[aigel]

ESPP it is called in short. Generally I would imagine it being a bonus program, meaning it is not part of your base salary, also meaning that it can be gone if times are tough. I would imagine that the stock being very low in price was also the time the company was doing very poorly. So, are you sure they skipped an ESPP period because they did not want to sell the stock at a low price or because they did not have the funds to give a 15% discount.

I don't see an advantage in not having your people buy stock when it is low in price. AAMOF wouldn't it be desirable for people to buy stock when it is struggling, to support it? I really think the 15% coming out of their pocket wasn't there, because they had to make ends meet.

I wouldn't be so negative and get upset if a perk goes away during rough times. I'd be happy to have an ESPP. You should read more about it and ask your controller / bean counter about how to take advantage of the program. To me it has always been an immediate x% bonus on my contribution. I would always sell it immediately, which generally gives you the x%.

G