Use Case · For the CHRO & Total Rewards
Most companies want equity to reach beyond the executive ranks but can't justify the SBC expense at full reach. Carver Edison's Cashless ESPP® is purpose-built to extend the plan to every employee with no incremental P&L hit.
The Problem
Most companies want equity ownership to reach beyond the executive ranks. Almost none can actually justify it. The constraint isn't philosophy or employee demand - it's the SBC expense that compounds with every added participant, which is why most plans quietly default back to executives.
Traditional ESPP participation adds SBC expense for every participant. Extending the plan to broader populations adds proportional SBC to the P&L, which makes broad-based ownership a budget conversation rather than a comp-philosophy decision.
When extension costs P&L dollars, companies optimize - and the optimization usually concentrates equity in the executive ranks who already have substantial ownership. The employees most likely to benefit from equity are the ones least likely to receive it.
Most large companies publicly commit to broad-based ownership while running plans where less than half the workforce participates meaningfully. The gap between stated values and program design erodes trust internally.
The Mechanism
Traditional ESPP extension is gated by SBC expense, not by employee demand. Adding more participants adds more compensation cost to the P&L, which is why most plans default to executives. Carver Edison's Cashless ESPP® is structured so that extending the plan to every employee carries no incremental SBC.
Traditional ESPP
Cashless ESPP® by Carver Edison
The Outcome
Every employee on the plan, with no incremental SBC. Broad-based ownership stops being a budget conversation and becomes a policy decision.
Illustrative example
For a 25,000-person workforce with 30% current ESPP participation.
Today
With Carver Edison
Methodology: Carver Edison's Cashless ESPP® is structured so that adding every employee to the plan carries no incremental SBC. Participation lift modeled on Carver Edison's installed base (industry average <30% → 90%+ when affordability is removed as a barrier).
Related Outcomes
Decrease stock-based compensation by as much as 85% on the same grants.
See use case → 02.Dramatically reduce dilution on your share pool by sourcing shares from the open market.
See use case → 04.Give employees a meaningful raise in real economic value without a budget increase.
See use case →Book a 30-minute walkthrough with our team. We'll model your projected participation lift against your actual workforce composition and grant eligibility rules. Typical implementation lands inside one enrollment window, roughly 60 to 90 days.