By giving employees a stake in the company, they become more invested in its success. This can lead to a stronger sense of loyalty and commitment, as well as increased motivation and productivity.
Attracting Talent: In a competitive job market, offering potential employees the opportunity to own a piece of the company can be a major selling point. This can be especially beneficial for small businesses that may not be able to offer as high salaries as larger corporations.
Potential Tax Benefits. In some countries, there are tax incentives for companies that offer employee share schemes. This can help offset the costs of implementing the program and make it more financially feasible for the company.

What makes an ESS attractive to employees?

ESS not only benefits business owners, but employees also stand to make a gain from ESSs.

Means of Rewarding Employees: By offering employees a chance to own a piece of the company, they are directly benefiting from their own efforts and contributions. This can help create a sense of fairness and recognition within the company, leading to a more positive and motivated workforce.
Financial benefits: Employee share schemes provide dividends and potential gains from the company’s growth, making it a valuable investment opportunity for employees. This can also serve as a form of long-term savings or retirement plan for employees.
Sense of Fairness and Equality within the Company: By giving employees a chance to own a piece of the company, they are directly benefiting from their own efforts and contributions. This can help create a positive and collaborative work culture where employees feel valued and recognised for their hard work.

BoardRoom employee equity plans are made for your employees.

In our experience, it’s just not possible to come up with a single equity plan that will work for everyone. That’s why we’ve designed our system to be completely flexible and customisable. Whether it’s an ESP or ESOP, we can provide you with a solution that is purpose-built to meet your needs, increase efficiencies, and reduce costs, all while complying with current and future reporting requirements.

Find out why many of Australia’s largest employers have chosen us to manage their employee equity plans.

Our dedicated employee share plan division is made up of senior staff with significant experience who provide you and your employees with personalised assistance from start to finish. Our ultimate goal is to craft an employee share scheme that strikes the perfect balance between benefiting the company and its employees symbiotically. Whether you have one employee or 100,000, we can add value to your business across various types of employee equity schemes, including:

Employee share plans (ESPs),
Employee Share Option Plans (ESOPs),
Employee performance rights plans,
Any tailored employee share scheme you have!

By engaging your employees with a professionally managed ESOP or employee share scheme, you will be in a much stronger position to grow and advance your company in the modern business landscape.

If you have any questions, send us a message. A member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible. Arrange a demo with our employee share plan services team to discover what benefits we can bring to you.

Employee Plans Technology

ClientOnline

Client Portal

ClientOnline is our market-leading online registry and employee equity plan software.

The portal utilises the latest technologies to allow clients to access their key information quickly and accurately. Intuitive and secure, our registry and employee equity plan software provides real-time detailed information including register snapshots, key alerts, and access to a number of detailed reports.

EmployeeServe

Employee Portal

Our fully integrated employee plan software provides a powerful engagement tool for our clients and their staff.

Fully customisable and user-friendly, our clients’ employees can view, update and transact on their employee equity plan holdings at any time. Fully integrated into our registry framework, all information available on the portal is live and real-time data.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an employee share scheme?
An Employee Share Scheme (ESS) is a form of remuneration given to employees, often as a reward, allowing businesses to attract and retain key staff and increase performance while aligning employee interests with company shareholders. In an ESS, an employee can typically: In an ESS, an employee can typically:
- buy company shares at a discounted price;
- be offered company shares as a part of their salary package; or
- be given the opportunity to buy company shares in the future.
In most cases, tax concessions are available for an ESS. Common types of ESS include:
- Employee Share Plans (ESPs)
- Employee Share Options Plans (ESOPs)
- Performance Rights Plans (PRPs)
- Loan Funded Share Plans (LFSPs)
Is an employee share plan beneficial for employees?

Employee share plans are usually offered as a form of remuneration under an incentive scheme, where employees are rewarded with ordinary shares of the company. Sometimes this is in lieu of salary increases and is an effective way to help with a company’s cash flow. Employee share plans are widely considered to be beneficial to employees and shareholders alike as they create ownership for employees and increase employee retention rates. These types of plans can also be tax-beneficial to employees and the company.
What is the difference between employee shares, options, and rights plans?

Employee shares are shares issued to employees in the company of employment, usually with holding restrictions attached. Employee options and rights are rights to future shares that the employee can exercise after a certain period of time. Options usually have an exercise price that must be paid in order to receive shares, whereas rights can typically be converted after a period of time with no payment required. All three employee share schemes are designed to motivate and reward employees for their hard work and loyalty to the company.
What kind of employees are eligible for an employee equity plan?

Typically, all employees can participate in an employee equity plan. However, the company can decide which employees can participate, what amount to offer and the conditions that are attached.
What are the tax benefits of employee share schemes?
Employee share schemes offer employees and employers a significant amount of tax benefits. Some include:
- Deferring income tax on salary in lieu of shares;
- Issuance of tax-free shares;
- Deferring income tax for up to 10 years; and
- Company tax deductions for the value of the shares issued.
What employee share option plans should a start-up have?

Attracting and motivating quality talent via employee share option plans and other employee share schemes is a very common solution for start-ups. The most common plan used for Australian start-up companies is the Start-Up Options Plan. This allows the company to issue options with tax incentives to the employees and the company. If you are looking for an employee share option plan for your start-up, contact BoardRoom today to speak with a specialist. We will help you select an ESOP plan or scheme suited to your needs.
How can BoardRoom help with your employee equity plan?

At BoardRoom, we can manage your Australian or global employee equity plan, from the design phase through to implementation and administration. We have access to leading technologies and a panel of experts to guide you through your implementation and administration needs, ensuring that the process is seamless and worry-free. Our systems are completely flexible, allowing us to tailor a solution to meet your needs. Contact us now to see how we can help your business implement and administer your new employee share option plans or existing employee share scheme.