No matter how hard I try, I cannot understand the concept behind golden hellos, golden goodbyes and other eye-watering financial incentives for senior boardroom executives.
Corporations paying out millions of pounds to already rich people who have been more than well compensated for their efforts over the years seems bizarre at best.
Bankers such as Barclays duo Bob Diamond and Rich Ricci those names really are correct each pocketed salaries worth hundreds of thousands of pounds for turning up at work.
But that was not deemed to be adequate enough recompense, and their nests were further feathered by multi-million-pound share incentives and other perks.
They are by no means alone. Hundreds of similar cases have come to light since the boom inevitably led to bust with the financial collapse of 2008.
But what I cannot fathom is why such practices persist in blue-chip organisations to this day.
At the weekend it emerged that Paul Walsh, the chief executive of drinks giant Diageo, is walking away from the post he has held for the past 10+ years with an eight-figure package.
By any standards, Mr Walsh has done a good job. Since the financial crisis struck five years ago, and in the teeth of the most challenging economic environment in a generation, Mr Walsh has presided over a doubling of Diageo’s share price.
He has created jobs and been a key figure in the revitalisation of the Scotch whisky industry, personally signing off on a £1 billion plan to increase Diageo’s capacity for the golden nectar, and the footprint of his business dealings traverse the globe.
But does that really justify a package which could ultimately be worth tens of millions of pounds should he choose to exercise share options and Diageo hits performance targets over the next three years?
The average UK worker picks up around £26,000 per year. Are chief executives and other senior management appointees really worth 20 times, 50 times and sometimes more to a company than the worker on the shop floor?
The pay gap between the bottom and top of the tree in our major corporations has continually widened over the last 30-plus years.
That appears out of synch with the current economic realities and the wider public mood.
CEOs and other senior staff deserve to be well paid for the skills and insight they bring to a business. There is no doubt their contribution is absolutely vital.
But for a little perspective, UK Prime Minister David Cameron hardly a pauper by anyone’s standards is paid a salary of £142,500 for running the country.
Our boardrooms need to demonstrate executive pay restraint in action.
Salaries and incentive packages running into high seven and eight figures are simply unpalatable given the prevailing economic headwinds and the general public mood.Young entrepreneurs deserve respectA Prince’s Trust report has found a lack of opportunity is spurring more young people on to set up their own business.
Whether through necessity or not, it is exciting to see more young entrepreneurs coming through and putting their ideas into action.
The survey of 1,600 16- to 30-year-olds found nearly a third saw self-employment in their future, and a quarter expected to be their own boss within five years.
Some will flourish and some will fail but you have to respect anyone willing to try to carve out their own path in life.
Setting up in business is not the easy option that some may believe it is.
It can truly be an all-consuming around-the-clock slog to get a new concern off the ground, but the rewards for those who achieve success most definitely outweigh the drawbacks.