Golden handcuffs

Golden handcuffs, a phrase first recorded in 1976, refers to financial allurements and benefits that have the objective to encourage highly compensated employees to remain within a company or organization instead of moving from company to company (or organization to organization) (opposite of a golden parachute). Golden handcuffs come in different forms: Employee stock options, which endow only when the employee has been with the company or organization for different years and contractual agreements, that consist of bonuses or other forms of benefits which must be repaid to the company if the employee leaves before the date agreed on. Golden handcuffs are frequently used for jobs that require rare and specialised skills or in a "tight labor market", where jobs are more common than workers. In any case, golden handcuffs are usually very expensive for the company or organization and therefore they are not appreciated by shareholders and directors.