THE RISE OF FRONT-LOADED VESTING

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

Front‑loaded vesting - higher Year‑1 value, a smaller initial grant, and refreshers as the engine of long‑term pay - is becoming the default. It tightens the link to performance, shifting rewards from tenure to contribution. Employees should evaluate offers on the first two years and steady‑state and insist on transparent refresher rules before signing. With this model, value arrives earlier, so document impact, broaden cross-functional reach, and align to promotion rubrics, as mobility and visibility matter.