8.17.2005 ET

(CSRwire) Waltham, MA--Salary.com and the Ethics Officer Association (EOA) today announced the results from a recent survey conducted to gauge the compensation earned by individuals holding "Ethics & Compliance Officer" jobs in corporate America. Titled "2005 EOA Survey of Ethics & Compliance Officer Jobs," the results of the survey show the increase in value that ethics and compliance officer jobs have in today's highly scrutinized business world, which is still recovering from dozens of high profile corporate scandals in the past five years. Results show total compensation for Top Global Ethics and Compliance Executives approaching $750,000.

In total, 109 of the largest companies in the world participated in the survey. Two thirds of the survey's participants have annual revenues of more than $10 billion. Given the increasing importance being placed on corporate ethics and compliance, Salary.com's analysis of the survey has shown that top ethics executives are receiving salaries comparable to that of a Chief Information Officer and significant amounts of long-term incentives (non-qualified stock options, incentive stock options, and restricted stock).

"The value placed on the Ethics and Compliance Officer profession has grown significantly as a result of numerous accounting scandals in corporate America that today are still being felt for the irrefutable damage caused to employees, investors and all businesses," according to Patrick Gnazzo, Senior Vice President, Business Practices & Chief Compliance Officer, of Computer Associates. "This comprehensive survey is another sign of EOA's leadership in better defining our profession. With the current demand for experienced ethics officers, corporate Human Resource organizations will benefit greatly from the data collected in this survey."

The survey data, which shows total compensation for Top Global Ethics and Compliance Executives approaching $750K, indicates the importance of ethics and compliance positions within organizations worldwide. Given this information, the survey also notes that nearly 79% of Top Global Ethics and Compliance Executives possess a Juris Doctor or Masters Degree. The growth in importance and number of ethics and compliance positions available is further supported by EOA membership statistics, which show that membership in the organization has doubled over the past 5 years.

"Today, our compensation team answers more questions about ethics and compliance jobs than any other profession, which validates the significance of the job title within corporate America today," according to Joseph Kilmartin, Director of Surveys at Salary.com. "It is likely that the ethics and compliance profession will become more important in the years to come with stricter corporate governance in place."

"If the Federal Sentencing Guidelines issued in November 1991 created the ethics profession, Sarbanes-Oxley created an entire industry," said Keith Darcy, the Executive Director of the EOA. "The new standards of doing business, introduced by legislators, regulators and prosecutors over the past several years have made the skills and experiences necessary to manage these risks by ethics and compliance officers much more important. The survey by Salary.com comprehensively addresses the compensation migration in the ethics and compliance community." Those interested in obtaining the survey can order a copy through the EOA website at www.eoa.org.

About the Ethics Officer Association
The Ethics Officer Association (EOA) is a non-consulting, member-driven association exclusively for individuals who are responsible for their company's ethics, compliance, and business conduct programs. The only organization of its kind, it is the largest group of corporate ethics and compliance practitioners in the world. The EOA is a non-profit, 501(c)(6) association, which derives all of its revenue from members' dues, conferences and other meeting fees, and financial contributions.

The EOA brings together people who are new to the field, as well as those with years of experience to share. Through the EOA, practicing ethics and compliance officers address the tough issues they face every day. Members learn from one another and, in turn, help to foster a global commitment to ethics and integrity.

About Salary.com, Inc.
Salary.com is a leading provider of compensation solutions providing data, applications, and services to enterprises, small businesses and individuals. Salary.com's personal tools are used and trusted by millions. Salary.com's enterprise software helps companies manage their compensation expenditures with real-time, decision-ready data and analytical tools. Backed by a team of Certified Compensation Professionals, Salary.com is your partner in compensation.

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