“Even if it’s not in your incentive program, boards should set aside time on a semi-annual basis to review how the company is addressing sustainability because investors will want to know,” said Aalap Shah, managing director at Pearl Meyer.

"Companies want boards to maintain a longer-term perspective on strategy, which accounts for the trend we're seeing requiring longer holding periods before directors can cash out company stock," Ryan Hourihan, principal for Pearl Meyer told SHRM.

"All companies are focused on diversity," Deborah Lifshey, managing director at Pearl Meyer. "We don't have any clients that haven't talked about diversity in the boardroom."

“Since it’s a complicated process to attempt to recoup (clawback) money once it has been paid out, a lot of companies, rather than granting things now, are doing it over a longer period of time, so the payments are spread out and they can stop [payments] if needed.”