The employee stock option plan is an employee advantage scheme wherein the company motivates its employees to obtain ownership in the form of the shares. The shares are then allotted to employees at the rate that is considerably less than a prevailing rate in the market. Apart from an employee-benefit objective, ESOPs are equally meant to marshal the employee’s interests with that of shareholders. This is also believed that employees that are also shareholders, would focus improve on firm growth and performance so that value of the shares appreciates.
Who Are All Entitled To Employee Stock Option Plan?
Essentially, it is the employees of the company that is entitled to ESOP, however, the firm sets certain criteria so that the employees are eligible for the very same. Advantages under the scheme can well be claimed via-
- A permanently hired hand of the firm working outside or in the country
- A whole-time or part-time director of a firm
- The employee of a subsidiary, holding, or associate firm, whether outside country or in the country
How does The ESOP Function?
Under an ESOP that is Employee Stock Option Plan, the firm grants its hired hands an option to purchase a specific number of the shares at the predefined rate which is comparatively lesser than market price. From the start-up’s point of view, below mentioned are steps to providing an ESOP-
- Firstly, the firm drafts an employee stock option plan scheme that’s later on approved at the shareholder’s meeting.
- After the approval of an ESOP scheme there in shareholder’s meeting, the ‘Letter of Grant’ must be issued to respective employees. The letter should consist of information on the no. of choices granted, the vesting period, the calculation of exercise price, etc. Also, one should make a note that choices aren’t shares; it’s only the right of owning the shares.
- If the employee wants to exercise this very option that’s granted by a sponsoring firm, he would require to make the ‘Exercise Application’. Post this, his choices will be changed into equity.
An IPO
An IPO stands for an initial public offering that’s referred to the procedure of offering the shares of private corporations to the public in the issuance of new stock.
A firm planning an ipo application will commonly select the underwriter or the underwriters.
The Key Takeaways
- Firms must meet needs by exchanges alongside SEC to hold the initial public offering.
- IPOs offer companies a choice to acquire capital by offering share through a primary market.
Firms hire an investment bank to the market, gauge the demand, set an IPO date and price, and a lot more.
