1.   At Vignette, as at many tech companies, employees can exercise the options to own company stock over a four-year period.

2.   -- allow employees to exercise a new type of stock option without immediately paying tax.

3.   Companies receive many benefits when their employees exercise stock options.

4.   Employees can even exercise stock options from their desktop.

5.   Employers get a deduction when employees exercise options, but as Kay and other compensation consultants note, these days few are cashing them in.

6.   For the cost of a shower, many more employees can exercise during lunch.

7.   If the repurchased stock goes into employee stock- option plans, it can end up back in the market when employees exercise their options.

8.   If the repurchased stock goes into employee stock-option plans, it can end up back in the market when employees exercise their options, the report said.

9.   Like Salomon, Microsoft benefits when its employees exercise their options.

10.   Likewise, the company that issues options reaps tax breaks and can get other financial benefits when employees exercise them.