UNITED STATES

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Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

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LOGO

 


LOGONotice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders Thursday, [June] [8], 2017 10:00 a.m. (PDT) At: Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2401 N. Glassell Street Orange, California 92865

April 30, 2015


LOGO

1133 Avenue of the Americas, 15th Floor

New York, NY 10036

Tel: 212-704-2400

February 24, 2017

“As we head into fiscal 2017 as a financially stronger and more streamlined company, I believe we will continue to build on the foundational strengths of our core staffing business to achieve our longer-term goal of sustained profitable growth.”

Dear Shareholder:valued shareholder,

As I reflect on our fiscal year 2016, I am proud to have concluded my first full year as Chief Executive Officer with a solid fourth quarter, highlighted by strong year-over-year growth in gross margin percentage along with careful expense management that together helped produce the most profitable quarter Volt has achieved in five years. We believe now, more than ever, that our initiatives to reposition the business for profitable growth are beginning to take hold.

We are steadfast in our continued commitment to strengthening our balance sheet, streamlining our business and improving our cost structure and margins, and achieving top line growth. In 2016, we continued to add to our book of business, winning several significant new customer engagements. This, coupled with a slower rate of revenue decline from existing customers, is helping to stabilize revenue from our core North American staffing business. As has been the case throughout Volt’s history, our commitment to our customers and high quality of service endures and we believe this commitment will translate into business growth for our shareholders.

Volt is now led by a talented, skilled senior management team, which is incentivized to create and protect shareholder value. In addition, our passionate employees have worked tirelessly and supported the changes we have instituted, big and small, throughout the organization. Our collective teamwork was instrumental in achieving important business goals this past year and, together, we remain committed to and are inspired by our purpose—to partner with our clients to provide innovative workforce and technology solutions with what we believe is an extremely strong talent pool.

On behalf of the entire executive team, we hope our progress this past year is a clear indication of our resolve to achieve both our short and long term goals. While management recognizes that we still have a lot of work ahead of us, we remain steadfastly dedicated to delivering on our commitment to you, our valued shareholder. The Board of Directors and management, we cordially invitejoins me in extending to you an invitation to attend our Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Monday, May 11, 2015. The Meeting will be held at the offices of the Company, located at 2401 N. Glassell Street, Orange, California 92865, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT).

The Notice of Meeting and Proxy Statement accompanying this letter describe the business we will consider at the Meeting.Shareholders. Your vote is very important. I urgeimportant to us so we encourage you to promptly vote to be certain your shares are represented at the Meeting even ifby submitting your proxy. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with shareholders and sincerely thank you plan to attend. Most shareholders have a choice of voting over the Internet, by telephone or by using a traditional proxy card. Please refer tofor your proxy materials or the information forwarded by your bank, broker or other holder of record to see which methods are available to you.investment in Volt.

Ronald Kochman

LOGO

Michael D. Dean

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director


LOGOLOGO

Notice

1133 Avenue of Annual Meeting of Shareholdersthe Americas, 15th Floor

New York, NY 10036

Tel: 212-704-2400

    NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

To Be Held May 11, 2015June 8, 2017

The Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Volt Information Sciences, Inc. (the “Company”) will be held on Monday May 11, 2015,June 8, 2017, at the offices of the Company, located at 2401 N. Glassell Street, Orange, California 92865, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT). At the Meeting,meeting, shareholders will be asked to:

 

vote on a proposal to amend the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the Board of Directors;

elect sixseven directors;

 

ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent Registered Public Accounting Firmregistered public accounting firm for 2015;fiscal year 2017;

approve, on anon-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in these proxy materials;

recommend, on anon-binding, advisory basis, the frequency with which the Company should conduct future shareholder advisory votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers; and

 

consider any other business, if properly raised.

You may vote at the Meetingmeeting if you were a shareholder of the Company at the close of business on April 23, 2015,10, 2017, the record date for the Meeting.meeting.

By Order of the Board of Directors.

Ronald Kochman

LOGO

Michael D. Dean

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

New York, New York

April 30, 2015February 24, 2017

Please sign and return the enclosed proxy card in thepostage-paid envelope provided or, if you prefer, please follow the instructions on the enclosed proxy card for voting by telephone or via the Internet. You may access additional information atwww.proxyvote.com for voting instructions as well as to view the Proxy Statement and Annual Report online.

 

 


Volt Information Sciences, Inc.

Proxy Statement

2015 Annual Meeting of Shareholders

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Page

General Information

   1 

ITEM 1.

Election of Directors6

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Shareholder Matters

7

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

   5

Directors and Executive Officers

5

Corporate Governance

9 

Audit Committee

9

Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee

10

Compensation Committee

10

Executive Committee

11

Board Leadership Structure

11

Risk Oversight

12

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

12

Corporate Governance Guidelines

12

Availability of Corporate Governance Documents

13

Procedures for Recommending Directors

13

Family Relationships

13

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

13

Indemnification; Insurance

14

Audit Committee Report

   1519 

Item 2.

Proposal to Ratify the Appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm20

Item 3.

Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation(“Say-on-Pay”)21

Executive CompensationSummary—Implementing OurPay-for-Performance Philosophy & Addressing Shareholder Concerns

   1622 

Compensation Discussion and& Analysis

   1625 

IntroductionOur 2016 Named Executive Officers

   1625 

How Each Element of Our Executive Compensation PhilosophyProgram Works

   1625 

Components ofHow We Develop Our Executive Compensation Programs

   16

Oversight and Authority over Executive Compensation

17

Base Salary

18

Annual Cash Incentive

18

Long-Term Incentives

2031 

Employment, Termination of Employment andChange-In-Control Agreements

   2232 

Clawback/Recoupment

   2233

Stock Ownership Guidelines

33

Hedging; Pledging

33 

Benefits

   2233 

OtherCompensation-Related Matters

   2334 

Compensation Committee ReportRisk Assessment

   2334 

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation in Compensation Decisions

   2434 

Fiscal Year 20142016 Summary Compensation Table

   2435 

Fiscal Year 20142016 Grants ofPlan-Based Awards

   2536 

Fiscal Year 20142016 Outstanding Equity Awards at FiscalYear-End

   2637 

Fiscal Year 20142016 Option Exercises and Stock Vested

   2738 

Fiscal Year 20142016 Pension Plan Benefits

   2738 

Fiscal Year 20142016 Nonqualified Deferred Compensation

   2838 

Employment Agreements with 20142016 Named Executive Officers

   2839 

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change inIn Control as of November 2, 2014October 30, 2016

   3544 

2014Fiscal Year 2016 Director Compensation Table

   35

-i-


SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS

36

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

40

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

41

Items of Business to be Acted on at the Annual Meeting

4246 

Item 1.4.

Approval of an Amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to Declassify the Board of Directors

  42Advisory Vote on Frequency of Future Advisory Votes on Named Executive Officer Compensation (“Say When On Pay”)47

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence

48

Principal Accounting Fees and Services

49 

Item 2.5.

Election of Directors

  44

Item 3.

Proposal to Ratify the Appointment of Ernst & Young as the Company’s Independent Registered Public Accounting FirmOther Matters

  47

Item 4.

Other Matters

48

ANNEX A Proposed Amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation to Declassify the Board of Directors

A-151 

 

iii    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc.2017 Proxy Statement


Volt Information Sciences, Inc.

Proxy Statement

20152017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders

GENERAL INFORMATION

Why did I receive this Proxy Statement?

The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Volt Information Sciences, Inc. (the “Company”, “we” or “us”) is soliciting proxies for the 20152017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting” or “Meeting”) to be held on Monday, May 11, 2015,June 8, 2017, at the offices of the Company, located at 2401 N. Glassell Street, Orange, California 92865, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT) and at any adjournment of the Meeting. When the Company asks for your proxy, we must provide you with a Proxy Statementproxy statement (this “Proxy Statement”) that contains certain information specified by law. This Proxy Statement summarizes the information you need in order to vote at the Meeting.

The Company’s Annual Report, Letter to Shareholders, Notice of Annual Meeting, Proxy Statement and proxy card are being mailed to shareholders beginning on or about April 30, 2015.17, 2017.

What will I vote on?

The following items:

 

an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the Board of Directors;

election of sixseven directors;

 

ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent Registered Public Accounting Firmregistered public accounting firm for 2015;fiscal year 2017;

approval of, on anon-binding, advisory basis, the Company’s executive compensation as disclosed in these proxy materials;

recommend, on anon-binding, advisory basis, the frequency with which the Company should conduct future shareholder advisory votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers; and

 

any other matters that may properly be brought before the Meeting.

What will happen if the amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the Board of Directors is not approved?

If the amendment is not approved, then the board will remain classified. Two of the nominees, James E. Boone and John C. Rudolf (currently a director), will be in the first class of directors and will be elected for a term expiring at the 2016 annual meeting of shareholders. The other four nominees, Nick S. Cyprus, Michael D. Dean, Dana Messina, and Laurie Siegel, will be in the second class of directors and will be elected for a term expiring at the 2017 annual meeting of shareholders.

Will there be any other items of business on the agenda?

We do not expect any other items of business at the Annual Meeting. Nonetheless, if there is an unforeseen need, your proxy will give discretionary authority to Ronald Kochman,Michael D. Dean, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Paul Tomkins, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, to vote on any other matters that may be properly brought before the Meeting. These persons will use their best judgment in voting your proxy.

Who is entitled to vote?

Shareholders as of the close of business on the record date, which is Thursday, April 23, 2015,10, 2017, may vote at the Annual Meeting.

How many votes do I have?

You have one vote at the Meeting for each share of common stock you held on the record date.

What constitutes a quorum for the Annual Meeting?

A quorum is necessary to conduct business at the Annual Meeting. A quorum requires the presence at the Meeting of 35% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, in person or represented by proxy. You are part of the quorum if you have voted by proxy. As of April 1, 2015, 20,816,210February 22, 2017, 20,917,800 shares of Company common stock were issued and outstanding.

1    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc.2017 Proxy Statement


GENERAL INFORMATION

How do I vote?

You can vote either in person at the Annual Meeting or by proxy without attending the Meeting. We urge you to vote by proxy even if you plan to attend the Meeting so we will know as soon as possible that enough votes will be present for us to hold the Meeting. If you attend the Meeting in person, you may vote at the Meeting and your earlier proxy will not be counted.

May I vote by telephone or via the Internet?

Yes. Instead of submitting your vote by mail using the enclosed proxy card, you may be able to vote on the Internet or by telephone. Please note that there are separate Internet and telephone voting arrangements depending on whether you hold your shares:

 

as the registered shareholder, also known as the “shareholder” or “holder” of record (that is, if you own shares directly in your own name and they are either kept at our transfer agent or are in your possession); or

 

as the “beneficial owner”, also known as holding the shares in “street name” (that is, if your shares are held for you by your bank, broker or other holder of record).

If you are a registered shareholder, you may vote by telephone or via the Internet by following the instructions on your proxy card.

If you are a beneficial owner, please refer to the information forwarded by your bank, broker or other holder of record to see which options are available to you. Most brokers and banks offer voting by telephone and via the Internet as well as by mail.

If you vote via the Internet, you may incur costs, such as usage charges from Internet access providers and telephone companies. You will be responsible for thesethose costs.

What should I do if I want to attend the Annual Meeting?

All shareholders of the Company may attend the Annual Meeting. Please bring your admission ticket or proof of ownership of the Company’s stock to enter the Annual Meeting. When you arrive at the Annual Meeting, you may be asked to present photo identification, such as a driver’s license, to be admitted.

 

If you are a registered shareholder, you will find an admission ticket attached as part of the proxy card sent to you. If you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, please bring this portion of the proxy card with you to the Meeting. If you opted to receive your proxy materials electronically, please print out the admission ticket you will find online and bring it with you.

 

If your shares are held in the name of your bank, broker or other holder of record, please bring proof of ownership to be admitted to the Meeting. A recent brokerage statement or letter from your bank or broker is an example of proof of ownership.

For safety and security reasons, no cameras, recording equipment, electronic devices, large bags, briefcases or packages will be permitted in the Meeting.

How do I vote my shares in the Volt Information Sciences, Inc. Savings PlanPlan?

If you received this Proxy Statement because you are an employee of the Company who participates in this plan and you have shares of common stock of the Company allocated to your account under this plan, you may vote your shares held in this plan as of April 23, 201510, 2017, by mail, by telephone or via the Internet. Instructions are provided on the enclosed proxy card. The tabulator must receive your instructions by

2    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


GENERAL INFORMATION

4:00 p.m. (EDT) on May 7, 2015June 6, 2017 in order to communicate your instructions to the plan’s Trustee,trustee, who will vote your shares. Any plan shares for which we do not receive instructions from the employee will be voted by the Trusteetrustee in the same proportion as the shares for which we have received instructions.

Can I revoke or change my vote?

Yes. If you are a shareholder of record, you have the right to revoke your proxy at any time before the Annual Meeting by sending a signed notice to the Company’s Secretary, Volt Information Sciences, Inc., 10651133 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10018.10036. If you want to change your vote at any time before the Meeting, you must deliver a later dated proxy by telephone, via the Internet or in writing. You may also change your proxy by voting in person at the Meeting.

If you are a beneficial owner, please refer to the information forwarded by your broker, bank or other holder of record for procedures on revoking or changing your proxy.

What are the costs of soliciting these proxies and who will pay them?

The Company will pay all costs of soliciting these proxies. In addition, some of our officers and employees may solicit proxies by telephone or in person. We will reimburse banks and brokers for the expenses they incur in forwarding the proxy materials to you. D.F. King & Co, Inc. will assist us with the solicitation of proxies for an estimated fee of $7,500$8,500 plus reasonableout-of-pocket costs and expenses. TheOur agreement with D.F. King with respect to these matters contains customary indemnification provisions.

How many votes are required for the approval of each item?

 

Item 1 – The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote is required to approve the amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the Board of Directors. Abstentions and broker non-votes, if any, will have the same effect as a vote against this proposal.

Item 2A plurality of votes cast at the Annual Meeting in person or by proxy is required for the election of each nominee to serve as a director.

 

Item 32The affirmative vote of a majority of votes cast at the Annual Meeting in person or by proxy is required to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2015.2017.

Item 3—The affirmative vote of a majority of votes cast at the Meeting in person or by proxy is required to approve, on anon-binding, advisory basis, the Company’s executive compensation as disclosed in these proxy materials. This vote is advisory and not binding on the Company, the Board or the Human Resources and Compensation Committee of the Board (the “Compensation Committee”) in any way. To the extent there is any significant vote against the executive compensation as disclosed in this Proxy Statement, the Board and the Compensation Committee will evaluate what actions, if any, may be appropriate to address shareholder concerns.

Item 4—The affirmative vote of a majority of votes cast at the Meeting in person or by proxy is required to recommend, on anon-binding, advisory basis, the frequency with which the Company should conduct future shareholder advisory votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers. This vote is advisory and not binding on the Company, the Board or the Compensation Committee in any way. However, we will take into account the outcome of this year’s vote when determining how frequently the Company will conduct future advisory votes on executive compensation and will disclose our frequency decision as required by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

Are abstentions and brokernon-votes part of the quorum?

Yes. Abstentions and brokernon-votes count as “shares present” at the Annual Meeting for purposes of determining a quorum.

3    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


GENERAL INFORMATION

What are brokernon-votes?

If your shares are held by a broker, the broker may require your instructions in order to vote your shares. If you give the broker instructions, your shares will be voted as you direct. If you do not give instructions, one of two things can happen depending on the type of proposal. If the proposal is considered “routine”, the broker may vote your shares in its discretion. For other proposals, the broker may not vote your shares without your instructions. When that happens, it is called a “brokernon-vote.”

Item 32 in this Proxy Statement (ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent Registered Public Accounting Firmregistered public accounting firm for 2015)fiscal year 2017) will be considered routine and the broker may vote your shares for this Item in its discretion. The broker is not entitled to vote your shares on the other Items unless the broker has received instructions from you.you with respect to such Items.

Who will count the vote?

Votes at the Annual Meeting will be counted by the inspectors of election appointed by the Board.

What if I do not vote for some or all of the matters listed on my proxy card?

If you are a registered shareholder and you return a signed proxy card without indicating your vote for some or all of the matters, your shares will be voted as follows for any matter you did not vote on:

 

for approval of the amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the Board of Directors;

 for the nominees to the Board listed on the proxy card;

 

 for the ratification of the appointment of Ernst and& Young LLP as the Company’s independent Registered Public Accounting Firmregistered public accounting firm for 2015.fiscal year 2017;

for approval of, on anon-binding, advisory basis, the Company’s executive compensation as disclosed in these proxy materials; and

for holding future shareholder advisory votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers on an annual basis.

How do I submit a shareholder proposal for the 2016 Annual Meeting?2018 annual meeting?

There are two different deadlinesprincipal means for submitting shareholder proposals. If a shareholder wishes to have a proposal considered for inclusion in next year’s Proxy Statement pursuant toRule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the proposal must comply with the requirements of Rule14a-8 and be received by us at our principal executive offices by no later than January 1, 2016. 120 calendar days before theone-year anniversary of the date on which the Company is releasing this Proxy Statement to shareholders in connection with this year’s Meeting.

If a shareholder intendswishes to submit a proposal that is not intended to be included in our Proxy Statement, or to nominate a candidate for director, he or she must give the Company written notice no earlier than 150 days and no later than 120 days prior to April 30, 2016theone-year anniversary of the date of the notice of this year’s Meeting and must otherwise comply with the requirements set forth in our Amended and RestatedBy-Laws (the“By-Laws”); provided, however, that if the 2018 annual meeting date is advanced by more than 30 days before or delayed by more than 30 days after theone-year anniversary date of this year’s Meeting and less than 130 days’ informal notice to shareholders or other prior public disclosure of the date of the 2018 annual meeting is given or made, then shareholders must provide notice to the Company within the time periods specified in theBy-Laws. Copies of theBy-Laws are available to shareholders free of charge on request to the Company’s Secretary, Volt Information Sciences, Inc., 10651133 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10018.10036.

4    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


GENERAL INFORMATION

Where can I find the voting results?

We will publish voting results in aForm 8-K which we will file with the SEC shortly after the vote is certified. To view thisForm 8-K online, visit the Company’s Investor Relations Web sitewebsite at http://www.volt.com/template_vis_investors.aspx?id=534.template_vis_investors.

Can shareholders and other interested parties communicate directly with our Board? If so, how?

Yes. You may communicate directly with one or more members of the Board by writing to the Company’s Secretary, Volt Information Sciences, Inc., 10651133 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10018.10036. The Company’s Secretary will then forward all questions or comments directly to our Board or a specific director, as the case may be.

5    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


GENERAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1.    ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

At this year’s Meeting, the Board proposes that the following nominees be elected until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until their respective successors have been duly elected and qualified. The Board has no reason to believe that the persons named below will be unable or unwilling to serve as nominees or as directors if elected.

Assuming a quorum is present, the seven nominees receiving the highest number of affirmative votes of shares entitled to be voted for such persons will be elected as directors of the Company until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified. In the event that additional persons are nominated for election as directors, the proxy holders intend to vote all proxies received by them in such a manner as will ensure the election of the nominees listed below, and, in such event, the specific nominees to be voted for will be determined by the proxy holders.

The Board recommends that you vote FOR each of the following nominees:

Nicholas S. Cyprus

Michael D. Dean

William J. Grubbs

Dana Messina

Arnold Ursaner

Laurie Siegel

Bruce G. Goodman

Please see “Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance—Directors and Executive Officers” for information showing the principal occupation or employment of the nominees for director, the principal business of the corporation or other organization in which such occupation or employment is carried on, and such nominees’ business experience during the past five years. Such information has been furnished to the Company by the director nominees.

6    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


GENERAL INFORMATION

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND

MANAGEMENT AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS

The following table sets forth information, as of February 20, 2017 (except as described in the footnotes to the following table), with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock, our only class of voting or equity securities, by (a) each person who is known to us to own beneficially more than five percent of the outstanding shares of our common stock, (b) each of the 2016 named executive officers (the “2016 Named Executive Officers”), (c) each of our directors and director nominees, and (d) all current executive officers and directors as a group. Unless otherwise indicated, the address for each individual listed below is c/o Volt Information Sciences, Inc., 1133 Avenue of Americas, New York, New York 10036.

  Name of Beneficial Owner Shares
of
Common
Stock
(1)
  Shares
That
May be
Acquired
Within
60 Days
(2)
  Percent
of
Class
 
  Five Percent Shareholders (other than Named Executive Officers and Directors):         

Deborah Shaw

  2,198,739(3)   3,000   10.20

Linda Shaw

  1,391,095(4)      6.44

Dimensional Fund Advisors, LP

  1,204,193(5)      5.58

Steven A. Shaw

  1,109,133(6)      5.14
  Named Executive Officers, Directors and Director Nominees:         

Jerome Shaw

  2,492,225(7)   8,000   11.95

Glacier Peak Capital LLC / John C. Rudolf

  2,203,439(8)   36,675   10.69

Bruce G. Goodman

  733,612(9)   39,675   3.69

Michael D. Dean

  110,326   160,683   1.29

Dana Messina

  54,063   36,675   * 

James E. Boone

  35,458   36,675   * 

Laurie Siegel

  25,458   36,675   * 

Nicholas S. Cyprus

  22,458   36,675   * 

Jorge Perez

        * 

Ann R. Hollins

        * 

Nancy Avedissian

        * 

Paul Tomkins

  3,300   18,291   * 

Leonard F. Naujokas

        * 

All executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group (16 persons)

  5,684,654   450,603   28.71

*Less than 1%.

(1)Except as noted, the named beneficial owners have sole voting and investment power with respect to their beneficially owned shares.

(2)The shares underlying all equity awards that may be exercised within 60 days are deemed to be beneficially owned by the person or persons for whom the calculation is being made and are deemed to have been exercised for the purpose of calculating this percentage, including the shares underlying options where the exercise price is above the current market price.

(3)Includes (i) 5,749 shares held by the William and Jacqueline Shaw Family Foundation, Inc., a charitable foundation of which Deborah Shaw, Linda Shaw and a daughter of Deborah Shaw are directors, as to which shares Deborah Shaw may be deemed to have shared voting and investment power; (ii) 71,220 shares owned by Deborah Shaw as custodian under the California Uniform Transfers to Minors Act for the benefit of her children; (iii) 110,356 shares owned by Deborah Shaw, Bruce G. Goodman (a director of the Company) and Linda Shaw (Deborah Shaw’s sister) as trustees of a trust for the benefit of the children of Linda Shaw, as to which shares Deborah Shaw may be deemed to have shared voting and investment power; and (iv) 557,054 shares owned by Deborah Shaw and Bruce G. Goodman as trustees of a trust for the benefit of Linda Shaw’s children, as to which shares Deborah Shaw may be deemed to have shared voting and investment power. The inclusion of the shares in clauses (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) is not an admission of beneficial ownership of those shares by Deborah Shaw. Does not include (a) 23,019 shares owned by Deborah Shaw’s husband; (b) 34,584 shares owned by Deborah Shaw’s husband as custodian for children of Deborah Shaw; and (c) 391,243 shares held by Deborah Shaw’s husband and his sister as trustees for the benefit of Deborah Shaw’s children.

7    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


GENERAL INFORMATION

(4)Includes (i) 110,356 shares held by Linda Shaw, Bruce G. Goodman (her husband and a director of the Company) and Deborah Shaw (her sister and a former director of the Company) as trustees of trusts for the benefit of the children of Linda Shaw, as to which shares Linda Shaw has shared voting and investment power; and (ii) 5,749 shares held by the William and Jacqueline Shaw Family Foundation, Inc., a charitable foundation of which Linda Shaw, Deborah Shaw and a daughter of Deborah Shaw are the directors, as to which shares Linda Shaw has shared voting and investment power. The inclusion of the shares in clauses (i) and (ii) is not an admission of beneficial ownership of those shares by Linda Shaw. Does not include (a) 62,202 shares owned by Bruce G. Goodman, individually; (b) 39,675 shares underlying a stock option held by Bruce G. Goodman that were granted to him by the Company as a director of the Company; (c) 4,000 shares held by Bruce G. Goodman as trustee of an irrevocable trust for the benefit of a child of Bruce G. Goodman; and (d) 557,054 shares held by trusts for the benefit of Linda Shaw’s children, of which trusts Deborah Shaw and Bruce G. Goodman are trustees.

(5)Based on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 9, 2017 by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, an investment adviser registered under Section 203 of the Investment Advisors Act of 1940, furnishes investment advice to four investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and serves as investment manager orsub-adviser to certain other commingled funds, group trusts and separate accounts (such investment companies, trusts and accounts, collectively referred to as the “Funds”). In certain cases, subsidiaries of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP may act as an adviser orsub-adviser to certain Funds. In its role as investment advisor,sub-adviser and/or manager, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP or its subsidiaries (collectively, “Dimensional”) may possess voting and/or investment power over the securities of the Company that are owned by the Funds, and may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of the shares of the Company held by the Funds. However, all securities reported in this schedule are owned by the Funds. Dimensional disclaims beneficial ownership of such securities.

(6)Based on a Schedule 13D/A filed with the SEC on May 1, 2015. Includes 14,216 shares held by Steven Shaw as the sole trustee of trusts for the benefit of two nephews of Steven Shaw. The inclusion of such shares is not an admission of beneficial ownership of those shares by Steven Shaw.

(7)Includes (i) 2,394 shares held by Jerome Shaw through the Company’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan, which is part of the Company’s 401(k) plan; (ii) 22,951 shares held for Jerome Shaw’s benefit under the “Savings Plan” feature of the Company’s 401(k) plan; (iii) 8,000 shares underlying stock options issued by the Company to Jerome Shaw and transferred to the Jerome and Joyce Shaw Family Trust u/d/t dated 8/6/1969; (iv) 1,401,547 shares held in The Jerome and Joyce Shaw Family Trust u/d/t dated 8/6/1969; (v) 1,052,583 shares held in The Rachel Lynn Shaw Trust u/d/t dated 11/23/2001; and (vi) 12,750 shares held by the Family Foundation by virtue of their position as directors of that corporation; and excludes 10,000 shares owned by Joyce Shaw individually. The inclusion of the shares in clauses (iv) and (v) is not an admission of beneficial ownership of those shares by Jerome Shaw.

(8)Includes (i) 180,874 shares directly owned by Mr. Rudolf, 55,605 shares held in an IRA account that he controls, 30,000 shares held in an account that Mr. Rudolf controls for the benefit of his wife and 151,317 shares held in accounts that Mr. Rudolf controls for the benefit of other family members and (ii) 1,785,643 shares owned by the Glacier Peak U.S. Value Fund, L.P., of which Mr. Rudolf may be deemed to be the beneficial owner.

(9)Includes (i) 4,000 shares owned by Bruce G. Goodman as trustee of a trust for the benefit of his one of his children; (ii) 110,356 shares owned by Bruce G. Goodman, Linda Shaw (his wife), and Deborah Shaw (a former director of the Company) as trustees of trusts for the benefit of the children of Linda Shaw, as to which shares Bruce G. Goodman may be deemed to have shared voting and investment power; and (iii) 557,054 shares owned by Bruce G. Goodman and Deborah Shaw as trustees of a trust for the benefit of Linda Shaw’s children, as to which shares Bruce G. Goodman may be deemed to have shared voting and investment power. The inclusion of the shares in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) is not an admission of beneficial ownership of those shares by Bruce G. Goodman. Does not include 1,274,990 shares owned by Bruce G. Goodman’s wife individually.

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DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Directors and Executive Officers

The names of our current directors and executive officers and their ages, positions, biographies and outside directorships are set forth below. Also included for our directors is information regarding their specific experience, qualifications, attributes and skills that led to the conclusion that each director should serve on our Board. Our executive officers are appointed by, and serve at the discretion of, our Board. Mr. Bryan Berndt and the Company mutually agreed to terminate his employment as the Company’s Controller and Chief Accounting Officer for personal reasons, effective as of January 27, 2017. Mr. Leonard Naujokas was appointed as Interim Controller and Chief Accounting Officer effective as of the same date. This information is as of April 6, 2015.February 24, 2017.

 

Name

 

Age

 

Position(s)

Executive Officers and Executive Directors

Michael D. Dean

 53 

Ronald Kochman

56 President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Jerome Shaw*Shaw

 8890 Executive Vice President and Director

Paul Tomkins

 5759 Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Bryan Berndt

 5860 Controller and Chief Accounting Officer until his resignation on January 27, 2017

Leonard Naujokas

45Interim Controller and Chief Accounting Officer

Kevin Hannon

48Vice President and Treasurer

Nancy Avedissian

43Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Ann R. Hollins

49Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Rhona Driggs

 51President—Volt Consulting Group and Senior Vice President, Volt Workforce Solutions Commercial Operations

Jorge Perez

49 Senior Vice President, North America StaffingPresident—Volt Workforce Solutions
  Non-Executive Directors

Richard HerringDana Messina

 5755 Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Europe and Asia Staffing

Lori Larson

47Senior Vice President, North America Staffing

Sharon H. Stern

52Senior Vice President – Legal Affairs and Secretary

Louise Ross

66Vice President – Human Resources

Kevin Hannon

46Vice President and Treasurer

Non-Executive Directors

Lloyd Frank**

89 Director

Bruce G. Goodman

 66Director

Theresa A. Havell

 68 Director

Mark N. Kaplan*

85 Director

John C. Rudolf (1)(2)

 6668Former Director

James E. Boone(1)

69 Director

Deborah Shaw*Nicholas S. Cyprus

 6063Director

Laurie Siegel

61 Director

William H. Turner*J. Grubbs(3)

 7559Interim Director

Arnold Ursaner

66 Director Nominee

(1)Director who was not nominated forre-election.

 

*(2)Director who is not standing for re-election.Mr. Rudolf resigned from his position as a director effective as of February 23, 2017.

**(3)Mr. Grubbs was appointed by the Board as an Interim Director who is retiring prior to the Annual Meeting.effective as of February 23, 2017.

Executive Officers and Executive Directors

  Michael D. Dean

Ronald KochmanMichael D. Dean has been a director since May 2015 and our President and Chief Executive Officer and a director since April 2012.October 19, 2015. Mr. Kochman has been employed by us since 1987 and has been an officer of the Company since February 2005. Prior to his appointmentDean previously served as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer heof the Company from June 2015 until October 2015 and Chairman of the Board (the “Chairman”) from May 2015 until October 2015. From March 2013 until May 2015, Mr. Dean had a break in service. He was Chief Executive Officer of Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. from July 2010 until March 2013. He also served as a director on its board from May 2009 until March 2013 and as a member of its audit committee from June

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DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

2009 until March 2010. From 2003 to 2010, Mr. Dean was Chief Executive Officer of Mediaur Technologies, Inc., aprivately-held satellite technology company that provides proprietary antenna system solutions for commercial and government applications. Before Mediaur, Mr. Dean was Executive Vice President of ABC Cable Networks Group, amulti-billion dollar global division of The Walt Disney Company, where he ran all of the division’snon-creative operations including Affiliate Sales and Marketing, Finance, Legal, Broadcasting Operations, IT, Human Resources, and Business Development. Earlier at Disney, he was Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategic Planning.Planning, responsible for all corporate strategy, development, and M&A in Disney’s broadcasting, cable, and film studio businesses. Before Disney, Mr. Dean was a strategy consultant with Bain & Company. He received his Master ofholds an MBA from the Harvard Business Administration degree with an emphasis in financeSchool. Mr. Dean brings to our Board substantial managerial, operational and investments from George Washington University and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Stony Brook University. Through his 27 years’ experience with us, Mr. Kochman has gained a deep knowledge of all aspects of the Company’s business and has valuable insight with respect to finance, strategy and business development.experience.

  Jerome Shaw

Jerome Shaw has been a director since April 2012. Jerome Shaw co-founded the Company in 1950 with his brother, has beenserved as Executive Vice President since 1957 (when the present company was organized), served as Secretary of the Company from 1957 until 2014 and has been employed in executive capacities by the Company and its predecessors since 1950. JeromeMr. Shaw bringscontinues to the Board businessprovide leadership and athrough his deep understanding of our industry, business, operations, services, products, customers, suppliers and employees. Mr. Shaw served on the Board from April 2012 to May 2015.

  Paul Tomkins

Paul Tomkins has been our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since March 2015. From August 2014 to March 2015, Mr. Tomkins had a break in service. From May 23, 2011 to July 30, 2014, Mr. Tomkins served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Reader’s Digest Association, Inc., where he oversaw all aspects of finance and accounting and played an integral role in managing a number of importantnon-core business divestitures. Prior to his role at Reader’s Digest, Mr. Tomkins spent 27 years at AT&T, where he most recently served as the Vice President and Controller of AT&T Business Solutions and previously held a number of other financial management positions. Mr. Tomkins is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the NJ Society of CPAs. He earned his MBA with an emphasis in International Finance from Seton Hall University.

  Bryan Berndt

Bryan Berndthas been our served as the Company’s Controller and Chief Accounting Officer sincefrom April 2015.2015 until January 2017. From April 2012 until March 2015, Mr. Berndt was the Controller and Chief Accounting Officer of Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. From December 2011 to April 2012, Mr. Berndt had a break in service. From 2008 until December 2011, he was Treasurer and Vice President of Finance at Bowne & Co., Inc.

Lori Larsonhas been Prior to 2008, he was Controller of Loews Cineplex Entertainment and a Senior Vice President – North America StaffingManager for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mr. Berndt is a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Global Management Accountant. He holds a Masters in Taxation from Fordham University, the Gabelli Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Public Accounting from Pace University.

  Leonard Naujokas

Leonard Naujokashas served as our Interim Controller and Chief Accounting Officer since November 2013January 27, 2017 while the Company conducts a search to assess internal and has been employed by us since 1992.external candidates for the position of Controller and Chief Accounting Officer. Prior to herhis appointment as Senior Vice President – North America Staffing, sheInterim Controller and Chief Accounting Officer, Mr. Naujokas served in various roles with increased responsibilities within our Staffing Service segment including Branch Manager, Area Manager, National and Global Account Manager and most recently Regional Vice President. Ms. Larson is currently responsible forsince August 2012 as the program and relationship management of our enterprise customers. Prior to joining us, Ms. Larson held a position in sales and marketing at a manufacturing company.

Rhona Driggs has been a Senior Vice President – North American Staffing since November 2013 and has been employed by us since 1996. Prior to her appointment as Senior Vice President – North America Staffing, she served in various roles with increased responsibilities within our Staffing Service segment including Regional Manager and Regional Vice President. Ms. Driggs is

currently responsible for the program and relationship management of our Retail customers in addition to having responsibility of delivery for all of North America. Prior to joining us, Ms. Driggs held various positions of increasing responsibility at Kelly Services from 1990–1996.

Richard Herringhas been SeniorCompany’s Vice President and Managing DirectorAssistant Corporate Controller. He has seventeen years of Europe and Asia Staffing operations since December 2010 and joined the Company in January 2006 as European Staffing Services Director. Prior toexperience leading accounting functions. Before joining the Company, Mr. Naujokas served as Senior Director of SEC Reporting/Technical Accounting for Monster Worldwide, LLC from January 2011 to August 2012. From November 2003 through December 2010, Mr. Naujokas worked at Motorola, Inc., during which time it acquired Symbol Technologies, Inc. At Motorola, his responsibilities increased over the course of his tenure until he served as aits Director of TheSkillsMarket Limited, a software company providing services to recruitment companies, between September 2004 and January 2006. Between August 1988 and July 2004, Mr. Herring worked in various sales and operational capacities at the U.K.-based recruitment company Reed Personnel Services PLC, and was a director of this company between January 1999 and July 2004. Mr. Herring has also served as an elected executive of the U.K.-based trade body the Association of Professional Staffing Companies for two separate terms, 2001 to 2004 and 2007 to 2010, fulfilling the role of chairman in 2009-2010.Accounting, Controller Enterprise Solutions Business.

Sharon H. Stern has been our Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs since May 2014 and our Secretary since June 2014. Immediately prior to joining the Company in May 2014, she was a partner at the law firm of Troutman Sanders LLP. Ms. Stern has over 25 years of legal experience focusing on corporate governance and business litigation matters. Ms. Stern holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the State University of New York at Albany and a Juris Doctor degree from the New York University School of Law.

Louise Ross has been our Vice President of Human Resources since September 2006 and has been employed by the Company in executive capacities in its human resource departments since 1993. Prior to joining

10    |Volt Ms. Ross held various management positions in human resources with extensive experience in program development, compensation/benefits, employee and labor relations and employment law. Ms. Ross was an adjunct professor for the New School University, graduate management program in Human Resources. She also taught compensation and employee benefits for undergraduate programs. She holds a Master’s Degree from the New School University in Human Resources Management along with an undergraduate degree in business management from Marymount Manhattan College.Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

  Kevin Hannon

Kevin Hannon has been our Vice President and Treasurer since March 2015. Previously, he was our Assistant Treasurer since January 2008. Prior to joining Volt,the Company, Mr. Hannon was an Assistant Treasurer and Finance Manager with Atlas Copco North America, Inc., and also gained extensive financial regulatory experience as a bank examiner with the US Treasury Department. In addition to undergraduate degrees in Business and Economics, Mr. Hannon obtained his MBA from Rutgers Business School in Strategic Management and Finance, and he also has the CTP (Certified Treasury Professional) designation.

  Nancy T. Avedissian

Non-Executive DirectorsNancy T. Avedissian has been our Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since October, 2016. From April 2009 through immediately prior to beginning her service with the Company, Ms. Avedissian was the General Counsel of Worldwide Clinical Trials, a global provider of full-service drug development services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. She also served as the Vice President of Legal Affairs of that company beginning in 2012. Prior to April 2009, Ms. Avedissian was a corporate attorney with the law firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP, where she worked since 1999. Ms. Avedissian has over 17 years of experience in corporate legal practice. Ms. Avedissian holds undergraduate degrees from the University of California, Irvine and earned a juris doctorate degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.

  Ann R. Hollins

Lloyd FrankAnn R. Hollins has been our Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer since March 2016. From January 2015 to March 2016, Ms. Hollins was President of ARH Consulting, in which capacity she provided executive human resources consulting services to chief executive officers and senior executives across a broad range of projects, including organizational design & development, talent management, executive compensation and coaching. Prior to her role with ARH Consulting, Ms. Hollins served as Chief Human Resources Officer for Weight Watchers International from March 2013 to December 2014, during which time she led Weight Watchers’ successful global organizational restructuring and cultural transformation. Prior to Weight Watchers, she served in senior executive roles at Hess Corporation from March 2006 to February 2013, including as Global Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Global Chief Learning and Development Officer and Vice President, Human Resources, Marketing and Refining. Prior to Hess, she held human resources leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Tyco, D&B, PepsiCo and BP. Ms. Hollins holds an MBA in Finance and Marketing from New York University Stern School of Business and a BBA in Human Resources from University of Iowa.

  Rhona Driggs

Rhona Driggs has been our President of the Volt Consulting Group and Senior Vice President of the Volt Workforce Solutions Commercial Operations since May 2016. Prior to then, she served as our Senior Vice President—North American Staffing since November 2013 and has been employed by us since 1996. Prior to her appointment as Senior Vice President—North American Staffing, she served in various roles with increased responsibilities within our Staffing Service segment including Regional Manager and Regional Vice President. Prior to joining us, Ms. Driggs held various positions of increasing responsibility at Kelly Services from 1990-1996. Ms. Driggs was an executive officer of the Company until June 8, 2016.

  Jorge Perez

Jorge Perez has been the President of Volt Workforce Solutions since April 2016. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Perez was the Executive Vice President of the Professional Diversity Network from March 2015 until April 2016. Prior to then, Mr. Perez worked with ManpowerGroup, Inc. in various capacities for over 20 years, most recently as the Senior Vice President of ManpowerGroup from August 2014 until March

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DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

2015, and previously as the Senior Vice President of Manpower North America starting in 2008. In his role as Senior Vice President, Mr. Perez led a successful business transformation which resulted in growing revenues and expanding profitability by creating redefined sales and delivery channels, shared services, and a central sourcing model. Mr. Perez holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering from La Salle University in Mexico City, and has participated in several executive programs in Europe, Mexico, and the U.S.

Non-Executive Directors, FormerNon-Executive Director andNon-Executive Director Nominee

  Dana Messina

Dana Messina has served as Chairman since October 2015 and has been a director since March 2000. He has been senior counsel since January 2010,May 2015. Mr. Messina was Chief Executive Officer and of counsel from April 2005 until December 2009, with the law firm of Troutman Sanders LLP. Mr. Frank was counsel from January 2004 to March 2005, and a partner from January 1977 until December 2003, with the law firm of Jenkens & Gilchrist Parker Chapin LLP (and its predecessors, Parker Chapin LLP and Parker Chapin Flattau & Klimpl). Mr. Frank is also a director of EnviroStar, Inc. (a distributorSteinway Musical Instruments from August 1996 to October 2011. Mr. Messina also owns and serves as the President of commercial and industrial boilers, commercial laundry and drycleaning equipment) andKirkland Messina LLC, a firm founded in 1994 that specializes in financial advisory services. Prior to founding Kirkland Messina, Mr. Messina was a directorSenior Vice President in the High Yield Bond Department at Drexel Burnham Lambert Incorporated. Mr. Messina graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University with a Bachelor’s of Park Electrochemical Corp.Science in mechanical engineering, and received an MBA from 1985 until 2013 (a developerthe Harvard Business School. Mr. Messina brings to our Board significant operating and manufacturer of advanced materials). Mr. Frank has extensive corporate legal, compliance and governancefinancial expertise as well as substantial experience and has served as an advisor to, and board member of, a number of other public companies, private companies and charities. This experience enables him to provide the Board with advice on a wide range of legal and business matters, in addition to an understanding of our legal and business affairs obtained from over 40 years of legal representation of our Company.company director.

  Bruce G. Goodman

Bruce G. Goodman has been a director since May 2000. He has been General Counsel of Shepherd Kaplan LLC (an investment advisor registered with the SEC) since April 2008. From April 1995 to April 2008, he was a partner of the law firm of Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP. In addition to his perspective as anon-management director, Mr. Goodman provides to the Board experience as a business lawyer with substantial experience and insight into the investment markets obtained as general counsel to an investment advisory firm.

Theresa A. Havell has been a director since April 2004. She has been President and Chief Investment Officer of Havell Capital Management LLC (a money management company) since 1996. Prior to 1996, Ms. Havell was a partner, member of the Executive Committee, Director and Chief Investment Officer of the Fixed Income Group of NeubergerBerman (an investment management firm). Ms. Havell contributes vast experience and knowledge in the investment and financing markets and economic conditions to the Board derived from her money management and investment experience.

Mark N. Kaplan has been a director since April 1991. He has been of counsel with the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP since 1999. From October 1979 until 1999, he was a partner in that firm. In addition to serving on the board of directors or as trustee of a number of civic and charitable organizations, Mr. Kaplan is also a director of American Biltrite, Inc. (a manufacturer of commercial flooring and performance sheet rubber) and Autobytel Inc. (an online automotive marketing firm) where he serves as Chair of the Audit Committee. Mr. Kaplan is also a member and former Chairman of the Audit Committee of The City of New York and is a member and former co-Chair of the Audit Advisory Committee of the Board of Education of The City of New York. In addition to his legal experience focusing on securities, governance and mergers and acquisitions matters, Mr. Kaplan brings to the Board business management, financing and leadership experience gained as President, Director, and Chief Operating Officer of Engelhard Minerals & Chemicals Corporation (a New York Stock Exchange listed mining and chemicals company acquired by BASF in 2006) from 1977 to 1979 and President and Chief Executive Officer of Drexel Burnham Lambert (an investment banking firm) from 1970 to 1977.

  John C. Rudolf

John C. Rudolf has beenserved as a director sincefrom March 2015.2015 until February 23, 2017. Mr. Rudolf currently serves as President and Senior Portfolio Manager of Glacier Peak Capital LLC, an investment advisory firm registered with the SEC he founded in July 2012. From April 1996 until July 2012, Mr. Rudolf served as a Managing Member and founder of Summit Capital Group, an independent investment advisory firm registered with the SEC managing individual accounts and several private investment funds. From 1975 until 1996, Mr. Rudolf served in various positions at Oppenheimer & Co., Inc., including partner in charge of Oppenheimer’s Pacific Northwest operations from 1988 until 1996. Mr. Rudolf has served on the board of directors of Detrex Corporation, a leading manufacturer of high performance specialty chemicals including additives for industrial petroleum products and high purity hydrochloric acid, since November 2012. Mr. Rudolf was appointed to the Board pursuant to the Settlement Agreement described on page 10 under “Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance – Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee.” Mr. Rudolf bringsbrought to our boardBoard substantial experience and knowledge as a professional investor and the perspective of a substantial,long-term shareholder in our Company.

  James E. Boone

Deborah ShawJames E. Boone has been a director since August 2006. Dr. ShawMay 2015. Mr. Boone has been a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Los Angeles, California for more than 19 years. Dr. Shaw bringsan independent executive management consultant and angel investor since 2013. From June 2011 to May 2012, Mr. Boone served as an advisor to the BoardChief Executive Officer of the perspectiveCompany and, from June 2011 to December 2012, as President and Chief Executive Officer of ProcureStaff Technologies, Ltd., a non-management beneficial ownerthen separate business unit of approximately 10.3 percentthe Company providing specialized software applications to manage temporary staffing, project work, and other human capital services. From January 2009 to June 2011, Mr. Boone served as President and Chief Executive Officer of our common stock, as well as an educationalImpellam Group PLC, North America, a provider of staffing solutions and managed

12    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

services for workforce needs globally. Mr. Boone has extensive managerial and operational experience and background in law gained from her law degreeworking with staffing and executive search firms, including the Company. Mr. Boone graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and three yearsLouisville with a Bachelor’s of the practice of law with the law firm of Covington & Burling.Science in Commerce.

  Nicholas S. Cyprus

William H. TurnerNicholas S. Cyprus has been a director since August 1998.May 2015. Mr. TurnerCyprus has been a member of the board of directors of DigitalGlobe, Inc. since May 2009 and the board of directors of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. since June 2012. He is the Chairman of the audit committees of both boards and serves on the governance & nominating committee of DigitalGlobe, Inc. He also provides advisory services for several smaller clients. From December 2006 to March 2013, Mr. Cyprus was employed by General Motors Company, most recently as Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer. General Motors filed a petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in June 2009. Mr. Cyprus continued to serve at General Motors during the pendency of, and its emergence from, bankruptcy. Mr. Cyprus was a member of the team involved in the initial public offering of General Motors stock in November 2010. Prior to joining GM in 2006, Mr. Cyprus was Senior Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer for The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc., one of the world’s largest advertising and marketing services companies. Before Interpublic, Mr. Cyprus held positions of increasing responsibility at AT&T for more than 22 years, serving in his most recent role as Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer from 1999 to 2004. Mr. Cyprus earned his Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University and an MBA from New York University, Stern School of Business. He is an active Certified Public Accountant in the State of New Jersey. Mr. Cyprus brings to our Board valuable managerial, financial and accounting experience serving companies with global operations.

  Laurie Siegel

Laurie Siegel has been a director since May 2015. Ms. Siegel has been the President of LAS Advisory Services, a firm providing advice to organizations on issues related to talent management, succession planning, organizational capability and culture since January 2013. Ms. Siegel was the Chief Human Resource Officer at Tyco International College, Beirut, LebanonLtd. from January 2003 until November 2012. She joined the company as part of a new leadership team charged with restoring the company’s reputation, financial health and was formerlygovernance practices. Ms. Siegel had responsibility for rebuilding the leadership team, executing a seniorstrategy to restore the confidence of the company’s employees and building an HR function with deep expertise in global human resource practices. Since February 2009, Ms. Siegel has been a member of the board of directors of, and Chair of the compensation committee of, CenturyLink, Inc., a broadband, telecommunications and data hosting company, and a director of FactSet Research Systems Inc., a multinational financial data and software company. Ms. Siegel has an MBA and a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning, both from Harvard University. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan. Ms. Siegel serves as an advisor with Opera Solutions, LLC (a predictive analytics company). Mr. Turner also served as Deanto the G100 Network and teaches at Thethe Ross School of Business at the University of Montclair State University from June 2008 until January 2010.Michigan and the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Ms. Siegel brings to our Board substantial experience as a human resources executive with large global enterprises as well as substantial public company board experience.

  William J. Grubbs

William J. Grubbs has been an interim director since February 23, 2017. He was founding Dean at Stony Brook University College of Business from January 2004has been nominated to December 2007. Prior to that, he was Senior Partner of Summus Ltd. (a consulting firm) from September 2002 to December 2003. From August 1997 until September 1999, Mr. Turner was President

of PNC Bank, N.A. and served as Chairman of that bank’s Northeast Region until September 2002. From October 1996 to July 1997, Mr. Turner was President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Franklin Electronic Publishers, Incorporated (a designer and developer of hand-held electronic information products) and, from August 1990 to September 1996, he was Vice Chairman of The Chase Manhattan Bank and its predecessor, Chemical Banking Corporation. He is also a director of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (a financial planning and advisory firm), and Standard Motor Products, Inc. (a manufacturer of engine management and temperature control parts). During the last five years, Mr. Turner also servedserve as a director of Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc.the Company. Mr. Grubbs became President, Chief Operating Officer and New Jersey Resources Corporation (a natural gas and renewable energy services company) and, since 2011 Mr. Turner has been a director of Fine Mark Bank,Cross Country Healthcare, a non-public commercial/NASDAQ-listed company that specializes in healthcare workforce solutions, on April 1, 2013. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Cross Country Healthcare on July 5, 2013. Beginning in October 2012 and continuing until March 2013, Mr. Grubbs was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Trueblue, Inc. From October 2011 until October 2012, Mr. Grubbs worked as a freelance consultant. From November 2005 through October 2011, Mr. Grubbs held various senior executive

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DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

positions with SFN Group, Inc., including Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer commencing in January 2007. Mr. Grubbs holds a B.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of New Hampshire. He currently serves on the advisory boards of Diversant, LLC and Lannick Group of Companies.

  Arnold Ursaner

Arnold Ursaner has been nominated to serve as a director of the Company. From April 2015 until the present, Mr. Ursaner has managed the Ursaner Family Office, a private bank with headquarters in Ft. Myers, Florida.investment firm. Mr. Turner provides the Board with vast knowledge of finance and accounting gained through his extensive executive experience at leading banking institutions and business, managerial and leadership experience gained from his positionUrsaner served as the co-chief executive officerfounder and president of CJS Securities, Inc. from September 1997 through April 2015. In this capacity, he oversaw the strategy and growth of the company, which specialized in providingin-depth, fundamental research on small-capitalization andmid-capitalization companies viewed by CJS as underfollowed or misunderstood. Since 2010, Mr. Ursaner has served as a publicly-held company.board member and a member of the Finance Committee of Friends of Karen, a nonprofit organization. Additionally, Mr. Ursaner has served as the head of the Finance Committee of Friends of Karen since 2014 and he served as Vice President of the organization in 2015. Mr. Ursaner earned a B.S. degree in Economics from the State University of New York at Stonybrook. He was awarded the Best on the Street Award for General Industrial Services in 2003, Best on the Street Award for Business Services in 2006 and theWall Street Journal Starmine award as the #1 Rated Analyst in Business and Industrial Services.

Corporate Governance

The Company’s business and affairs are managed and under the direction of the Board. Members of the Board are kept informed of the Company’s business through discussions with the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and other officers, by reviewing materials provided to them and by participating in meetings of the Board and its committees. Our Board has standing Audit, Nominating/Corporate Governance, Compensation and ExecutiveCompensation Committees. The Company’s policies and procedures with respect to the Board, as well as information regarding the roles and responsibilities of Board committee chairs and their committees, which are comprised solely of independent directors, are set forth in the committee charters and in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, copies of which are available in the Investors & Governance section of the Company’s website, at www.volt.com.

The Board held eightsix meetings during the fiscal year ended November 2, 2014. No director attended fewer than 75 percent of the aggregate of the total number of meetings of the Board and the total number of meetings of committees of the Board on which such director served. Seven2016. All directors attended the 20142016 Annual Meeting.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee consists of Mark N. Kaplan (Chair), Theresa A. Havell and William H. Turner. Each committee member is financially literate and meets the current independence requirements for Audit Committee membership under both the rules of the SEC and the NYSE MKT Exchange (“NYSE:MKT”). The Board has determined that Mark N. Kaplan is an “audit committee financial expert” within the meaning of the applicable SEC rules and possesses accounting and related financial management expertise within the meaning of the rules of the NYSE:MKT. This determination is based on Mr. Kaplan’s experience as chief executive officer of an investment banking firm, chief operating officer of a public company, former Chairman and current member of the Audit Committee of The City of New York, former Co-Chair of the Audit Advisory Committee of the Board of Education of The City of New York and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Autobytel, Inc.

The Audit Committee operates under a written charter adopted by our Board. The Audit Committee provides assistance to the Company’s directors in fulfilling the Board’s oversight responsibility as to the Company’s accounting, auditing and financial reporting practices and as to the quality and integrity of the publicly distributed financial reports of the Company. The Audit Committee is responsible for the appointment, compensation, retention, and oversight of the independent auditor engaged to issue audit reports on our financial statements and internal control over financial reporting. The Audit Committee relies on the expertise and knowledge of management, the internal auditor, and the independent auditor in carrying out its oversight responsibilities. All services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm require prior approval of the Audit Committee, with limited exceptions as permitted by the SEC’s Rule2-01 of RegulationS-X. Among the factors considered by the Audit Committee in evaluating the performance of the independent registered public accounting firm are service quality, responsiveness, quality of audit team personnel and lead audit partner, management of the overall annual audit process, and understanding of the Company’s industry, business and internal control environment.

Among its functions, the Audit Committee reviews:

the audit plans and findings of our independent registered public accounting firm and our internal audit activities, as well as the results of regulatory examinations, and tracks management’s corrective action plans where necessary;

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our financial statements, including any significant financial items and changes in accounting policies, with our senior management and independent registered public accounting firm; and

our financial risk and internal control procedures, and significant tax and legal matters.

Each member of the Audit Committee, which is currently comprised of Nicholas S. Cyprus (Chair), Bruce G. Goodman and Dana Messina, is financially literate and meets the current independence requirements for Audit Committee membership under both the rules of the SEC and the NYSE MKT Exchange (“NYSE:MKT”). The Board has determined that Nicholas S. Cyprus is an “audit committee financial expert” within the meaning of the applicable SEC rules and that he possesses accounting and related financial management expertise within the meaning of the rules of the NYSE:MKT.

The Audit Committee operates under a written charter, adopted by our Board, whose adequacy is reviewed at least annually. The Audit Committee held 11 meetings during the fiscal year ended November 2, 2014.

2016.

Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee

The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee consists of Theresa A. HavellBruce G. Goodman (Chair), Mark N. Kaplan, Lloyd FrankNicholas S. Cyprus, Dana Messina and William H. Turner.Laurie Siegel. The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee is comprised entirely of directors determined by the Board to be “independent” for purposes of the applicable NYSE:MKT rules.

The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee operates under a written charter adopted by our Board. The responsibilities of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee include: identifying, evaluating and recommending to the Board prospective nominees for director; reviewing the Company’s corporate governance policies and making recommendations to the Board from time to time regarding matters of corporate governance; and reviewing the performance of the Board and its members. The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee has not established a formal process to identify and evaluate prospective nominees for director; however,director. However, in connectionconsidering individuals for nomination to stand for election, the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee will consider: (1) the current composition of directors and how they function as a group; (2) the skills, experiences or background, and the personalities, strengths, and weaknesses of current directors; (3) the value of contributions made by individual directors; (4) the need for a person with specific skills, experiences or background to be added to the negotiationBoard; (5) any anticipated vacancies due to retirement or other reasons; and (6) other factors may enter into the nomination decision. The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee endeavors to select nominees that contribute requisite skills and professional experiences in order to advance the performance of the Settlement Agreement, described below,Board and establish awell-rounded Board with diverse views that reflect the interests of our shareholders. The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee evaluated candidates recommended by currentconsiders diversity as one of a number of factors in identifying nominees for directors, shareholders as well as an independent search firm.however, there is no formal policy in this regard. The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee views diversity broadly to include diversity of experience, skills and viewpoint, in addition to traditional concepts of diversity. The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee held twosix meetings during the fiscal year ended November 2, 2014.2016.

Pursuant to a letter agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”) entered into on March 30, 2015, by and among the Company, Glacier Peak Capital LLC, a Washington limited liability company, Glacier Peak U.S. Value Fund, L.P., a Washington limited partnership, and John C. Rudolf, the Board increased the numbers of directors from eight to nine, and appointed John C. Rudolf to the vacancy created by the increase in size of the Board. In addition, the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee recommended that the Board nominate, and the Board agreed to nominate, each of the nominees described in Item 2 in “Items of Business to be Acted on at the Annual Meeting” on page 44. Each nominee who was not already on the board was appointed as a board observer pending his or her election. Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, Mr. Rudolf will be appointed to the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee and Audit Committee following the Annual Meeting.

Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee consists of William H. TurnerLaurie Siegel (Chair), Lloyd Frank, Theresa A. HavellNicholas S. Cyprus and Mark N. Kaplan.James E. Boone. The Compensation Committee is comprised entirely of directors determined by the Board to be “independent” for purposes of the applicable NYSE:MKT rules. The Compensation Committee operates under a written charter adopted by our Board. Under its charter, the Compensation Committee may delegate certain of its authority to any subcommittee comprised solely of Compensation Committee members who are independent directors.a subcommittee. The Compensation Committee is responsible for establishing, implementing and monitoring the Company’s executive compensation policies and program.programs. The Company’s executive compensation program is designed to meet three principal objectives:

 

attract, motivate and retain the talented executives who are a critical component of the Company’slong-term success by providing each with a competitive total compensation package;

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DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

 

ensure that executive compensation is aligned with both the short andlong-term interests of shareholders; and

 

motivate and reward high levels of team and individual performance.

During fiscal year 2014,2016, the Compensation Committee retainedcontinued to retain the services of Chernoff Diamond,ClearBridge Compensation Group, LLC (“ClearBridge”), an independent compensation consultant, as advisor to the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee provides direction to its compensation advisorconsultants with respect to executiveits role in reviewing management recommendations, attending committee meetings, and with respect to other matters related to the scope of the compensation matters.consultant’s engagement. The Compensation Committee held ninesix meetings during the fiscal year ended November 2, 2014.2016.

Additional information regarding the Compensation Committee and our policies and procedures regarding executive compensation, including the role of compensation advisors and executive officers in recommending executive compensation, is provided below under “Compensationin the “Executive Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis” beginningAnalysis” section of this Proxy Statement.

Board Leadership Structure

We have always made the decision on page 16.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee consistswhether to combine or separate the roles of Ronald Kochman, Bruce G. Goodman, Theresa A. Havell, Mark N. Kaplan and William H. Turner. The Executive Committee operates under a written charter adopted by our Board. The Executive Committee shall consist of no fewer than three of our directors, shall include the Chief Executive Officer and must include a majority of independent, non-management directors. Currently, fourChairman based on what was in the best interests of the five members ofCompany’s shareholders based on the Committee are independent, non-management directors. The responsibilities ofcircumstances at the Executive Committee include all of those exercised by the full Board, other than those matters which are expressly delegated to another committee of the Board or matters which, by law, cannot be delegated by the Board to a committee of the Board. The Executive Committee held nine meetings during thetime. During fiscal year ended November 2, 2014.

Board Leadership Structure

Our2016, Dana Messina served as our independent,non-executive Chairman. We believe this structure is appropriate during this time, as it allows Mr. Dean, as the President and Chief Executive Officer, chairs meetings of our Board, and our Audit Committeeto focus on leading the Company’s business at a time when we are actively seeking to advance the Company’s financial position. Our Chairman chairs meetings of our independent directors. We believe that combining the positions of Chief Executive Officer and chairing the meetings of our Board is appropriate for our Company and results in operational efficiencies given the size of our Company and the detailed knowledge of our Company’s operations that our Chief Executive Officer possesses, which we believe is beneficial for chairing our board meetings. Our independent directors meet regularly without management, including our Chief Executive Officer, and are active in the oversight of our Company. Our Board and each Board committee hashave access to members of our management and the authority to retain independent legal, accounting or other advisors as they deem necessary or appropriate. OurDuring fiscal year 2016, our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) Mr. Dean did not and does not serve on any Board committee, other than the Executive Committee.committee.

Our Audit Committee Chairman in fulfillingfulfilled the role of chairing meetings of our independent directors:during fiscal year 2016. In such role, the Chairman:

 

chairs meetings and executive sessions at which only the independent directors attend;

advises our Chief Executive Officer as to the quality, quantity and timeliness of the flow of information from management that is necessary for the independent directors to effectively perform their duties;

participates as a member of the Compensation Committee in the conduct of an annual evaluation of the performance of the Chief Executive Officer; and

 

recommends to the Chief Executive Officer the retention of outside advisors and consultants who report directly to the Board.

We believe that our boardBoard leadership structure provides an appropriate balance between strong and strategic leadership and independent oversight of our Company, and that our boardBoard leadership structure continues to serve the best interests of our Company and shareholders.

Risk Oversight

The Audit Committee of our Board oversees our risk management process. Theday-to-day responsibility for our risk management process rests with our Chief Executive Officer, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and our Vice President of Risk Management. Our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and our Vice President of Risk Management provide periodic updates to the Audit Committee regarding, among other things, risk assessments and actions taken to mitigate risk. During the latter part of the year, the Company formalized its existing risk management process by implementing an Enterprise Risk Management (“ERM”) program. The goal of the ERM program is to formally identify and evaluate risks that may affect the Company’s ability to execute its corporate strategy and fulfill its business objectives. The ERM program will employ a disciplined approach to identifying, documenting, evaluating,

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DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

communicating, and monitoring enterprise risk management within the Company. In addition, our Director of Internal Auditor,Audit, and during periods when that position is vacant, our Vice President of Risk Management, provides reports directly to the Chairman of the Audit Committee and provides periodic updates to the Audit Committee regarding risk management issues, particularly those regarding accounting and finance-related risks. PeriodicOur General Counsel provides periodic updates to the Audit Committee regarding material legal claims against our Company are also provided to our Board by our Vice President of Risk Management and attorneys in the Company’s legal department.Company.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

The Company has a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. Directors, officers and all employees of the Company must act in accordance with these policies. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics requires, among other things, all employees to engage in honest and ethical conduct in performing their duties, provides guidelines for the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships, and provides mechanisms to report unethical conduct.

Please see the section entitled “AvailabilityAvailability of Corporate Governance Documents”Documents below for information on how to view or obtain a copy of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.

Corporate Governance Guidelines

As a part of our Board’s commitment to sound corporate governance, our Board has adopted a set of Corporate“Corporate Governance Guidelines,Guidelines”, which guides the operation of the boardBoard and its committees. The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee reviews our Corporate Governance Guidelines at least annually and recommends any changes to our Board for its consideration and approval.

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines cover, among other topics:

 

board structure and composition;

 

director independence;

 

board member nomination and eligibility requirements;

 

board leadership and executive sessions;

 

committees of the board;

 

director responsibilities;

 

board and committee resources, including access to officers, employees and independent advisors;

 

director compensation;

director orientation and ongoing education;

 

succession planning; and

 

board and committeeself-evaluations.

Please see the section entitled “AvailabilityAvailability of Corporate Governance Documents”Documents below for information on how to view or obtain a copy of our Corporate Governance Guidelines.

Availability of Corporate Governance Documents

To learn more about the Company’s corporate governance and to view our Corporate Governance Guidelines, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, other significant corporate policies and all charters of committees of the Board, please visit the Investors & Governance section of the Company’s website, www.volt.com.www.volt.com. Copies of these documents are also available without charge upon request to Volt Information Sciences, Inc., 10651133 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10018,10036, Attention: Shareholder Relations. The telephone number for this office is212-704-7921.

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DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Procedures for Recommending Directors

There have been no material changes to the procedures by which our shareholders may recommend nominees to our Board from those procedures set forth in ourBy-Laws. According to ourBy-Laws, in order to do so, a shareholder must give us written notice not less than 120 days nor more than 150 days prior to theone-year anniversary of the date of the notice of the annual meeting of shareholders that was held in the immediately preceding year. Theyear and must otherwise comply with the requirements set forth in ourBy-Laws; provided, however, that if the 2018 annual meeting date is advanced by more than 30 days before or delayed by more than 30 days after theone-year anniversary date of notice for this year’s Annual Meeting was April 30, 2015.and less than 130 days’ informal notice to shareholders or other prior public disclosure of the date of the 2018 annual meeting is given or made, then shareholders must provide notice to the Company within the time periods specified in theBy-Laws.

Shareholders may submit names of qualified director candidates, together with detailed information on the proposed candidates’ backgrounds, to Volt Information Sciences, Inc., 10651133 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10018,10036, Attention: Secretary – Secretary—Director Candidates, for referral to the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee for consideration.

Family Relationships

Deborah Shaw,Bruce G. Goodman, a director of the Company, is the husband of Linda Shaw who is (i) the daughter of William Shaw, whoco-founded the Company in 1950 and served as its President and Chief Executive Officer until his death in March 2006. Deborah Shaw is also2006 and (ii) the niece of Jerome Shaw, an Executive Vice President and a director of the Company. Bruce G. Goodman, a director of the Company, is the husband of Deborah Shaw’s sister. There are no other family relationships among the executive officers or directors of the Company.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Section 16(a) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) requires our directors and executive officers and persons who own more than ten percent (10%) of a registered class of our equity securities to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of our common stock and other equity securities. Such persons are required by the SEC to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms that they file.

To our knowledge, based solely on a review of the copies of such reports furnished to us and written representations from certain reporting persons, all required Section 16(a) filings applicable to its directors, executive officers andgreater-than-ten-percent beneficial owners were properly filed during the fiscal year ended November 2, 20142016, except that due to administrative oversight, (i) athe following Form 3 for Mr. Herring reporting on his appointment as an executive officer was filed late, and consequently4s were not timely filed: (i) a Form 4 for

Mr. HerringDean reporting on the respective grantvesting of 30,000 performance-based13,339 restricted stock options to himunits on July 3, 2014 was also filed late, andOctober 19, 2016, (ii) a Form 3 for each of Ms. Larson, Ms. Driggs and Ms. Stern reporting on their respective appointments as an executive officer was filed late, and consequently a Form 4 for each of Ms. Larson and Ms. DriggsMr. Tomkins reporting on the respective grantspurchase of 30,000 performance-based3,300 shares of the Company’s common stock on June 27, 2016, and (iii) a Form 4 for Mr. Shaw reporting on the transfer of 8,000 Company stock options to each of thema revocable living trust on July 3, 2014 was filed late; in addition, a Form 4 reporting on the grant to Mr. Kochman of an aggregate of 40,000 shares of restricted stock after the end of fiscal year 2014 was filed late.September 12, 2016.

Indemnification; Insurance

New York law permits a corporation to purchase insurance covering a corporation’s obligation to indemnify directors and officers and also covering directors and officers individually, subject to certain limitations, in instances in which they may not otherwise be indemnified by the corporation. The Company maintains insurance policies with various insurance companies covering reimbursement to the Company for any obligation it incurs as a result of indemnification of officers and directors and also covering indemnification for officers and directors individually in certain cases where additional exposure might exist. The policies expire May 1, 2015. The annual premium cost of the policies is $592,725. These policies are with five different companies as follows: Illinois National Insurance Company (AIG) for the first $10 million of coverage, Zurich American Insurance Company for the next $10 million of coverage, Continental Casualty Company for the next $10 million of coverage, Axis Insurance Company for the next $5 million of coverage and Federal Insurance Company for the next $15 million of coverage. Federal’s policy does not cover reimbursement to the Company. The Company is self-insured for the first $1 million per incident for securities claims, employment practices and other claims.

In fiscal year 2014, AIG paid, under a director and officer insurance policy held by the Company, $273,072 in connection with the defense of Jack Egan, the Company’s former Chief Financial Officer, in an action, as previously reported, commenced by the Securities and Exchange Commission against Mr. Egan in January 2013. A final stipulated judgment, to which Mr. Egan consented without admitting or denying the allegations in the Commission’s complaint, was entered on July

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AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

The Audit Committee met and held discussions with management and the Company’s independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed the consolidated financial statements with management and the Company’s independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.registered public accounting firm.

The Audit Committee discussed with the independent Registered Public Accounting Firmregistered public accounting firm matters to be discussed as required by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)(“PCAOB”), rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and other applicable regulations.

In addition, the Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed with the Company’s independent Registered Public Accounting Firmregistered public accounting firm the firm’s independence from the Company and its management. The Audit Committee received from the independent Registered Public Accounting Firmregistered public accounting firm the written disclosures and the letter regarding its independence as required by the PCAOB’s applicable requirements.

In reliance on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board that the audited financial statements be included in the Company’s Annual Report onForm 10-K for the fiscal year ended November 2, 2014,2016, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.SEC. The Audit Committee also has appointed Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent Registered Public Accounting Firmregistered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2017.

Nicholas S. Cyprus (Chair)

Bruce G. Goodman

Dana Messina

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AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

ITEM 2.    PROPOSAL TO RATIFY THE APPOINTMENT OF ERNST & YOUNG LLP

AS THE COMPANY’S INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The members of our Audit Committee and our Board believe that the continued retention of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders.

In light of this, our Audit Committee has appointed Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2017. We are submitting the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm for shareholder ratification at the Meeting, although we are not legally required to do so. If our shareholders do not ratify the appointment, our Audit Committee will reconsider whether to retain Ernst & Young LLP, but may still retain them. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee may change the appointment at any time if it determines that such a change would be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders.

Ernst & Young LLP has advised the Company that it has no direct, nor any material indirect, financial interest in the Company or any of its subsidiaries. A representative of Ernst & Young LLP is expected to be present at the Meeting, will have the opportunity to make a statement if he or she desires to do so and will be available to respond to appropriate questions from shareholders.

The Board will offer the following resolution at the Meeting:

RESOLVED: That the appointment by the Board of Ernst & Young LLP to serve as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for fiscal year 2017 be, and hereby is, ratified and approved.

Your Board recommends that you vote FOR this item. Unless you specify otherwise, the Board intends the accompanying proxy to be voted for this item.

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AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

ITEM 3.    ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION(“SAY-ON-PAY”)

TheDodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, enacted in July 2010, requires that we provide our shareholders with the opportunity to vote to approve, on anon-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of our 2016 Named Executive Officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement in accordance with the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC under Section 14A of the Exchange Act. At the 2014 annual meeting of the shareholders, our shareholders approved holdingSay-on-Pay advisory votes biennially. During fiscal year 2015, the Board approved a change from holdingSay-on-Pay advisory votes biennially to holding such votes annually.

The vote on this resolution is not intended to address any specific element of compensation, rather, the vote relates to the compensation of our 2016 Named Executive Officers, as described in this Proxy Statement in accordance with the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC. To the extent there is any significant vote against the 2016 Named Executive Officers’ compensation, the Board and the Compensation Committee will evaluate what actions, if any, may be appropriate to address the concerns of our shareholders.

Our compensation program is intended to attract, motivate and reward the executive talent required to achieve our corporate objectives and increase shareholder value. We believe that our executive compensation program for fiscal year 2016 is competitive and provides an appropriate balance between risks and rewards. Accordingly, the Board will present the following resolution at the Meeting:

RESOLVED, that our shareholders approve, on an advisory basis, the executive compensation program for the 2015 fiscal year.

Mark N. Kaplan (Chair)

Theresa A. Havell

William H. Turner

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

2016 Named Executive Officers, as disclosed in this Proxy Statement pursuant to Item 402 ofRegulation S-K, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the Fiscal Year 2016 Summary Compensation Table, and the related tables and narrative disclosures included in this Proxy Statement.

Your Board recommends that you vote FOR, on anon-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of our 2016 Named Executive Officers, as disclosed in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the Fiscal Year 2016 Summary Compensation Table and the related tables and narrative disclosures included in this Proxy Statement.

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

IntroductionExecutive Summary

Implementing ourPay-for-Performance Philosophy & Addressing Shareholder Concerns

During fiscal year 2016, we continued to make strides toward returning the Company to a profitable and growing business. During fiscal year 2015, we made a number of strategic changes to our key leadership team (namely, changes to the office of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as well as changes to the composition of our Board). We continued to add top industry and experienced talent to our executive management team during fiscal year 2016. This change in leadership positively impacted our business during fiscal year 2016. However, there is still more work to be done before our business reaches its full potential. As we continue to make progress toward executing our turnaround strategy, we remain focused on recruiting and retaining top talent, but are equally committed to emphasizing the link between the performance of our business and the compensation of our executives, in keeping with our long-term goal of returning value to our shareholders.

2016 Business Highlights

Fiscal year 2016 was a year devoted to the continued advancement of our strategic plan, with the goal of returning our business to profitable growth. As we implement our strategic plan, we continue to focus on three key elements: (1) enhancing our balance sheet; (2) improving our cost structure and margins; and (3) achieving top line growth. Some examples of the steps we have taken in fiscal year 2016 to implement our strategic plan are described below:

Enhancing our balance sheet.In January 2017, the Company amended its financing program with PNC Bank, National Association, to extend its term byone-year to January 31, 2018. The amendment also revised the existing minimum liquidity levels, among other things, such that the Company has greater financial flexibility to meet its business goals.

Improving our cost structure and margins.Our goal is to reduce complexity and identify and remove manual and redundant processes, while simplifying the organization, all with a focus on aligning our support infrastructure with the requirements of our business, specifically focusing on core business offerings and on market sectors where we are profitable or that have long-term growth potential. In fiscal year 2016, we reduced full year selling, administrative and other operating costs by $27.1 million, or 11.7% year-over-year, as a result of headcount reductions and other initiatives to improve operating efficiencies. The Company’s fourth quarter 2016 gross margin percentage of 16.7% increased 70 basis points year-over-year.

Achieving top line growth.We completed the redesign of our sales plans and compensation structure within our sales organization to reduce complexities and incentivize profitable growth. In regards to our compensation structure, compared to prior years, substantially more employees now have increased compensation at risk and tied specifically to our revenue and operating income budget objectives. We also placed emphasis on and will continue to emphasize buildingend-to-end customer relationships by further enhancing our understanding of their needs and striving to anticipate and deliver the highest level of value-added service to our customers.

How our 2016 Executive Compensation Program Aligned with our 2016 Performance

During fiscal year 2015, following discussions with management and our independent compensation consultants, the Compensation Committee determined that our executive compensation programs needed to be revamped in order to motivate and reward job performance that improves our financial performance, profitably grows our businesses, and supports the creation oflong-term sustainable value for our shareholders.

To achieve this objective, for fiscal year 2016 we introduced performance goals and targets that were more formula-driven than those utilized in previous years in order to better align our compensation programs with ourpay-for-performance philosophy.

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

For fiscal year 2016, our executive officers were eligible to earn short-term incentives under our new Annual Incentive Plan based on achievement ofpre-established financial goals and individual management-based objectives (“MBOs”) tied to our business plan, as well as long-term incentives in the form of stock options (which only bring value to the executive if our stock price appreciates following the grant date) and restricted stock units (which lose value if our stock price has decreased since the grant date).

As an example of how ourpay-for-performance structure impacted executive compensation this year, in respect of performance achieved in fiscal year 2016, we paid Mr. Dean, our President and Chief Executive Officer, 63% of his target annual bonus for 2016. This is a direct reflection of the Company’s achievement of 50% ofpre-established financial goals applicable to Mr. Dean (as discussed later in this Proxy Statement), while at the same time taking into account Mr. Dean’s strong achievement of his individual MBOs during the performance period.

2016 Target Pay Mix for our Chief Executive Officer

To align pay levels for named executive officers with the Company’s performance, our fiscal year 2016 pay mix places great emphasis on performance-based initiatives. As an example, over 75% of our CEO’s 2016 target total direct compensation (e.g., annual base salary, annual bonus, and long-term incentives), was variable/”at-risk”:

LOGO

2016 Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation and Company Response

Our Compensation Committee pays close attention to the views of the Company’s shareholders when making determinations regarding executive compensation matters. At the 2016 Meeting, the Company held a“Say-on-Pay” advisory vote on the executive compensation program of the Company’s named executive officers for fiscal year 2015. The Company’s shareholders approved the compensation of the Company’s 2015 named executive officers, with approximately 69% of shareholder votes cast in favor of the executive compensation program. During 2016, we contacted several of our largest shareholders to make ourselves available for discussion concerning our executive compensation programs.

The Compensation Committee considered the views expressed by our shareholders regarding our executive compensation programs, including the results of our 2016“Say-on-Pay” vote, as part of its overall assessment of our compensation program for named executive officers in 2016. As a result of this assessment, the Compensation Committee took steps to better align our named executive officers’ compensation with the performance of our business and our stock price, as well as adopted several other enhancements to our

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

executive compensation programs that further support ourpay-for-performance philosophy and shareholder alignment objectives. Key enhancements are highlighted below:

What We DidResults

Revised definition of “Good Reason” contained in our CEO’s employment agreementLOGOMr. Dean’s employment agreement no longer allows him to terminate his employment for Good Reason if the Company fails to provide him with certain long-term incentive compensation opportunities.
Designed 2016 annual incentive program to align payouts with actual performance resultsLOGOAll annual incentive payments made to our 2016 Named Executive Officers reflect achievement of actual financial goals and individual performance goals; goals were pre-established for 2016.
Adopted stock ownership guidelines and stock holding requirements for our executive officers (other than Mr. Shaw)LOGOFollowing the end of 2016, implemented robust stock ownership guidelines of 5x base salary for our CEO and 1x base salary for other Named Executive Officers.

The Compensation Committee will consider results from this year’s shareholder advisory vote in its ongoing evaluation of the Company’s executive compensation programs and practices.

Dos and Don’ts of Compensation Practices

During fiscal year 2016, we either implemented, employed, or refrained from the following compensation practices:

What We DoWhat We Don’t Do

Align pay and performanceûNo separate change-in-control agreements or severance agreements
Include “double-trigger” change in control provisions in equity awards made in 2016ûNo excessive perquisites
Apply share retention and share ownership guidelines of 5x base salary for our CEO and 1x base salary for all other executive officers (other than Mr. Shaw)ûNo tax gross-up provisions contained in employment contracts
Prohibit hedging and discourage pledging of Company stock and require pre-approval
Utilize retentive tools such as reasonable post-employment compensation
Include clawback provisions in equity awards made during fiscal year 2016

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

This Compensation Discussion and Analysis (the(this “CD&A”) describes our executive compensation philosophy and programs, the compensation decisions made under those programs, and the considerations in making those decisions.

Our 2016 Named Executive Officers

This CD&A focuses on the compensation of our named executive officers (“20142016 Named Executive Officers”) for the fiscal year ending November 2, 2014 (“fiscal year 2014”),Officers, who were:

 

Ronald Kochman,Michael D. Dean, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO);

 

James Whitney, thenPaul Tomkins, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer;Officer

 

Jerome Shaw, Executive Vice President;President

 

Lori Larson,Jorge Perez, President—Volt Workforce Solutions

Ann R. Hollins, Senior Vice President – North America Staffing;and Chief Human Resources Officer

Rhona Driggs, President, Volt Consulting Group and Senior Vice President, Volt Workforce Solutions Commercial Operations.Ms. Driggs’ role with the Company was transitioned during fiscal year 2016 such that she was no longer designated as an executive officer at the end of the fiscal year. Her inclusion in this year’s Proxy Statement is based on SEC guidance and she will not be a Named Executive Officer in next year’s proxy statement.

How Each Element of our Executive Compensation Program Works

The 2016 executive compensation program for our 2016 Named Executive Officers consisted of one or more of the following elements:

ElementDescriptionWhy We Choose to Pay It
Base SalaryFixed cash based on the executive’s past and potential future performance, scope of responsibilities, experience and competitive market practicesProvides a portion of compensation that is not at risk, and is generally unaffected by fluctuations in our performance or the market in general
Annual Incentive CompensationCash payment tied to meetingshort-term,pre-established goals related to our overall profitability and other key performance indicatorsMotivates executives to achieve superior annual financial, operational and strategic performance
Stock OptionsTime-vested stock price appreciation awards, that typically vest in equal installments over athree-year periodAligns compensation with changes in our stock price and shareholder return experience, as the ultimate value realized by executives holding stock options is wholly dependent on stock price appreciation
Restricted Stock UnitsTime-vested stock units that typically vest in equal installments over athree-year periodAligns compensation with changes in our stock price and the creation of shareholder value, increases executive stock ownership, and strengthens retention

Base Salary

Base salary is the fixed component of an executive’s annual cash compensation. Base salaries for our 2016 Named Executive Officers in respect of fiscal year 2016 were primarily determined based on one or more of

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

the following factors: (i) base salaries paid to similarly positioned executives within the Company and competitive market data for each role; (ii) the terms of any contractual arrangements; (iii) salaries paid historically; (iv) tax and accounting considerations; and, when appropriate; or (v) personal performance as assessed by the Compensation Committee.

Adjustments in base salary for our 2016 Named Executive Officers are discretionary and are generally considered no more frequently than every 12 months.

Annual Incentives

Our 2016 Named Executive Officers (other than Mr. Shaw) receive short-term compensation in the form of cash-based annual bonuses. During fiscal year 2016, the Compensation Committee, in partnership with the Company’s management team, established an Annual Incentive Plan (the “AIP”) pursuant to which our executive officers (including the 2016 Named Executive Officers other than Mr. Shaw) and certain other employees of the Company are eligible to receive cash-based annual incentives. Under the AIP, participants are eligible to earn bonuses based on the achievement ofpre-established corporate and/or business unit financial performance goals and individual MBOs. Target annual bonus opportunities are set by the Compensation Committee at the beginning of each fiscal year and represent a percentage of the participant’s annual base salary.

Annual incentives payable to our 2016 Named Executive Officers in respect of fiscal year 2016 were based on the formula illustrated below:

LOGO

2016 Corporate and Divisional Financial Performance Goals

At the beginning of fiscal year 2016, the Compensation Committee established the corporate and divisional financial goals applicable to the fiscal year 2016 performance period, which for Messrs. Dean and Tomkins and Ms. Hollins consisted of corporate operating income (the “Corporate Operating Income Goal”), and for Ms. Driggs and Mr. Perez consisted of both the operating income and revenue of their respective divisions (the “Divisional Operating Income Goal” and the “Divisional Revenue Goal”, respectively), in addition to the Corporate Operating Income Goal. The Corporate Operating Income Goal, the Divisional Operating Income Goal, and the Divisional Revenue Goal are referred to herein collectively as the “2016 Financial Performance Goals”. The Compensation Committee determined that the 2016 Financial Performance Goals consisted of the appropriate mix and type of performance metrics against which to measure achievement given the Company’s current turnaround strategy.

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

For fiscal year 2016, the performance metrics and applicable weightings for the 2016 Named Executive Officers were as follows:

LOGO

Messrs. Dean and Tomkins and Ms. Hollins

LOGO

Mr. Perez and Ms. Driggs

Given the nature of her position with the Company, Ms. Driggs’ Divisional Operating Income Goal was based 5% on performance applicable to our VCG division and 15% on performance applicable to our VWS division. Her Divisional Revenue Goal was similarly weighted. The Divisional Operating Income Goal and Divisional Revenue Goal with respect to VCG (which performance factor was only applicable to Ms. Driggs) was determined to be at 0% as a result of both goals being achieved below the threshold level set for fiscal year 2016.

The table below sets forth the applicable thresholds, targets and maximum levels of performance with respect to the 2016 Financial Performance Goals:

  Corporate/Division Revenue (in 000’s)   Operating Income(1) (in 000’s)  
 Threshold Target Maximum   Threshold Target Maximum  

Volt

 N/A N/A N/A  ($1,590) $3,263 $8,116 

VWS

 $999,524 $1,074,757 $1,149,990   $23,995 $29,994 $35,993  
                 

Payout Level

 50% 100% 200%   50% 100% 200%  

(1)Excluding special items

No payments under the AIP were made where the Company failed to achieve the threshold level of achievement specified for the applicable 2016 Financial Performance Goal.

In connection with its establishment of the 2016 Financial Performance Goals, the Compensation Committee identified certain unbudgeted items and events that could be applied as adjustments in connection with its determination of the 2016 Financial Performance Goals following the end of fiscal year 2016 (the“Pre-Established Adjustment Items”). Following the Compensation Committee’s determination of the Company’s achievement of the 2016 Financial Performance Goals, the Compensation Committee decided it was appropriate to apply certain of thePre-Established Adjustment Items to the corporate and divisional operating income actually achieved in respect of fiscal year 2016. SuchPre-Established Adjustment Items consisted of (i) cash compensation costs associated with restructuring/turnaround initiatives; (ii) equity compensation costs associated with restructuring/turnaround initiatives; (iii) restructuring costs; (iv) charges for the impairment of goodwill or other intangible assets; (v) legal judgments and settlements outside the ordinary course of business; and (vi) changes in currency exchange rates.

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The Compensation Committee approved the level of achievement of the 2016 Financial Performance Goals and determined the applicable percentage of achievement (as compared against the target level) as follows:

  Performance Factor  Entity  

Achievement
(as adjusted)

(in millions)

  Percentage
of
Achievement
  

Corporate Operating Income1

  Volt  $0.8  50.0% 

Divisional Operating Income2

  VWS  $24.9  50.0% 

Divisional Revenue3

  VWS  $1,048  82.1%  

The Company’s management recommended to the Compensation Committee that the percentage achievement of the Corporate Operating Income Goal and the Divisional Operating Income Goal be deemed met at 50% even though, after considering thePre-Established Adjustment Items, the percentage amount actually achieved were equal to 51.3% and 53.8%, respectively.

Individual Performance Goals

Consistent with the structure and design of the 2016 AIP, after assessing the degree to which the Company achieved the 2016 Financial Performance Goals, the Compensation Committee and Mr. Dean (other than with respect to his own performance) considered the individual MBO achievement of each of the 2016 Named Executive Officers. The 2016 Named Executive Officers had the opportunity to achieve anywhere from 0% to 200% of his or her target MBOs. MBO achievement for the 2016 Named Executive Officers (other than Mr. Dean) was determined based on Mr. Dean’s assessment of each 2016 Named Executive Officer’s MBO performance against the applicable MBO goals, taking into account a self-assessment performed by each 2016 Named Executive Officer with respect to his or her own performance. Mr. Dean’s MBO achievement was based on the Compensation Committee’s assessment of Mr. Dean’s individual MBO performance as well as the overall MBO achievement level of his direct reports, taking into account a self-assessment performed by Mr. Dean with respect to his own performance.

For fiscal year 2016, our 2016 Named Executive Officers achieved between 95% and 120% of their respective individual MBO targets. Below are some examples of actions taken by our 2016 Named Executive Officers that exemplify a strong level of individual MBO achievement:

Mr. Dean

Presided over a significant enhancement of the senior executive talent pool by developing and motivating a strong, experienced leadership team, half of whom he played a direct, personal role in recruiting and hiring;

 

Rhona Driggs, Senior Vice President – North America Staffing;Drove and developed the Company’s first-ever companywide strategic plan including key strategic initiatives;

Made significant progress with respect to a company-wide technology redevelopment;

Spearheaded the development and redesign of the Company’s compensation plans and programs; and

 

Howard Zimmerman, then Chief Operating Officer – North America Staffing.Continued to personally build relationships withtop-tier clients of the Company.

Mr. Zimmerman’s employment

1For fiscal year 2016, the Corporate Operating Income results for Volt takes into account certain non-GAAP adjustment items in order to exclude the impact of such items, including the Pre-Established Adjustment Items described above, as well as the gain on sale of the Company’s Orange, CA and San Diego, CA facilities.
2For fiscal year 2016, the Divisional Operating Income results for VWS takes into account certain non-GAAP adjustment items in order to exclude the impact of such items, specifically the impact of cash compensation costs associated with restructuring/turnaround activities, restructuring costs and legal judgments and settlements outside the ordinary course of business.
3For fiscal year 2016, the Divisional Revenue results for VWS did not take into account any adjustment items.

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Other 2016 Named Executive Officers

Successfully completed the sale/leaseback of our Orange facility to generate $36 million of additional liquidity;

Securedtop-tier sales leadership team within our VWS division and assisted with the Company terminated effective May 9, 2014,initiation of the OneVolt sales team;

Implemented a comprehensive Client Relationship Program for both our VWS and Mr. Whitney’s employmentVCG divisions;

Led organizational redesign and restructuring efforts with executive and HR teams, leading to a more customer-focused and efficient organization; and

Identified cross-sale opportunities between certain of the Company’s divisional units.

After taking into account both the 2016 Financial Performance Goals and the individual MBOs, the total percentage of each 2016 Named Executive Officer’s annual bonus was determined in accordance with the Company terminated effective March 20, 2015.weightings described above. With respect to financial performance, actual performance achieved at target-level performance results in the approval of 100% of the participant’s target annual bonus opportunity; actual performance achieved below 50% of target-level will result in the approval of 0% of the participant’s target annual bonus opportunity; and actual performance achieved between the threshold level and a maximum of 200% of target-level performance will be determined based on a straight-line interpolation between the actual achievement and the nearest target level. The amount approved for a given participant after applying the MBO weighting (35%) and the financial performance weighting (65%) is referred to as the “Initial Payout Amount”.

ExecutiveDiscretionary Modifier

Given the Company’s overall financial performance in fiscal year 2016, the Compensation PhilosophyCommittee opted to apply a discretionary modifier to the Initial Payout Amounts to reduce all Initial Payout Amounts by 10%. The Compensation Committee believed this was an appropriateacross-the-board adjustment in light of the Company’s financial goals during the year and generally supported by our newpay-for-performance philosophy.

The central objectiveschart below illustrates 2016 AIPpay-for-performance alignment:

  Named Executive Officer  Target
Bonus
Opportunity
   Amount
Paid
   Percentage
of Target
Paid
 

Michael D. Dean

  $650,000   $407,160    63

Paul Tomkins

  $260,000   $157,950    61

Jorge Perez

  $127,082  $82,553    65

Ann R. Hollins

  $104,508  $70,073    67

Rhona Driggs

  $114,000  $74,458    65

*Represents target annual bonus as calculated on apro-rated basis to reflect the fact that (i) Mr. Perez and Ms. Hollins were only employed by the Company for a portion of the 2016 fiscal year; and (ii) Ms. Driggs received a payment in respect of her previous bonus plan for the first quarter of fiscal year 2016, resulting in apro-ration of her target annual bonus for the period during which she participated in the AIP.

Prior to the implementation of our executive compensationthe 2016 AIP, Ms. Driggs participated in a quarterly annual incentive program.

To account for this, in addition to the AIP amount shown above, Ms. Driggs received $37,500 in respect of the portion of her previous quarterly annual incentive program are to (i) attract, retain and reward executive officers who contribute to our long-term success; (ii) align compensation withearned during the short- and long-term interestsfirst quarter of shareholders; and (iii) motivate and reward high levelsfiscal year 2016.

Long-Term Incentives

For fiscal year 2016, each of team and individual performance. These objectives collectively seek to link executive officer compensation to our overall performance, which helps to align the interests of our executives with the interests of our shareholders.

Components of Executive Compensation

The principal components of compensation for our2016 Named Executive Officers were:(other than Mr. Shaw) received long-term incentive compensation in the form of stock-based awards.Stock-based awards foster apay-for-performance culture, even when based on a time-vesting schedule. We used stock options and

 

base salary;

 

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for some executives, performance-based cash bonuses; and

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

 

restricted stock units as the vehicle for some executives, long-term cash and/incentives made in fiscal year 2016 because (i) stock options are inherently performance based, as the executive will not realize any value from the option unless and until our stock price increases following the date of grant; and (ii) the realized value of restricted stock units is based solely on our stock price at the time such awards are settled. In light of the fact that the Company is currently in the midst of an ongoing and dynamic process to reposition itself for profitable growth which has not yet been completed, we do not have sufficient visibility into our future performance to set definitive multi-year financial targets in connection with our long-term incentives that we are confident will appropriately incentivize our named executive officers.

The award agreements governing the stock options and restricted stock units granted to our 2016 Named Executive Officers containso-called “double trigger” vesting provisions, which generally provide that awards will not be accelerated upon a change in control of the Company if an acquiror replaces or substitutes outstanding awards, and such awards will only vest in connection with such change of control to the extent a participant holding the replacement or substitute award is involuntarily terminated within two years following the change in control.

Discussion of LTI Awards for 2016

During fiscal year 2016, we granted equity incentives.

These individualawards to our 2016 Named Executive Officers using a mix of restricted stock units and stock options; specifically, each 2016 Named Executive Officer’s long-term incentive grant for fiscal year 2016 consisted of 2/3 stock options and 1/3 restricted stock units. The stock options and restricted stock units vest in equal installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the applicable grant date. In fiscal year 2016, we granted long-term incentive awards consisting of 2/3 stock options and 1/3 restricted stock units because such combination aligns with the goal of stock appreciation, a critical component of our strategic mission to reposition the Company for profitable growth. The Compensation Committee considered, among other things, the following factors when establishing the grant date target value of the equity awards granted to our 2016 Named Executive Officers during 2016: (i) the executive’s roles and responsibilities; (ii) retentive value with respect to existing executive officers; (iii) inducement value with respect to newly hired executive officers; (iv) target annual compensation elements are intended to create a total compensation package for each Named Executive Officer that we believe achievesexecutive officer; and (v) market practices compared to our compensation objectives and provides competitive compensation opportunities.

fiscal 2016 peer group.

Throughout this CD&A, we refer toThe table below sets forth the sum of base salary, performance-based cash bonuses and long-term incentives as “total compensation,” and we refer to the sum of base salary and performance-based cash bonuses as “total cash compensation.”

Oversight and Authority over Executive Compensation

Overview

As discussed in more detail below, the Compensation Committee determined the total compensationgrant date fair value of the CEO and determined any long-term incentive awards granted to the 2016 Named Executive Officers. It is important to note that the grant date fair value is not reflective of the amount of compensation actually received by the 2016 Named Executive Officers based uponin respect of his or her long-term equity incentive award in any given year, but rather represents a target value as determined by the recommendationCompensation Committee:

Executive NameGrant Date Fair Value

Michael D. Dean

$1,600,000

Paul Tomkins

$375,000

Jorge Perez

$300,000

Ann R. Hollins

$225,000

Rhona Driggs

$165,000

Long-term incentives are not a part of Mr. Shaw’s compensation package.

2006 Incentive Stock Plan & 2015 Equity Incentive Plan

The equity portion of ourlong-term incentives was historically granted pursuant to our 2006 Incentive Stock Plan (the “2006 Plan”). On October 19, 2015, the CEO. The CEO was responsible for determiningBoard approved the total cash compensation2015 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”), and our shareholders approved the 2015 Plan at the 2016 annual meeting of shareholders. During

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

fiscal year 2016, we made grants to the other2016 Named Executive Officers pursuant to both the 2006 Plan and the 2015 Plan. Going forward, we will use the 2015 Plan as the primary vehicle for recommendingprovidinglong-term incentive awards. The 2006 Plan expired in September of 2016 and, as a result, we will not issue any future awards pursuant to the Compensation Committee whether any2006 Plan.

For additional details with respect to 2016 long-term equity incentive awards, should be granted to Namedsee the footnotes accompanying the “Fiscal Year 2016 Grants of Plan-Based Awards” table.

How We Develop Our Executive Officers.Compensation Programs

Role of the Compensation Committee and Compensation Advisor in Determining Compensation

During fiscal year 2014, the Compensation Committee retained the services of Chernoff Diamond as its compensation advisor with respect to executive compensation matters. The Compensation Committee relied on compensation analysis for the CEO, other officers and non-officers generated by the compensation advisor. Upon the request of the Compensation Committee, the compensation advisor attends certain Compensation Committee meetings to provide information and recommendations regarding our executive compensation program. Apart from its work for the Compensation Committee, Chernoff Diamond does not provide any significant services to the Company or management.

The Compensation Committee generally meets in executive session without any member of management present when discussing compensation matters pertaining to our CEO, and with the CEO when discussing other Named Executive Officers.named executive officers.

When making decisions with respect to the CEO, the Compensation Committee reviews and discusses the CEO’s performance and makes preliminary determinations about his compensation, including base salary, annual incentives andlong-term incentive compensation. For other named executive officers, the CEO considers performance and makes individual recommendations to the Compensation Committee on base salary, annual incentives andlong-term incentive compensation. The Compensation Committee has determinedthen reviews, discusses and modifies, as appropriate, the compensation recommendations with the independent members of the Board and final compensation decisions are approved by the Board after this discussion. In September of 2016, the Compensation Committee amended its charter in order to, among other things, provide that the Compensation Committee would be responsible for approving the compensation of the named executive officers (other than the CEO) (as opposed to making recommendations to the independent members of the Board).

For more information on the Compensation Committee’s role and responsibilities, please refer to the Compensation Committee’s charter available on our website at www.volt.com.

Role of Independent Compensation Consultant

Pursuant to its charter, the Compensation Committee is authorized to retain and terminate any compensation consultant, as well as any independent legal, financial or other advisors, as it deems necessary. For fiscal year 2016, the Compensation Committee elected to continue its retention of ClearBridge as its independent compensation consultant. ClearBridge’s role during fiscal year 2016 included:

Reviewing management recommendations to ensure alignment with our business strategy and compensation objectives;

Providing research, analyses and design expertise in developing executive and incentive compensation programs;

Keeping the Compensation Committee apprised of executivecompensation-related regulatory developments and market trends; and

Attending Compensation Committee meetings to provide information and recommendations regarding our executive compensation program and communicate with the Compensation Committee between meetings, as appropriate.

Prior to the retention of a compensation consultant or any other external advisor, Chernoff Diamond,and from time to time as the Compensation Committee deems appropriate, the Compensation Committee evaluates the advisor’s independence from management, taking into consideration all relevant factors, including the six independence factors specified in the NYSE listing rules and applicable SEC requirements. The Compensation Committee reviewed the independence of ClearBridge and concluded that it is independent and that its work for the Compensation Committee doeshas not raiseraised any conflictconflicts of interest. The compensation advisor is retained directly by the

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Role of our Compensation Committee.Peer Group

The Compensation Committee relied uponconsiders a study compiled by its collective judgmentcompensation consultant of compensation packages for executives in making its decisions regarding the compensationan industry peer group, culled from publicly filed documents of each member of the CEOpeer group. The compensation consultant identifies a group of staffing and not upon guidelines services-related companies that are comparable in terms of business mix and revenue size and reflects companies we compete with for talent and/or formulas or short-term changes in our stock price in determining the amountcapital, and mix of compensation elements for the CEO. Key factors that the Compensation Committee considered includedreviews, considers and approves the nature and scopepeer group.

The peer group of companies used during fiscal year 2016 is listed below. This peer group is generally consistent with the peer group used in prior years, with a few modifications made to enhance the relevance of the CEO’s responsibilities, his effectiveness in conducting our business duringpeer group using the priorselection criteria described above. The companies added to the comparator group for fiscal year 2016 are TriNet Group Inc. and leading initiatives to increase earnings per share.

The Compensation Committee determined the total compensationResources Connections Inc. Companies removed from our peer group for Mr. Kochman, who served as our CEO throughout fiscal year 2014. The decision was based primarily upon2016 were Korn/Ferry International; Heidrick & Struggles International; DHI Group Inc.; RCM Technologies Inc.; and Mastech Holdings Inc.

Our Fiscal Year 2016 Peer Group

AMN Healthcare Services Inc.

Manpower Group Inc.

Barrett Business Services Inc.

On Assignment Inc.

CDI Corp.

Paychex Inc.

Cross Country Healthcare Inc.

Team Health Holdings Inc.

Hudson Global Inc.

TriNet Group Inc.

Insperity Inc.

TrueBlue Inc.

Kelly Services Inc.

Resources Connections Inc.

Kforce Inc.

Robert Half International Inc.

Consistent with the Compensation Committee’s assessment of the CEO’s performance based on objective criteria, including performance of the business, accomplishment of reported goalsphilosophy and long-term strategic objectives and the development of management, as well as subjective criteria and its assessment of the CEO’s potential to improve business and thereby enhance long-term shareholder value, and took account of the terms of Mr. Kochman’s employment agreement, which is described below.

With respect to long-term equity incentives,guiding principles for determining overall executive compensation, the Compensation Committee is responsible for making awardsdoes not target any particular percentile at which to the other Named Executive Officers based upon the recommendation of the CEO. In determining the long-term incentives to be awarded to the other Named Executive Officers,align compensation. However, the Compensation Committee considerswill use the CEO’s recommendation,peer group median as a reference point when making pay decisions. Although the Named Executive Officers’ cash compensation, the naturemedian is used as a reference point, actual levels of pay depend on a variety of factors such as experience and scope of the Named Executive Officers’ responsibilitiesindividual and their individual

Company performance.

performance, and takes into account the terms of the Named Executive Officer’s employment agreement with the Company, if any. Employment agreements with the Named Executive Officers are described below.

Role of theour CEO in Determining Compensation

For all Named Executive Officers, no single component of compensation is emphasized over any other component because of their combined potentialThe CEO develops and recommends to influence Named Executive Officers’ performance. Therefore, the Company does not expect that its compensation policies are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. The Compensation Committee understands that Mr. Kochman, as CEO, based his determination of the total cash compensation of the other Named Executive Officers primarily upon his assessment of the individual officer’s performance and potential to improve business and thereby to enhance long-term shareholder value. The Compensation Committee understands that Mr. Kochman relied upon his judgment in making his decisions and not upon guidelines or formulas or short-term changes in the Company’s stock price in determining the amount and mix of compensation elements for the other Named Executive Officers.

The Role of Shareholder Say-on-Pay Vote

At the 2014 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the Company held a “say-on-pay” advisory vote on the executive compensation program of the Company’s Named Executive Officers for the 2013 fiscal year. The Company’s shareholders approved the compensation of the Company’s Named Executive Officers, with over 81% of shareholder votes cast in favor of the executive compensation program for the Company’s Named Executive Officers. Following this “say-on-pay” vote, the Compensation Committee did not make any material changes to its overall approach to executive compensation for the 2014 fiscal year.

Base Salary

Base salary is the fixed component of an executive’s annual cash compensation. The objective of base salary is to provide a portion of compensation to the Named Executive Officer that is not “at risk,” and is generally unaffected by fluctuations in the Company’s performance or the market in general. The Compensation Committee has not set a base salary for the CEO at any fixed level as against comparable positions, but instead considers the CEO’s compensation each year based on all of the factors discussed in this CD&A, including, but not limited to, the individual officer’s performance, the officer’s potential to improve business and thereby to enhance long-term shareholder value, and overall Company performance.

Base salarieslevels for our Named Executive Officers, other than the CEO, were primarily determined based upon the general knowledge of the CEO with input and recommendations from the Vice President of Human Resources (except, in the case of our CFO, with respect to whom Chernoff Diamond provided input and recommendations), and base salaries paid to similarly positioned company executives within the Company, the terms of any contractual arrangements, salaries paid historically, tax and accounting issues and, when appropriate, personal performance as assessed by the Compensation Committee and the CEO. No formulaic base salary adjustments were provided to the Named Executive Officers in fiscal year 2014. Adjustments in base salary for Named Executive Officers are discretionary and are generally considered no more frequently than every 12 months.

The base salary of each of our 2014 Named Executive Officers during fiscal year 2014 was unchanged from the executive’s base salary at the end of fiscal year 2013, with the exceptions of Ms. Driggs who received an increase of $106,752 (to $300,000 from $193,248) and Ms. Larson who received an increase of $76,358 (to $300,000 from $223,642).

Annual Cash Incentive

For fiscal year 2014, the determination as to the annual cash bonus for the CEO was made by the Compensation Committee based on an assessment of his performance during the prior fiscal year, and the determination as to the annual cash bonus of the other Named Executive Officers was primarily made by the CEO based upon the performance of each such Named Executive Officer during the prior fiscal year.

The annual cash bonus provides cash incentives for our Named Executive Officers to focus on annual financial and operating results by placing a portion of total compensation opportunity “at risk.” The Compensation Committee and the CEO, as the case may be, relied upon their judgment and not upon guidelines or formulas or short-term changes in our stock price in determining the amount, if any, of the annual cash bonus. Key factors that are considered include business unit performance and contributions to strategic initiatives by the Named Executive Officer during the prior fiscal year.

Mr. Kochman

With respect to fiscal year 2014, we paid to Mr. Kochman a bonus of $575,000, which was his target bonus for fiscal year 2014 established by the Compensation Committee. The factors considered in determining Mr. Kochman’s bonus included the relisting of our common stock on a national securities exchange, progress in becoming current in required external reporting and continued implementation of a strategic plan.

Mr. Whitney

Mr. Whitney received an annual bonus of $400,000 for fiscal year 2014 (which was equal to his target bonus as established by the Compensation Committee). The factors considered in determining Mr. Whitney’s bonus included progress in becoming current in required external reporting, continued restructuring of the Company’s accounting function, continued strengthening of the Company’s financial control environment, and the relisting of the Company’s common stock on a national securities exchange.

As discussed under “Agreements with 2014 Named Executive Officers – James Whitney,” Mr. Whitney’s employment agreement, which was entered into in 2012, provided for him to earn a special bonus of up to $750,000 based on the Company filing certain reports with the SEC as part of its effort to again become current in its required reporting. Mr. Whitney earned the first $250,000 of the special bonus during fiscal 2013, and payment of this amount was reported in the Company’s proxy statement for its 2014 annual meeting of shareholders. Mr. Whitney earned the remaining $500,000 of the special bonus during fiscal year 2014 upon the Company’s filing with the SEC of (i) its annual report onForm 10-K for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2011 (which filing was made on November 15, 2013); and (ii) its annual report onForm 10-K for the fiscal year ending October 28, 2012 (which filing was also made on November 15, 2013). Payment of this portion of Mr. Whitney’s special bonus is included in the amount reported in the Fiscal Year 2014 Summary Compensation Table under the “Bonus” column in the row for fiscal year 2014.

For fiscal year 2014 and beyond, Mr. Whitney’s employment agreement provided that he would be eligible to earn target annual bonuses and long-term incentive awards as determined by the CEO and approved by the Compensation Committee.

Mr. Whitney’s employment terminated effective March 20, 2015 as described in further detail below under “Long Term Incentives.”

Ms. Larson

Ms. Larson’s annual cash incentives are established under the terms of her employment agreement. At the beginning of fiscal year 2014, Ms. Larson was granted a quarterly incentive goal of $62,500 based on continued satisfaction of non-quantitative measures including engendering a collaborative, team approach with colleagues and other corporate functions, an annual incentive of up to $87,500 to be earned based on operating income levels for fiscal year 2014 of the North American staffing segment of Volt Workforce Solutions and a non-quantitative performance incentive of up to $25,000 based on operational performance goals.

Ms. Larson’s aggregate incentive earned for fiscal year 2014 was $270,000, representing full payment of her quarterly incentives and $20,000 for the attainment of operational performance goals related to the advancement of strategic initiatives.

Ms. Driggs

Ms. Driggs’ annual cash incentives are established under the terms of her employment agreement. At the beginning of fiscal year 2014, Ms. Driggs was granted a quarterly incentive goal of $37,500 based on continued satisfaction of non-quantitative measures including engendering a collaborative, team approach with colleagues and other corporate functions, an annual incentive of up to $87,500 to be earned based on operating income levels for fiscal year 2014 of the North American staffing segment of Volt Workforce Solutions and a non-quantitative performance incentive of up to $25,000 based on operational performance goals. Ms. Driggs’ aggregate incentive earned for fiscal year 2014 was $162,500, representing full payment of her quarterly incentives and $12,500 for the attainment of operational performance goals related to the advancement of strategic initiatives.

Mr. Zimmerman

Mr. Zimmerman’s annual cash incentives were established under the terms of his employment agreement. At the beginning of fiscal year 2014, Mr. Zimmerman was granted a quarterly incentive goal of $81,250 based on continued satisfaction of non-quantitative measures including engendering a collaborative, team approach with colleagues and other corporate functions, and a target annual incentive of $100,000 to be earned based on operating income levels for fiscal year 2014. In connection with Mr. Zimmerman’s termination of employment effective May 9, 2014, he was awarded aggregate incentive for fiscal year 2014 of $162,500.

Long-Term Incentives

A key component of our executive compensation program is long-term incentives that may be comprised of either cash or equity or a combination of both. The equity portion is granted pursuant to our 2006 Incentive Stock Plan (the “Incentive Plan”). It is our philosophy that the Company’s Named Executive Officers should be rewarded based upon our financial performance as well as each executive’s contribution to advancing our business strategy and our long-term performance. We believe that an equity ownership stake in the Company is an important component in linking each executive officer’s compensation to our performance to improve business and thereby create long-term shareholder value. Grants of restricted stock, restricted stock units and stock options serve to align the interests of the shareholders with those of the Named Executive Officers by incentivizing the Named Executive Officers toward the creation and preservation of long-term shareholder value. Under the Incentive Plan, eligiblenamed executive officers may, subject to Compensation Committee oversight and discretion (and,provides his perspectives. The CEO does not participate in the case of the CEO, subject to Board input and ratification), receive annual performance-based bonuses in the form of an equity award.or otherwise influence recommendations regarding his own compensation.

For several years prior to fiscal year 2014, our common stock was not listed on any national securities exchange and therefore was not actively traded, although it continued to trade on the over-the-counter market. Under these circumstances, the Compensation Committee concluded that equity awards would not be an effective tool for motivating and retaining key executive talent and, with the exception of the awards to Mr. Kochman and Mr. Whitney, did not make equity awards to any other Named Executive Officer. On August 26, 2014, we listed our common shares on the NYSE:MKT. In anticipation of this development, the Compensation Committee made awards of performance-based stock options to Messrs. Kochman, Whitney, Larson and Driggs and to certain other senior officers of the Company on July 3, 2014. These stock options were “out of the money” when granted and will have value to the executive only if our stock price attains certain specified price thresholds. More specifically, the awards to each

executive consisted of three tranches of stock options with exercise prices of $10, $12 and $14, respectively, and each tranche will become exercisable only if the closing price of our common stock during any 10 consecutive trading day period ending on or prior to July 3, 2017 equals or exceeds the exercise price for that tranche. The closing price of our common stock on July 3, 2014 on the over-the-counter market was $9.49.

Mr. Kochman

Mr. Kochman’s fiscal year 2014 cash long-term incentive award was conditioned on his achievement of performance targets determined by the Compensation Committee at the start of fiscal year 2014. These targets related to the relisting of our common stock on a national securities exchange, progress in becoming current in required external reporting and continued implementation of a strategic plan. The Compensation Committee determined after the end of fiscal year 2014 that Mr. Kochman had achieved the performance targets and authorized granting his full target award consisting of $270,000 cash and 40,000 shares of restricted stock. The cash portion of the award is payable, and the restricted shares vest, in equal amounts on each of the following dates: (a) 15 days after the filing date with the SEC of our annual report onForm 10-K for the fiscal year 2014 (which report was filed on January 20, 2015), (b) October 30, 2015, and (c) October 30, 2016. Mr. Kochman must remain employed by the Company on each of those dates in order to receive payment or vesting, but his award will vest in full in the event that he is terminated without cause or resigns for good reason within 90 days of a change in control.

In addition, in July 2014, the Compensation Committee awarded Mr. Kochman 100,000 performance-based stock options having the terms described above.

Mr. Whitney

The Compensation Committee established Mr. Whitney’s target long-term incentive award for fiscal year 2014 at $400,000 in cash. Mr. Whitney’s fiscal year 2014 long-term incentive award was conditioned on his achievement of performance targets determined by the Compensation Committee at the start of fiscal year 2014. These targets related to completing progress in becoming current in required external reporting, continued restructuring of the Company’s accounting function, continued strengthening of the Company’s financial control environment, and the relisting of the Company’s common stock on a national securities exchange. The Compensation Committee determined at the end of fiscal year 2014 that Mr. Whitney had achieved the performance targets and authorized granting of the full target award. Mr. Whitney’s award of $400,000 was payable in three equal installments. The first installment became payable 15 days after the filing date with the SEC of the Company’s annual report onForm 10-K for fiscal year 2014 (which report was filed on January 20, 2015); the remaining installments were to become payable on October 30, 2015 and October 30, 2016, provided that Mr. Whitney remained employed through the relevant payment date. Mr. Whitney was entitled to payment of the award in full if we terminated Mr. Whitney’s employment without cause or he resigned for good reason.

In addition, in July 2014, the Compensation Committee awarded Mr. Whitney 60,000 performance-based stock options having the terms described above.

Mr. Whitney left the Company effective March 20, 2015. In connection with Mr. Whitney’s departure, we agreed to accelerate the vesting of the remaining 10,000 shares of restricted Volt common stock that had been awarded to him in fiscal year 2012 as sign-on equity and to pay him separation pay of $966,667 consisting of (i) one year of his current salary ($400,000), (ii) a pro rata bonus for fiscal year 2015 equal to five-twelfths of his target bonus for fiscal year 2014 of $400,000 and (iii) the long-term incentive payments earned during fiscal years 2013 and 2014 that otherwise would be due to be paid to Mr. Whitney in October 2015 ($400,000).

Ms. Larson

In July 2014, the Compensation Committee awarded Ms. Larson 30,000 performance-based stock options having the terms described above.

Ms. Driggs

In July 2014, the Compensation Committee awarded Ms.  Driggs 30,000 performance-based stock options having the terms described above.

Employment, Termination of Employment andChange-In-Control Agreements

During fiscal year 2014,2016, we were party to employment agreements and severance and retirement agreements with certainall of our 2016 Named Executive Officers. We utilize such arrangements in order to attract, motivate and retain high caliber talent. We are not party topre-arranged severance agreements orso-called change of control agreements with any of our 2016 Named Executive Officers. None of the employment agreements with our 2016 Named Executive Officers contain taxgross-ups. The Compensation Committee and CEO,Chief Executive Officer, as applicable, considered these agreements in reaching their compensation decisions. A description of these agreements can be found in “AgreementsEmploymentAgreements with 20142016 Named Executive Officers.

32    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Clawback/Recoupment

We may clawback compensation paid to certain of our Named Executive Officers. The employment agreementagreements with each of Mr. Kochman,Dean, Mr. Whitney, Ms. Larson,Tomkins, and Ms. Driggs and Mr. Zimmerman providesprovide that the Companywe may recover any compensation received that is subject to recovery under, or required to be recovered by, applicable law, government regulation or stock exchange listing requirements, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 or the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010. Further, the award agreements governing equity awards granted during fiscal year 2016 provide for recoupment of those awards in accordance with applicable government regulation, stock exchange listing requirements, or other applicable law, or pursuant to any then-existing clawback policy of the Company.

Stock Ownership Guidelines

On December 13, 2016, the Board adopted stock ownership and retention guidelines for our named executive officers (other than Mr. Shaw) pursuant to which such individuals are expected to attain minimum levels of stock ownership and retain portions of their equity holdings for a certain period of time. Individuals subject to these guidelines have until the fifth anniversary of the guideline’s adoption date to attain the requisite level of ownership. The target ownership level of Company stock is expressed as a multiple of base salary. Specifically, target ownership level is set at 5x base salary for the CEO and 1x base salary for all other named executive officers. Until the ownership threshold is achieved, individuals subject to the guidelines may only sell up to 50% of the net number of shares received after the sale or withholding of taxes in connection with the vesting or exercise of shares underlying such awards.

Hedging; Pledging

The Board has adopted a policy that prohibits hedging transactions and prohibits pledging transactions except in very limited circumstances. Pursuant to the policy, hedging is not permitted, and any officer, director or employee who wishes to pledge shares in accordance with the policy must obtain the prior approval of the Company’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel. This policy is included in the Company’s Insider Trading Policy, which is available on the “Corporate Governance” section of the Company’s website at www.volt.com.

Benefits

General

Our executive officers do not participate in anytax-qualified defined benefit plan sponsored by the Company.us. We do not provide our executives, including our 2016 Named Executive Officers, with a special or supplemental defined benefit pension orpost-retirement health benefits. Our Named Executive Officersnamed executive officers receive health and welfare benefits under the same programs and subject to the same eligibility requirements that apply to our employees generally.

Deferred Compensation Opportunity; Other Retirement Benefits

Our 2016 Named Executive Officers are eligible to participate in our 401(k) plan. We currently match 50% of the first 2% of eligible pay that employees contribute to the 401(k) plan. We also have anon-qualified deferred compensation and supplemental savings plan (the “DCP”) which permitsour 2016 Named Executive Officers are eligible to participate in. The DCP was amended in June of 2016 to allow for participation bynon-employee directors and to allow for the deferral of restricted stock units. Beginning with compensation earned for fiscal year 2017, employees may elect to defer a portion of their salary. This plan consists solelybase salary and cash bonuses, and may elect to defer all or any portion of participant deferralshis or her restricted stock units.Non-employee directors may elect to defer all or any portion of cash retainer fees and earnings thereon. We invest the assetsmay elect to defer all or any portion of the plan in mutual funds based upon investment preferences of the participants.

his or her restricted stock units.

Perquisites

Perquisites represent a minor component of executive compensation. We do not provide our 2016 Named Executive Officers with a small number of perquisites that we believeother than those provided to be reasonable and competitive. Further detail can be found in footnote six of the “Summary Compensation Table.”our employees generally. No taxgross-up payments are provided in connection with any perquisites.

33    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

OtherCompensation-Related Matters

Accounting forShare-Based Compensation

We account forshare-based compensation including restricted stock, restricted stock units and stock option awards in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (“FASB ASC Topic 718”), Compensation – Compensation—Stock Compensation.

Impact of Tax Treatment on Compensation

Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code limits the Company’s tax deduction for compensation in excess of $1$1.0 million paid in any one year to its Chief Executive Officer and certain other executive officers unless the compensation is “qualifiedperformance-based compensation.” Payments of bonuses willincentive awards may constitute “qualifiedperformance-based compensation” under the provisions of Section 162(m) if payable on account of the attainment of one or morepre-established, objective performance goals and if certain other requirements are met. The Company’s Incentive Bonus Plan and Amended and Restated 2007 Incentive Award Plan were each approved by our shareholders pursuant to the requirements of Section 162(m) and the Company typically intends for certain awards earned under these plansthe 2015 Plan to qualify for tax deduction. However, the Compensation Committee reserves the right to pay the Company’sto our employees, including participants in the Incentive2015 Plan, other amounts which may or may not be deductible under Section 162(m) or other provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

The Compensation Committee considers the anticipated tax treatment to the Company in its review and establishment of compensation programs and awards. The Compensation Committee intends to continue to consider the deductibility of compensation as a factor in assessing whether a particular arrangement is appropriate, givenbased on the goals of maintaining a competitive executive compensation system generally, motivating executives to achieve corporate performance objectives and increasing shareholder value. None of the payments made during fiscal year 2016 to our 2016 Named Executive Officers were structured to qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) given that the Company’s current tax position is such that a lack of compensation-related deduction is not expected to have a negative tax implication.

Compensation Risk Assessment

The Compensation Committee considered various factors that have the effect of mitigating compensation-related risks and have reviewed our compensation policies and practices for our employees, including the elements of our executive compensation programs, to determine whether any portion of such compensation encourages excessive risk taking. The Compensation Committee does not believe that any risks that may arise from our compensation policies and practices are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our Company.

Compensation Committee Report

The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed this Compensation Discussion and AnalysisCD&A as required by Item 407(e) ofRegulation S-K with management and, based on this review and discussion, recommended to the Board that this Compensation Discussion and AnalysisCD&A be included in this proxy statement.Proxy Statement.

William H. Turner,Laurie Siegel, Chair

Lloyd Frank

Theresa A. Havell

Mark N. Kaplan

Nicholas S. Cyprus

James E. Boone

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation in Compensation Decisions

AllDuring fiscal year 2016, all members of the Compensation Committee were independent directors, and no member was an employee ordirectors. Mr. Boone, who joined the Compensation Committee in 2016, is a former employee of the Company. During the fiscal year 2014,2016, none of our executive officers served on the compensation committee (or its equivalent) or board of directors of anotherany entity any of whose executive officers also served on our Compensation Committee. No member of our Compensation Committee was an officer of the Company during fiscal year 2014. During fiscal year 2014, we paid or accrued $1.2 million to Troutman Sanders LLP, at which Lloyd Frank, a member of our Compensation Committee, is Senior Counsel, for services rendered to us and expenses reimbursed.2016.

34    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Fiscal Year 20142016 Executive Compensation

Fiscal Year 2014 Summary Compensation Table

The following table provides information concerning the compensation of the 20142016 Named Executive Officers for each of the fiscal years ended October 30, 2016, November 1, 2015, November 2, 2014, November 3, 2013 and October 28, 2012.2014. The Company’s fiscal year ends on the Sunday nearest October 31st. The 2014 and 2012 fiscal years consisted31st of 52 weeks while the 2013 fiscal year consisted of 53 weeks. In the column “Salary,” we disclose the amount of base salary paid to the 2014 Named Executive Officers during the fiscaleach year.

Fiscal Year 2014 Summary Compensation TableFISCAL YEAR 2016 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE

 

Name and Principal Position

  Year   Salary
$ (1)
   Bonuses
$ (2)
   Stock
$ (3)
   Option
Awards
$ (4)
   Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
$ (5)
   All Other
Compensation
$ (6)
   Total
$
 

Ronald Kochman
President and Chief Executive Officer

   
 
 
2014
2013
2012
 
 
  
   
 
 
575,000
584,890
416,189
  
  
  
   
 
 
575,000
575,000
287,500
  
  
  
   

 
 

—  

600,000
—  

  

  
  

   
 

 

328,600
—  

—  

  
  

  

   
 
 
270,000
180,000
—  
  
  
  
   
 
 
8,328
6,882
4,684
  
  
  
   
 
 
1,756,928
1,946,772
708,373
  
  
  

James Whitney
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

   
 
 
2014
2013
2012
 
 
  
   
 
 
400,000
407,692
400,000
  
  
  
   
 
 
900,000
650,000
381,250
  
  
  
   

 
 

—  

187,500
—  

  

  
  

   
 

 

191,300
—  

—  

  
  

  

   
 

 

266,666
—  

—  

  
  

  

   
 
 
7,556
5,434
5,924
  
  
  
   
 
 
1,765,522
1,250,626
787,174
  
  
  

Jerome Shaw
Executive Vice President

   
 
 
2014
2013
2012
 
 
  
   
 
 
517,005
526,947
517,005
  
  
  
   

 

 

—  

—  

—  

  

  

  

   

 

 

—  

—  

—  

  

  

  

   

 

 

—  

—  

—  

  

  

  

   

 

 

—  

—  

—  

  

  

  

   
 
 
11,603
46,347
11,603
  
  
  
   
 
 
528,608
573,294
528,208
  
  
  

Lori Larson
Senior Vice President
North America Staffing

   2014     300,000     —       —       95,650     270,000     12,254     677,904  

Rhona Driggs
Senior Vice President
North America Staffing

   2014     300,000     —       —       95,650     162,500     56,363     614,513  

Howard Zimmerman
Formerly Chief Operating Officer, North America Staffing

   
 
2014
2013
 
  
   
 
194,525
262,753
  
  
   

 

—  

25,000

  

  

   

 

—  

—  

  

  

   

 

—  

—  

  

  

   
 
162,500
362,247
  
  
   
 
170,084
11,372
  
  
   
 
527,109
661,372
  
  

  Name and

  Principal Position

 Year  Salary
$
(1)
  Bonuses
$
(2)
  Stock
Awards
$
(3)
  Option
Awards
$
(4)
  Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
$
(5)
  All Other
Compensation
$
(6)
  Total
$
 

Michael D. Dean

President, Chief Executive
Officer & Director

  2016   650,000      533,335   1,066,667   407,160   3,295   2,660,457 
  2015   317,689   100,000   948,096   961,467      16,465   2,343,717 
                                

Paul Tomkins

Senior Vice President
& Chief Financial Officer

  2016   400,000      124,999   250,000   157,950   7,815   940,764 
  2015   246,154   400,000            5,449   651,603 
                                

Jerome Shaw

Executive Vice President

  2016   517,005               31,053   548,058 
  2015   517,005               13,135   530,140 
  2014   517,005               11,603   528,608 

Jorge Perez

President, Volt Workforce
Solutions

  2016   211,923      100,001   200,000   82,553   2,100   596,577 
        
                                

Ann R. Hollins

  2016   209,231      75,002   150,000   70,073   188,098   692,404 

Senior Vice President and
Chief Human Resources
Officer

        
        
                                

Rhona Driggs

President, Volt Consulting

Group & SVP, Volt

Workforce Solutions

  2016   362,250      55,001   110,000   111,958   3,295   642,504 
  2015   305,365            170,000   6,963   482,328 
  2014   300,000         95,650   162,500   56,363   614,513 
                                

 

(1)Represents the amount of base salary paid to the 20142016 Named Executive Officers during the relevant fiscal year. The 2013 base salary amounts for Mr. Kochman and Mr. Whitney exceed the contractual base salaries ($575,000 and $400,000, respectively) because Fiscal Year 2013 consisted of 53 weeks rather than 52 weeks.

(2)

The amounts in this column are the gross amounts of the Named Executive Officer’s performance bonus for the relevantFor fiscal year plus, in2015, Messrs. Dean and Tomkins received their annual bonus awards pursuant to the caseterms of Mr. Whitney, $500,000 as a special bonus under histheir respective employment agreement that became payable during fiscal year 2014 as a result of the Company’s filing its annual report onForm 10-K for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2011

agreements.

(which filing was made on November 15, 2013) and its annual report onForm 10-K for the fiscal year ending October 28, 2012 (which filing was also made on November 15, 2013). For an explanation of how annual bonuses were determined, see “Annual Cash Incentive” in Compensation Discussion and Analysis. For a description of Mr. Whitney’s special bonus arrangement see “Agreements with 2014 Named Executive Officers – James Whitney.”
(3)Amounts shown in the Stock Awards column reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of stock granted to our 2016 Named Executive Officers determined in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”)FASB ASC Topic 718. For a discussion of valuation assumptions, see Note 1315 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on FormForm 10-K for the fiscal year ended November 2, 2014. No2016 filed on January 12, 2017. None of our named executive officers, other than Mr. Dean, received stock awards in fiscal year 2015. For a detailed explanation of the stock awards granted to our 2016 Named Executive Officer received grantsOfficers during fiscal year 2016, see the footnotes accompanying the “Fiscal Year 2016 Grants of stock awards during 2014 and 2012. The 2013 amount for Mr. Kochman includes awardsPlan-Based Awards” table as part of his long-term incentive for fiscal years 2012 and 2013.well as the “Long-Term Incentives” discussion in the CD&A.

(4)In July 2014,Amounts reported in the Company granted an aggregate of 340,000 performance-based options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock to certain of its senior officers. The closing price for the Company’s stock must meet or exceed certain trading price targets for 10 consecutive trading days for the stock options to be exercisable; if the stock price targets are not met on or prior to July 3, 2017, the options will not become exercisable. These options expire seven years from the grant date. Amounts reportedOption Awards column reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of the stock options determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, excluding the amount of estimated forfeitures. For a discussion of valuation assumptions, see Note 1315 in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on FormForm 10-K for the fiscal year ended November 2, 2014.2016 filed on January 12, 2017. None of our named executive officers, other than Mr. Dean, received stock options in fiscal year 2015. For details regarding the stock options granted to our 2016 Named Executive Officers during fiscal year 2016, see the footnotes accompanying the “Fiscal Year 2016 Grants of Plan-Based Awards” table as well as the “Long-Term Incentives” discussion in the CD&A.

(5)For fiscal year 2016, the amounts in this column reflect amounts earned by each 2016 Named Executive Officer under our AIP. For an explanation of how annual incentives were determined for fiscal year 2016, see the “Annual Incentives” section in the CD&A. Amounts earned in respect of performance achieved in fiscal year 2016 were paid in a lump sum following the end of that fiscal year. Amounts paid to Mr. KochmanPerez and Ms. Hollins werepro-rated to reflect the number of days each was employed by the Company during fiscal year 2016. For 2016, the amount reportedreflected for 2014 represents paymentMs. Driggs includes $37,500 paid in respect of the final installmentannual incentive program she participated in during the first quarter of the amount earned under his fiscal year 2012 long-term incentive award and2016. Following the first two installments of the amount earned under his fiscal year 2013 long-term incentive award, both of which were provided for under the terms of his employment agreement; the amount reported for 2013 represents paymentend of the first two installmentsquarter of the amount earned under the fiscal year 2012 long-term incentive award. For Mr. Whitney, the amount reported for 2014 represents payment of the first two installments of the amount earned under his fiscal year 2013 long-term incentive award provided for under the terms of his employment agreement. For Ms. Larson,2016, Ms. Driggs and Mr. Zimmerman,began participating in the amount reported for 2014 represents 2014 incentives.AIP.

35    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

(6)Amounts for 2014fiscal year 2016 consisted of (a) premiums under the Company’sour group life insurance policy of $654$645 for each of Ronald Kochman, James Whitney, Lori LarsonMessrs. Dean and RhonaTomkins and Ms. Driggs, $1,038$1,021 for JeromeMr. Shaw, $273 for Mr. Perez, and $381$336 for Howard Zimmerman;Ms. Hollins; (b) the Company’s contributioncompany contributions under the Company’sour 401(k) plan in the amount of $2,600$2,650 for each of Ronald Kochman, James Whitney, JeromeMessrs. Dean, Tomkins and Shaw Lori Larson and RhonaMs. Driggs, $1,827 for Mr. Perez and $2,530 for Howard Zimmerman;$1,831 Ms. Hollins; (c) automobile allowances and expenses related to Company owned or leased automobiles of $9,000 for each of Lori Larson and Rhona Driggs and $4,673 for Howard Zimmerman; (d)auto transportation expenses of $7,965$27,382 for JeromeMr. Shaw; (e)(d) entertainment expenses of $5,074$4,520 for Ronald KochmanMr. Tomkins; and $4,302 for James Whitney; (f) relocation(e) $185,931 in consulting fees paid by the Company to Ms. Hollins during fiscal year 2016 in respect of $44,109 for Rhona Driggs and (g) severanceher role as a consultant to the Company prior to her becoming employed with the Company in March of $162,500 for Howard Zimmerman.2016.

Fiscal Year 2014 Grants of Plan-Based AwardsFISCAL YEAR 2016 GRANTS OFPLAN-BASED AWARDS

The table below provides information regarding awards made by the Compensation Committee in fiscal year 2014. The values shown below for equity awards to Mr. Kochman, Mr. Whitney, Ms. Larson and Ms. Driggs are each equity award’s grant date fair value as determined under applicable accounting standards.2016.

 

      Estimated Future Payouts Under Non-
Equity Incentive Plan Awards
   All Other
Option
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
   Exercise or
Base Price
of Option
Awards
   Grant Date
Fair Value
of Stock and
Option
 

Name

  Grant Date  Threshold   Target  Maximum   Options   ($/Sh)   Awards (1) 

Ronald Kochman

    —      $270,000(5)   —          
   7/3/2014(2)        20,000    $10    $84,200  
   7/3/2014(3)        40,000    $12    $136,400  
   7/3/2014(4)        40,000    $14    $108,000  

James Whitney

    —      $400,000(6)   —          
   7/3/2014(2)        10,000    $10    $42,100  
   7/3/2014(3)        20,000    $12    $68,200  
   7/3/2014(4)        30,000    $14    $81,000  

Lori Larson

       (7)        
   7/3/2014(2)        5,000    $10    $21,050  
   7/3/2014(3)        10,000    $12    $34,100  
   7/3/2014(4)        15,000    $14    $40,500  

Name Grant Date  Estimated Possible Payouts under
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards
  All Other
Stock
Awards
Number of
Shares
of Stock or
Units(#)(3)
  All Other
Option
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Options(3)
  Exercise
or
Base
Price of
Option
Awards
($/Sh)
  Grant
Date Fair
Value of
Stock and
Option
Awards(5)
 
 Threshold ($) Target ($) Maximum ($) 

Michael D. Dean

  06/13/2016(1)        439,681  $6.06  $1,066,667 
  06/13/2016(1)     88,009        $533,335 
    Estimated Future Payouts Under Non-
Equity Incentive Plan Awards
   All Other
Option
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
   Exercise or
Base Price
of Option
Awards
   Grant Date
Fair Value
of Stock and
Option
   11/1/2015(4)  $325,000  $650,000  $1,495,000         

Name

  Grant Date Threshold  Target Maximum   Options   ($/Sh)   Awards (1) 

Rhona Driggs

          (7)        

Paul Tomkins

  06/13/2016(1)        48,090  $6.06  $116,667 
   7/3/2014(2)        5,000    $10    $21,050    06/13/2016(1)     9,626        $58,334 
   7/3/2014(3)        10,000    $12    $34,100    03/11/2016(2)        45,615  $7.20  $133,333 
   7/3/2014(4)        15,000    $14    $40,500    03/11/2016(2)     9,259        $66,665 
  11/1/2015(4)  $130,000  $260,000  $598,000         

Howard Zimmerman

     $100,000(8)   —          

Jorge Perez

  04/11/2016(2)        66,934  $7.46  $200,000 
  04/11/2016(2)     13,405        $100,001 
  04/11/2016(4)  $63,541  $127,082  $292,288         

Ann R. Hollins

  03/11/2016(2)        51,317  $7.20  $150,000 
  03/11/2016(2)     10,417        $75,002 
  03/21/2016(4)  $52,254  $104,508  $240,368         

Rhona Driggs

  06/13/2016(1)        45,342  $6.06  $110,000 
  06/13/2016(1)     9,076        $55,001 
  02/1/2016(4)  $57,000  $114,000  $262,200         

 

(1)Granted pursuant to the 2015 Plan.

(2)Granted pursuant to the 2006 Plan.

(3)These stock options and restricted stock units will vest ratably on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date, in each case subject to the recipient’s continuous service with the Company on each applicable vesting date, unless subject to earlier vesting as a result of certain events as described in more detail under the section “Employment Agreements with 2016 Named Executive Officers.”

(4)These amounts relate to the possible awards payable under the 2016 AIP as described beginning on page 26 of the CD&A at threshold, target and maximum performance levels. Actual payments of these awards were determined in January of 2017 and were paid in February of 2017 and are included in theNon-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation column of the Fiscal Year 2016 Summary Compensation Table. The dollaramounts included for Mr. Perez and Ms. Hollins reflect a prorated target based on the number of days each was employed by the Company during fiscal year 2016. The amount included for Ms. Driggs reflects a prorated target based on the fact that she did not become eligible to participate in the 2016 AIP until the beginning of the second quarter of fiscal year 2016. Grant dates reflect the date on which the applicable 2016 Named Executive Officer began participating in the AIP. For a detailed discussion of the Company’s 2016 AIP (including the applicable performance factors and achievement levels), please see the “Annual Incentives” section of the CD&A.

(5)Amounts shown reflectsin this column reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of option awards calculatedstock determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718.
(2)These options become exercisable, if at all, only if the closing price of the Company’s common stock during any 10 consecutive trading day period ending on or prior to July 3, 2017 equals or exceeds $10. These options expire seven years from the grant date.
(3)These options become exercisable, if at all, only if the closing price of the Company’s common stock during any 10 consecutive trading day period ending on or prior to July 3, 2017 equals or exceeds $12. These options expire seven years from the grant date.
(4)These options become exercisable, if at all, only if the closing price of the Company’s common stock during any 10 consecutive trading day period ending on or prior to July 3, 2017 equals or exceeds $14. These options expire seven years from the grant date.
(5)The Compensation Committee awarded Mr. Kochman a long-term incentive award for fiscal year 2014, with a target amount of $270,000 in cash and 40,000 shares of restricted stock contingent on Mr. Kochman’s achievement of objective goals and targets determined by the Compensation Committee. After the end of fiscal year 2014, the Compensation Committee confirmed the award to Mr. Kochman in the target amount. The restricted shares included in the award had a grant date during fiscal year 2015. The relevant performance goals and targets, payment and vesting terms for Mr. Kochman’s fiscal year 2014 long-term incentive awards are described in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis beginning.
(6)The Compensation Committee awarded Mr. Whitney an incentive award in respect of fiscal year 2014 with a target amount of $400,000 in cash contingent on Mr. Whitney’s achievement of objective goals and targets determined by the Compensation Committee. At the end of fiscal year 2014, the Compensation Committee confirmed the award to Mr. Whitney in the target amount. The relevant performance goals and targets are described in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis.
(7)Ms. Larson’s and Ms. Driggs’ annual cash incentives are established under the terms of their respective employment agreements. See “Annual Cash Incentive – Lori Larson” and “Annual Cash Incentive – Rhona Driggs.
(8)The target amount of Mr. Zimmerman’s cash long-term incentive award was established pursuant to his employment agreement. Mr. Zimmerman also was eligible to earn a quarterly threshold incentive in the amount of $81,250 pursuant to his employment agreement. For a description of the annual and quarterly incentives and related performance metrics, see “Agreements with 2014 Named Executive Officers – Howard Zimmerman.” Mr. Zimmerman’s employment with the Company terminated effective May 9, 2014.

36    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Fiscal Year 2014 Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-EndFISCAL YEAR 2016 OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCALYEAR-END

The following table sets forth certain information concerning shares of our common stock subject to unexercised stock options and equity incentive plan awards held at November 2, 2014October 30, 2016 by the 20142016 Named Executive Officers:

 

   Option Awards (1)   Stock Awards (2) 

Name

  Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Exercisable (1)
   Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Unexercisable
   Option
Exercise
Price $
   Option
Expiration
Date
   Number of
Shares or
Units that
Have
Not Vested
  Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of Stock
that Have Not
Vested $
 

Ronald Kochman

   8,000     —       6.39     4/6/2019     13,334(2)   110,406  
     20,000     10.00     7/3/2021     
     40,000     12.00     7/3/2021     
     40,000     14.00     7/3/2021     

James Whitney

   3,000     2,000     10.56     5/11/2021     10,000(3)   82,800  
     10,000     10.00     7/3/2021     
     20,000     12.00     7/3/2021     
     30,000     14.00     7/3/2021     

Jerome Shaw

   8,000     —       6.39     4/6/2019     —      —    

Lori Larson

   5,000     —       6.39     4/6/2019     —      —    
     5,000     10.00     7/3/2021     
     10,000     12.00     7/3/2021     
     15,000     14.00     7/3/2021     

   Option Awards (1)   Stock Awards (2) 

Name

  Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Exercisable (1)
   Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Unexercisable
   Option
Exercise
Price $
   Option
Expiration
Date
   Number of
Shares or
Units that
Have
Not Vested
   Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of Stock
that Have Not
Vested $
 

Rhona Driggs

   5,000     —       6.39     4/6/2019     —       —    
     5,000     10.00     7/3/2021      
     10,000     12.00     7/3/2021      
     15,000     14.00     7/3/2021      

Howard Zimmerman

   —       —       —       —       —       —    
Option AwardsStock Awards
  Name

Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options

Exercisable

Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Unexercisable
Equity
Incentive
Plan Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Unearned
Options
(#)
Option
Exercise
Price
$
Option
Expiration
Date
Number of
Shares or
Units that
Have Not
Vested
(#)
Market Value
of Shares or
Units of
Stock that
Have Not
Vested
($)

Michael D. Dean

100,000(1)9.286/28/2022
60,683(2)121,367(2)8.3310/19/2025
439,681(3)6.066/13/2026
26,677(2)170,466
88,009(3)562,378

Rhona Driggs

5,000(4)6.394/6/2019
5,000(5)10.007/3/2021
10,000(5)12.007/3/2021
15,000(5)14.007/3/2021
45,342(3)6.066/13/2026
9,076(3)57,996

Paul Tomkins

45,615(6)7.203/11/2026
48,090(3)6.066/13/2026
9,259(6)59,165
9,626(3)61,510

Ann R. Hollins

51,317(7)7.203/21/2026
10,417(7)66,565

Jorge Perez

66,934(8)7.464/11/2026
13,405(8)85,658

Jerome Shaw

8,000(9)6.394/6/2019

 

(1)RepresentsThese options were granted to each of the 2014 Named Executive Officers. Each option has a ten-year term, except the July 3, 2014 grant, which has a seven-year term. All are subject to earlier termination in the event of the termination of the optionee’s employment. All options vest in equal installments over a five year period, except the July 3, 2014 grants, which wereon June 29, 2015 and fully vested when granted, but whose exercisability is contingent on the attainment of certain stock price goals. See footnotes two, three and four to the Fiscal Year 2014 Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table for details.
(2)On October 29, 2013, Mr. Kochman received an award of 40,000 restricted shares of the Company’s common stock as part of his long-term incentive award for fiscal 2013. 13,333 of such shares vested 104 days after the end of the Company’s 2013 fiscal year and an additional 13,333 shares vested on October 30, 2014; the remaining 13,334 shares are scheduled to vest on October 30, 2015, but will vest immediately if, within 90 days of a Change of Control, the Company terminates Mr. Kochman’s employment without cause or he resigns for good reason, as such terms are defined in his employment agreement.
(3)On December 24, 2012, Mr. Whitney received an award of 30,000 restricted shares of the Company’s common stock as sign-on equity pursuant to the terms of his employment agreement. 10,000 of such restricted shares vested on June 30, 2013, another 10,000 shares vested on June 30, 2014 and the remaining 10,000 shares19, 2016. When granted, these options were scheduled to vest ratably on the first day of each month for the first six months following the grant date. When Mr. Dean accepted the CEO position in October of 2015, he agreed to extend the vesting of his remaining options (at the time, 50% of the grant) to October 19, 2016.

(2)Options and restricted stock units were granted on October 19, 2015 and vest ratably on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date.

(3)Options and restricted stock units were granted on June 30, 2015. 13, 2016 and vest ratably on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date.

(4)These options were granted on April 7, 2009, which vested ratably on each of the first five anniversaries of the grant date.

(5)In connection withJuly 2014, we granted an aggregate of 340,000 options to purchase shares of our common stock to certain of our senior officers. These options were fully vested on the announcement of Mr. Whitney’s planned departuregrant date, but in order for these stock options to be exercisable, the closing price for our stock must meet or exceed certain trading price targets for 10 consecutive trading days; if the stock price targets are not met on or prior to July 3, 2017, the options will not become exercisable. These options expire seven years from the Company effective March  20, 2015, the Company has agreed to vest the remaining 10,000 shares.grant date.

(6)Options and restricted stock units were granted on March 11, 2016 and vest ratably on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date.

(7)Options and restricted stock units were granted on March 11, 2016 and vest ratably on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date.

(8)Options and restricted stock units were granted on April 11, 2016 and vest ratably on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date.

(9)These options were granted on April 7, 2009, which vested ratably on each of the first five anniversaries of the grant date. On September 12, 2016, Mr. Shaw transferred these options to a family trust for no consideration.

37    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Fiscal Year 2014 Option Exercises and Stock VestedFISCAL YEAR 2016 OPTION EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED

The following table contains information about restricted stock units held by the applicable Named Executive Officersnamed executive officers that vested during 2014.fiscal year 2016. No options were exercised by our Named Executive Officersnamed executive officers in fiscal year 2014.2016.

 

   Option Awards   Stock Awards 

Name

  Number of
Shares
Acquired on
Exercise (#)
   Value
Realized
on Exercise ($)
   Number of
Shares
Acquired
On Vesting (#)
   Value
Realized
on Vesting
($) (1)
 

Ronald Kochman

   —       —       40,000    $343,786  

James Whitney

   —       —       10,000    $94,900  
   Option Awards       Stock Awards     
  Name  Number of Shares
Acquired on Exercise
(#)
   Value Realized
on Exercise
($)
   Number of Shares
Acquired on
Vesting
(#)
   Value Realized
on Vesting
($)
(1)
 

Michael D. Dean

           42,000    389,760 
            13,339    111,114 

 

(1)Determined by multiplying the shares of stock that vested during the 2014 fiscal year 2016 by the closing market price of our common stock on the respectiveapplicable vesting dates,date, but excluding any tax obligations incurred in connection with such vesting.

Fiscal Year 2014 Pension Plan BenefitsFISCAL YEAR 2016 PENSION PLAN BENEFITS

In fiscal year 2014,2016, our 2016 Named Executive Officers did not participate in any pension plans providing for payment or other benefits at, following or in connection with retirement.

For certain payments and benefits to which our 20142016 Named Executive Officers became or would become entitled upon retirement or other specified terminations of employment, please see the sections “Agreementssection “Employment Agreements with 20142016 Named Executive Officers”Officers.

FISCAL YEAR 2016 NONQUALIFIED DEFERRED COMPENSATION

In fiscal year 2016, none of our 2016 Named Executive Officers participated in any deferred compensation plans or programs. For certain payments and “Potential Payments Upon Terminationbenefits to which our 2016 Named Executive Officers became or Change in Control aswould become entitled upon retirement or other specified terminations of November 2, 2014.employment, please see the section “Employment Agreements with 2016 Named Executive Officers.

Fiscal Year 2014 Nonqualified Deferred Compensation

We sponsor the 38    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. Deferred Compensation and Supplemental Savings Plan (the “Deferred Compensation Plan”) under which eligible employees may elect to defer up to 20% of their cash compensation. Benefit entitlements under the Deferred Compensation Plan are unfunded, unsecured deferred compensation obligations of the Company. Participants generally may direct the manner in which their accounts under the Deferred Compensation Plan are notionally allocated to the available investment funds, which are, generally, publicly traded mutual funds and collective investment trusts. Participant accounts are vested at all times. We do not contribute to or otherwise supplement employee deferrals under the Deferred Compensation Plan. 2017 Proxy Statement

James Whitney is the only one of our 2014 Named Executive Officers who participated in the Deferred Compensation Plan. The following table shows the executive or company contributions, earnings, withdrawals, and fiscal year-end account balance for Mr. Whitney.


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

 

Name

 Plan Name Aggregate
Balance at
Beginning
of Year $
  Executive
Contributions
in Last FY
$
  Company
Contributions
in Last FY $
  Aggregate
earnings in
Last FY $
  Aggregate
Withdrawals/
Distributions
$
  Aggregate
Balance at
Last FYE $(1)
 

James Whitney

 Volt Information Sciences,
Inc. Deferred Comp and
Supplemental Savings Plan
  21,571    —      —      1,016    —      22,587  

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS WITH 2016 NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

 

(1)
An aggregate of $21,075 constituting Executive’s contributions were previously reported as compensation to the Executive in the Company’s 2012 and 2013 Summary Compensation Tables.  Michael D. Dean

AgreementsWe entered into an employment agreement with 2014 Named Executive Officers

Ronald Kochman

InMr. Dean on October 19, 2015 in connection with his appointment asto the position of President and CEO weof the Company. In January 2017, Mr. Dean and the Company amended Mr. Dean’s employment agreement in order to delete from the definition of “good reason” an express triggering event (with the consequences summarized in the immediately succeeding paragraph) occasioned by the Company’s failure to provide Mr. Dean with annual long-term incentives at a target value of $1.6 million. Both the Company and Mr. Dean felt this amendment was appropriate in light of the Company’s ongoing efforts to structure its compensation programs in a way that appropriately aligns executive performance with overall compensation opportunities.

If Mr. Dean’s employment is terminated by the Company without “cause”, by him for “good reason” or in connection with the Company’s nonrenewal of the employment agreement (in each case, a “Qualifying Termination”), he will be eligible to receive severance benefits, which include (i) payment of an amount equal to two times the sum of his base salary plus target annual bonus, payable over 24 months following the termination date (or, in the case of a nonrenewal termination, one times the sum of such amounts payable over 12 months); (ii) payment of any earned but unpaid annual bonus for the year prior to the year of termination and apro-rated annual bonus for the year of termination (based on actual achievement of applicable performance criteria butpro-rated to reflect the number of days within the performance period in which Mr. Dean was employed); (iii) reimbursement of the employer portion of COBRA costs for 18 months following the termination date; and (iv) immediate vesting of unvested equity awards, to the extent such awards would have vested within 12 months of the termination date (subject to, in the case ofperformance-based awards, the achievement of any performance criteria during such one year period). The employment agreement provides for equity acceleration with respect to all outstanding and unvested equity awards in the event of a Qualifying Termination in connection with a “change in control” of the Company (as defined in the 2015 Plan). In addition, upon a Qualifying Termination following a change in control, the amount described in clause (i) and (ii) above will generally be paid in a lump sum on the 60th day following the termination date.

Mr. Dean’s receipt of the severance benefits under the employment agreement is subject to his execution of a formal release of claims against us. Our obligation to pay certain severance benefits is conditioned upon Mr. Dean’s continued compliance with thenon-compete andnon-solicit restrictions set forth in the employment agreement for a period of 24 months (in the case of a termination without “cause” or for “good reason”), or 12 months (in the case of a nonrenewal termination or a Qualifying Termination in connection with a change in control).

Mr. Dean’s agreement also provides that in the event his total payments or benefits received in connection with a change in control or his termination would be subject to any excise tax under Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code, such payments will be reduced to the extent necessary such that no portion of the total payments will be subject to such excise tax, but only if the netafter-tax amount of such reduced total payments is greater than or equal to the netafter-tax amount of the total payments Mr. Dean would receive without such reduction.

For purposes of the employment agreement with Mr. Dean, the following terms are defined generally as set forth below:

“good reason” is defined as (i) a diminution in executive’s base salary or target annual bonus (subject to certain exceptions); (ii) a material diminution in executive’s authority, duties or responsibilities; (iii) executive’s cessation as a member of the Company’s Board (other than due to his resignation or where “cause” is found to exist); (iv) a relocation of executive’s principal place of employment by more than 50 miles; and (v) the Company’s material breach of the employment agreement.

39    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

“cause” is defined as (i) any action or omission constituting executive’s material breach of any provision of the employment agreement or Company policies; (ii) executive’s willful failure to perform the duties assigned to him under the employment agreement after the Company has demanded that he so perform; (iii) any conduct by executive that is materially injurious to the business of the Company, or any act of fraud with respect to the business of the Company; (iv) executive’s conviction of (or plea of no contest to) any felony; (v) executive’s gross negligence or gross insubordination; (vi) executive’s commission of any violation of any antifraud provision of federal or state securities laws; or (vii) executive’s alcohol or drug abuse substantially affecting his work performance.

“change in control” is defined in the 2015 Plan.

  Paul Tomkins

We entered into an employment agreement with Ronald Kochman on December 26, 2012,Mr. Tomkins effective March 23, 2015. The employment agreement provides a base salary of $400,000 per annum. For fiscal year 2015, Mr. Tomkins was eligible to earn an annual bonus with a target amount of $400,000. With respect to fiscal year 2016 and thereafter, his employment agreement provided that Mr. Tomkins would be eligible to earn an annual bonus with a target amount of $250,000 and an LTI award with a target amount of $250,000 payable 50% in cash and 50% in restricted Company common stock. Following the end of fiscal year 2015, the Compensation Committee revised Mr. Tomkins’ annual bonus to reflect a target of $260,000 and a target LTI award of $375,000, consisting of2/3 stock options and1/3 restricted stock units. This was done in recognition of the financial and leadership initiatives that Mr. Tomkins was able to achieve during fiscal year 2015, and is consistent with our revamped executive compensation program.

If Mr. Tomkins’ employment is terminated by the Company without “cause” or by Mr. Tomkins for “good reason” (as such terms are defined in the employment agreement) Mr. Tomkins would be entitled to receive payment of, at a minimum, (i) one year of histhen-current base salary, (ii) an amount equal to his target annual bonus for the year of termination; (iii) payment of any earned but unpaid annual bonus for the year of termination,pro-rated for the number of days actually worked during the applicable fiscal year; and (iv) certain costs associated with the payment of medical benefits for 12 months following the termination date. Receipt of such benefits is conditioned upon his execution of a general release. The payments described in subclause (i) and (ii) would be payable over 12 months following the termination date. In the event of a termination without cause or resignation for good reason within 90 days of a “change of control”, all unvested portions of the LTI awards granted (if any) will vest immediately. Upon termination of employment for any other reason, Mr. Tomkins is entitled under his employment agreement only to payment of his accrued but unpaid salary and any unused accrued vacation.

Mr. Tomkins will be subject to the Company’s standardnon-competition andnon-solicitation covenants for one year following his termination of employment, regardless of the reason for termination.

For purposes of the employment agreement with Mr. Tomkins, the following terms are defined generally as set forth below:

“good reason” is defined as (i) an aggregate reduction of 10% or more in executive’s base salary, unless such reduction is part of a general reduction applicable to substantially all senior executives of the Company; (ii) a relocation of executive’s principal work location of 50 miles or more; or (iii) a material and adverse change to, or a material reduction of, executive’s duties and responsibilities to the Company.

“cause” is defined as (i) embezzlement by the executive; (ii) executive’s misappropriation of Company funds; (iii) executive’s conviction of, or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, any felony; (iv) executive’s commission of any act of dishonesty, deceit or fraud which causes economic harm to the Company; (v) willful breach of executive’s fiduciary duties owed to the Company; (vi) executive’s material breach of the employment

40    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

agreement; (vii) executive’s willful failure to perform his duties; (viii) significant violation of Company policy, procedure, etc.; or (ix) engaging in activities or conduct reasonably likely to impair the reputation, operations, etc. of the business of the Company.

  Jerome Shaw

On February 21, 2017, Mr. Shaw’s existing employment agreement with the Company dated May 1, 2012.1987, as amended on January 3, 1989 (the “Employment Agreement”) was amended and restated (the “Restated Employment Agreement”). Pursuant to the Restated Employment Agreement, which will be effective as of February 27, 2017, Mr. Shaw will cease to be an executive officer of the Company, and will hold the honorary title of Founder and Executive Vice President Emeritus of the Company until thetwo-year anniversary of the date of the Restated Employment Agreement (the “Term”), at which point Mr. Shaw’s employment with the Company will cease. Mr. Shaw’s annual base salary will be reduced from $517,005 to $200,000. Additionally, he will be paid $1,500,000 (together with his base salary, the “Consideration”) in exchange for the elimination of a current $1,500,000 death benefit obligation contained in the Employment Agreement. The Consideration will be paid over the course of the Term in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices. In the event of Mr. Shaw’s death prior to the expiration of the Term, the Restated Employment Agreement provides for the remainder of his Consideration to be paid to his trust through the end of the Term.

Prior to the effectiveness of the Restated Employment Agreement, the employment term under Mr. Shaw’s Employment Agreement was scheduled to continue until the April 30 that is five years after notice is given by either the Company or Mr. Shaw to terminate his employment. The Employment Agreement also provided for service thereafter for the remainder of Mr. Shaw’s life as a consultant to the Company for annual consulting fees equal to 75% of his then current base salary for the first 10 years of the consulting period and 50% of the base salary for the remainder of the consulting period. The Employment Agreement permitted Mr. Shaw to accelerate the commencement of the consulting period if a “change in control,” as defined in the Employment Agreement, occurred or if the Company’s office where Mr. Shaw presently performed his principal services was relocated to a different geographical area.

The Employment Agreement also provided that, upon the death of Mr. Shaw, the Company would pay to his beneficiary an amount equal to three times his annual base salary at the date of death if his death occurred while employed as an executive, 2.25 times his annual base salary at the end of his employment as an executive if his death occurred during the first 10 years of the consulting period or 1.5 times his annual base salary at the end of his employment as an executive if his death occurred during the remainder of the consulting period. This amount would have been payable over three years following his death.

Under the Employment Agreement, Mr. Shaw was prohibited from engaging in any business competitive with the Company, competing with the Company for its customers or encouraging employees of the Company to leave their employment. These restrictions would have applied for the duration of the term of the Employment Agreement and for one year thereafter if Mr. Shaw’s employment was terminated by the Company for “cause,” as defined in the Employment Agreement. Mr. Shaw would not have been subject to these restrictions after a “change in control” of the Company occurred if, during his consulting period, he elected to terminate his Employment Agreement and relinquish any further payments or other benefits thereunder.

  Rhona Driggs

The Company is a party to an employment agreement with Ms. Driggs, dated November 25, 2013. The agreement provides for a base salary at the annual rate of $575,000,$300,000, which may be increased but not decreasedadjusted from time to time in the Company’s discretion. Mr. KochmanEffective February 1, 2016, Ms. Driggs’ annual base salary was eligible,increased to $380,000. Ms. Driggs, under the terms of hisher agreement, to earn an annual bonus for fiscal year 2013 with a target of 100% of his base salary, based on his achievement of criteria developed by the Compensation Committee. For fiscal year 2014 and subsequent years, the Committee establishes the target amount of Mr. Kochman’s bonus on an annual basis.

The agreement provided for a long-term incentive award in recognition of Mr. Kochman’s performance for fiscal year 2012 comprised of $270,000 in cash and 40,000 shares of restricted stock. The cash portion of the award is payable, and the restricted shares will vest, in equal amounts on each of the following dates: (a) 100 days after the end of the Company’s 2012 fiscal year, (b) October 30, 2013, and (c) October 30, 2014.

In addition, the agreement provides for a long-term incentive award for fiscal year 2013 that was contingent on Mr. Kochman’s achievement of performance goals and targets determined by the Compensation Committee. The fiscal year 2013 long-term incentive award as approved by the Compensation Committee was comprised of $270,000 in cash and 40,000 shares of restricted stock. Two-thirds of the cash portion of the award and two-thirds of the restricted shares became payable or vested in equal amounts on each of the following dates: (a) fifteen days after the filing date with the SEC of the Company’s annual report onForm 10-K for fiscal year 2013 (which report was filed on January 31, 2014), and (b) October 30, 2014.

The remaining one-third portions of the cash award and restricted shares are scheduled to become payable or vest on October 30, 2015, provided that Mr. Kochman remains employed by the Company on each of those dates. The award will vest in full in the event that Mr. Kochman is terminated without cause or resigns for good reason within 90 days of a change of control. After 2013, Mr. Kochman is eligible to earn target long-termparticipate in the applicable Company incentive awardsplan, as determined by the Compensation Committee.in effect from time to time.

41    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The employment agreement with Mr. KochmanMs. Driggs provides for “at-will”“at will” employment, but generally requires at least sixty10 days’ written notice of termination by usthe Company without “cause” or by Mr. KochmanMs. Driggs with or without “good reason” (as such terms are defined in the employment agreement and summarized below). Upon termination of employment by usthe Company without cause or by Mr. KochmanMs. Driggs for good reason, Mr. KochmanMs. Driggs will be entitled to, subject to the execution of a release of claims against the Company and, if requested, an exit interview as the Company may designate, (1) continued payment of base salary and continued medical benefits for 2412 months, and (2) any earned incentive payment, of a pro rata amount of hisbased onpre-established target annual bonusamounts for such year, prorated to account for days worked during the year of termination, based onand (3) costs associated with providing medical coverage for 12 months following the actual performance criteria for the year (but in no event greater than the target amount). Had Mr. Kochman been terminated on November 2, 2014, the aggregate amount of his severance entitlement under his employment agreement would have been approximately $1,725,000, representing 24 months of base salary at an annual rate of $575,000 plus his fiscal year 2014 bonus of $575,000 which had not yet been paid as of November 2, 2014. Upon termination without cause or for good reason, Mr. Kochman is also entitled to the cost of medical benefit continuation during the 24 month salary continuation period (approximate value of $28,065). We may condition receipt of these severance benefits upon Mr. Kochman’s execution of a release of claims against the Company. Upon termination of employment for any other reason, Mr. Kochman is entitled under his employment agreement only to payment of his accrued but unpaid salary and any unused accrued vacation.date.

The employment agreement containsnon-competition andnon-solicitation covenants that apply during employment and for one year following termination of employment.

For purposes of Mr. Kochman’s employment agreementagreements for Ms. Driggs, the following terms are defined generally as set forth below:

“cause” means generally: (a) embezzlement by executive; (b) misappropriation by executive of funds of the Company; (c) executive’s conviction of, plea of guilty to or plea of nolo contendere to a felony; (d) executive’s commission of any act of dishonesty, deceit, or fraud which causes material economic harm to the Company; (e) a willful failure by executive of a fiduciary duty owed to the Company; (f) a material breach by executive of any provision of the employment agreement; (f)(g) a willful failure by executive to substantially perform executive’s duties; (g) a willful breach by executive of a fiduciary duty owed to the Company; or (h) a significant violation by executive of any rule, policy or procedure of the Company, or any contractual, statutory or common law duties owed to the Company; or (i) engaging in activities or conduct reasonably likely to impair the reputation, operations, prospects or business relations of the Company.

“good reason” means generally the occurrence of any of the following events which continues uncured for a period of not less thirty (30) days following written notice given by executive to the Company within ninety (90) days following the occurrence of such event, unless executive specifically agrees in writing that such event shall not be good reason: (a) a material office relocation that increases executive’s daily commute by 50an aggregate reduction of ten percent (10%) or more miles; (b) a material reduction in executive’s duties; (c) an assignment of any duties inconsistent with executive’s position as President and CEO (including status, offices, titles and reporting requirements), authority, duties or responsibilities as contemplated by the employment agreement; (d) a reductionbase salary in the overall level of executive’s compensation or benefits as provided herein,one calendar year, unless such reduction is part of a general reduction applicable to all or substantially all senior executives of the Company; (e)(b) a breach of the employment agreement by the Company; (f) executive’s removal from the Board of Directors; or (g) executive’s resignation based upon written mutual agreement by executive and the Board of Directors.

change of control” means generally: (a) a “person,” or “group” within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (other than a “person” or “group” consisting solely of descendants of Edward Shaw, their spouses and trusts or other persons formed primarily for their benefit) becomes a “beneficial owner,” as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under that Act, of 50%fifty (50) miles or more in the geographic location in which executive works; or (c) a material and adverse change to, or a material reduction of, the outstanding common stock of Company; (b) the majority of the Board of Directors of the Company consists of individuals other than “incumbent” directors, which term means the members of the Board of Directors on the date of the employment agreement; provided that any person becoming a director subsequent to such date whose election or nomination for election was supported by two-thirds of the directors who then comprised the incumbent directors will be considered to be an incumbent director; (c) the Company adopts any plan of liquidation providing for the distribution of all or substantially all of its assets; (d) all or substantially all of the assets or business of Company are disposed of pursuant to a merger, consolidation or other transaction (unless the shareholders of Company immediately prior to such merger, consolidation or other transaction beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in substantially the same proportion as they owned the voting stock of Company immediately prior to such merger, consolidation or other transaction, all of the voting stock or other ownership interests of the entity or entities, if any, that succeedexecutive’s duties and responsibilities to the business of Company); or (e) the Company combines with another company and is the surviving corporation but, immediately after the combination, the shareholders of Company immediately prior to the combination hold, directly or indirectly, less than 50% of the shares of voting stock of the combined company (there being excluded from the number of shares held by such shareholders, but not from the shares of the combined company, any shares received by affiliates of such other company in exchange for shares of such other company).Company.

James Whitney

  Jorge Perez

In connection with his appointment as Chief Financial Officer, weWe entered into an employment agreement with James Whitney on December 23, 2012,Mr.��Perez effective July 1, 2012.April 11, 2016. The employment agreement provided forprovides a base salary at theof $380,000 per annum. Mr. Perez is also eligible to participate in our AIP, with a target annual rate of $400,000, which may be increased but not decreased in the Company’s discretion. In connection with Mr. Whitney’s entry into the employment agreement and in recognitionbonus equal to 60% of his past service with the Company, the employment agreement provided forannual base salary. On April 11, 2016, Mr. Perez received an awardinitial grant of 30,000 sharesequity awards consisting of 2/3 stock options and 1/3 restricted stock which were scheduled to vest in three equal annual installments through June 30, 2015. Under the termsunits with a grant date fair value of $300,000, vesting ratably on each of the agreement, Mr. Whitney was entitled to vestingfirst three anniversaries of the awardgrant date. We provided Mr. Perez with a $50,000 relocation payment in full immediatelyorder to facilitate his relocation to Orange, California. Mr. Perez will be obligated to repay theafter-tax portion of this amount in the event that wehe (i) resigns without “good reason” or is terminated Mr. Whitney’s employment without cause or he resigned for good reason, as“cause” (as such terms are defined in histhe employment agreement.agreement) prior to April 11, 2018, or (ii) fails to relocate prior to September 30, 2017.

For fiscal year 2013,If Mr. Whitney earned a long-term incentive award of $400,000, payable in cash in three installments. The first two installments became payable (a) 15 days after the filing date with the SEC of our annual report onForm 10-K for fiscal year 2013 (which report was filed on January 31, 2014) and (b) on October 30, 2014; the remaining installment was due to vest on October 30, 2015, provided that Mr. Whitney remained employed through the relevant payment date. Mr. Whitney was entitled to payment in full of the award if wePerez’s employment is terminated Mr. Whitney’s employment without cause or he resigned for good reason.

For fiscal year 2013, Mr. Whitney’s agreement provided for an annual bonus with a target of 100% of his base salary. Mr. Whitney was also eligible to earn a special bonus of up to $750,000. The special bonus was earned in one-third installments upon the Company’s filing with the SEC of: (a) its Restated CompositeForm 10-K for the fiscal years ending November 2, 2008, November 1, 2009 and October 31, 2010 (which filing was made on April 9, 2013); (b) its annual report onForm 10-K for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2011 (which filing was made on November 15, 2013); and (c) its annual report onForm 10-K for the fiscal year ending October 28, 2012 (which filing was made on November 15, 2013). For fiscal year 2014 and beyond, Mr. Whitney was eligible to earn target annual bonuses and long-term incentive awards as determined by the CEO and approved by the Compensation Committee.

The employment agreement with Mr. Whitney provided for “at-will” employment, but required at least thirty (30) days’ written notice of termination by us without cause or by Mr. Whitney with or without good reason. Upon termination of employment by the Company without cause or by Mr. WhitneyPerez for good reason Mr. Whitney wasPerez would be entitled to (1) a lump sumreceive payment equal toof (i) one year of histhen-currentbase salary, (2)payable in 12 monthly installments (ii) apro-rated portion of his annual incentive award payable in respect of the year of termination, based on actual performance; (iii) payment of any earned but unpaid annual bonus for the year prior to the year of termination; and (3) if Mr. Whitney elected to continue to participate in Company sponsored group health plans,(iv) certain costs associated with the payment of six months’ of COBRA continuation coverage, lessmedical benefits for 12 months following the amount termination date.

42    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Mr. Whitney would pay for such coverage if he were still an employeePerez’s receipt of the Company. Hadseverance benefits described above is subject to his execution of a valid release of claims and is conditioned on his compliance with thenon-competition andnon-solicitation covenants contained in his employment agreement for one year following his termination of employment.

For purposes of the employment agreement with Mr. Whitney’sPerez, the following terms are defined generally as set forth below:

“good reason” is defined as (i) an aggregate reduction of 10% or more in executive’s base salary, unless such reduction is part of a general reduction applicable to substantially all senior executives of the Company; (ii) a relocation of executive’s principal work location of 50 miles or more (following his relocation to our office in Orange, California); (iii) a material and adverse change to, or a material reduction of, executive’s duties and responsibilities to the Company; or (iv) the Company’s material breach of the employment terminatedagreement.

“cause” is defined as (i) embezzlement by the executive; (ii) executive’s conviction of, or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, any felony; (iii) executive’s commission of any act of dishonesty, deceit or fraud which causes economic harm to the Company; (iv) willful breach of executive’s fiduciary duties owed to the Company; (v) executive’s material breach of the employment agreement; (vi) executive’s willful failure to perform his duties; (vii) the executive’s material violation of Company policy, procedure, etc.; or (viii) engaging in activities or conduct reasonably likely to impair the reputation, operations, etc. of the business of the Company.

  Ann R. Hollins

We entered into an employment agreement with Ms. Hollins effective March 21, 2016. Other than with respect to economic terms, the terms of Ms. Hollins’ employment agreement are substantially similar to those of Mr. Perez’s employment agreement. Ms. Hollins receives a base salary of $340,000 per annum, with a target annual bonus equal to 50% of her annual base salary. On March 11, 2016, Ms. Hollins received an initial grant of equity awards consisting of 2/3 stock options and 1/3 restricted stock units with a grant date fair value of $225,000, vesting ratably on November 2, 2014 under such circumstances (thateach of the first three anniversaries of the grant date. If Ms. Hollins’ employment is terminated by the Company without cause or by Mr. WhitneyMs. Hollins for good reason), hereason, Ms. Hollins would be entitled to receive the same severance benefits described for Mr. Perez, based on her own annual base salary and target annual bonus.

43    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

POTENTIAL PAYMENTS UPON TERMINATION OR CHANGE IN CONTROL AS OF OCTOBER 30, 2016

The chart below quantifies the payments and benefits to which our 2016 Named Executive Officers would have been entitled to payment equal to $800,000, representing one year of base salary ($400,000) plus his fiscal year 2014 bonus of $400,000 which had not been paid as of November 2, 2014; he would also have been entitled to $7,016, which represents six months of COBRA continuation coverage. Uponupon termination of employment for any other reason, Mr. Whitney was entitled under this employment agreement only to payment of his accrued but unpaid salary and any unused accrued vacation.

The employment agreement contained non-competition and non-solicitation covenants that apply during employment and for six months following termination of employment.

Mr. Whitney left the Company effective March 20, 2015. Inor in connection with Mr. Whitney’s departure, we agreed to accelerate the vesting of the remaining 10,000 shares of restricted Company common stock thata change in control had been awarded to him in 2012 as sign-on equity and to pay him separation pay of $966,667 consisting of (i) one year of his current salary ($400,000), (ii) a pro rata bonus for fiscal year 2015 equal to five-twelfths of his target bonus of $400,000 for fiscal year 2014 and (iii) $400,000 in long-term incentive payments earned during fiscal years 2013 and 2014 that otherwise would be due to be paid to Mr. Whitney ineither event occurred on October 2015.30, 2016.

  Name  Termination
without Cause or
for Good Reason
($)
   Death or
Disability
($)
   Termination
without Cause or
for Good Reason
in Connection with
a Change in Control
($)
(1)
 

Michael D. Dean

      

Cash Severance(2)

   3,007,160    407,160    3,007,160 

Health Benefits

   25,651        25,651 

Stock Options(3)

   47,705        145,095 

Restricted Stock Units(4)

   272,693        732,843 

Total

   3,353,209    407,160    3,910,749 

Paul Tomkins

      

Cash Severance(2)

   817,950    157,950    817,950 

Health Benefits

   17,101        17,101 

Stock Options(3)

           15,870 

Restricted Stock Units(4)

           120,675 

Total

   835,051    157,950    971,596 

Rhona Driggs

      

Cash Severance(2)

   474,208    111,958    474,208 

Health Benefits

   17,101        17,101 

Stock Options(3)

           14,963 

Restricted Stock Units(4)

           57,996 

Total

   491,309    111,958    564,268 

Jerome ShawPaul Tomkins

The Company is a party to an employment agreement with Jerome Shaw dated May 1, 1987 and amended January 3, 1989. The employment term under his agreement continues until the April 30 that is five years after notice is given by either the Company or Jerome Shaw to terminate his employment. The agreement also provides for service thereafter for the remainder of Jerome Shaw’s life as a consultant to the Company for annual consulting fees equal to 75% of his then current base salary for the first 10 years of the consulting period and 50% of the base salary for the remainder of the consulting period. If Mr. Shaw’s termination of employment occurred on November 2, 2014, his applicable base salary would have been $517,005. The employment agreement permits Jerome Shaw to accelerate the commencement of the consulting period if a “change in control,” as described below, of the Company occurs or if the Company’s office where Jerome Shaw presently performs his principal services is relocated to a different geographical area.Cash Severance(2)

817,950157,950817,950

Upon the death of Jerome Shaw, the Company will pay to his beneficiary an amount equal to three times his annual base salary at the date of death if his death occurred while employed as an executive, 2.25 times his annual base salary at the end of his employment as an executive if his death occurred during the first 10 years of the consulting period or 1.5 times his annual base salary at the end of his employment as an executive if his death occurred during the remainder of the consulting period. In the event that Jerome Shaw had died on November 2, 2014, his beneficiary would have been entitled to receive $1,551,015 from the Company. The amount would be payable over three years following his death.Health Benefits

17,10117,101

Under his employment agreement, Jerome Shaw is prohibited from engaging in any business competitive with the Company, competing with the Company for its customers or encouraging employees of the Company to leave their employment.Stock Options(3)

15,870

Restricted Stock Units(4)

120,675

These restrictions apply for the duration of the agreement and for one year thereafter if Jerome Shaw’s employment shall have been terminated by the Company for “cause,” as defined in the agreement. Jerome Shaw will not be subject to these restrictions after a “change in control” of the Company occurs if, during his consulting period, he elects to terminate his employment agreement and relinquish any further payments or other benefits thereunder.Total

The agreement provides that a change in control shall be deemed to occur (1) if there is a change in the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management of the policies of the Company, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise, (2) if any person other than Jerome Shaw becomes a beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of securities representing more than 25% of the Company’s then outstanding securities having the right to vote in the election of directors, (3) when individuals who are members of the Board at any one time shall immediately thereafter cease to constitute at least three-fourths of the Board, (4) when a majority of the Board elected at any annual or special meeting of shareholders are not individuals nominated by the Company’s incumbent Board, (5) if the shareholders of the Company approve a merger or consolidation of the Company with any other corporation other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent at least 80% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation, or (6) if the shareholders of the Company approve a plan of complete liquidation or an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets.

Lori Larson

The Company is a party to an employment agreement with Lori Larson, dated November 25, 2013. The agreement provides for a base salary at the annual rate of $300,000, which may be adjusted from time to time in the Company’s discretion. Ms. Larson, under the terms of her agreement, is eligible to participate in the applicable Company incentive plan, as in effect from time to time. Pursuant to this program Ms. Larson is eligible to earn incentive bonus dependent on both quarterly and annual performance metrics related to business unit performance and contributions to strategic initiatives.

The employment agreement with Ms. Larson provides for “at will” employment, but generally requires at least ten days’ written notice of termination by the Company without “cause” or by Ms. Larson with or without “good reason” (as such terms are defined in the employment agreement and summarized below). Upon termination of employment by the Company without cause or by Ms. Larson for good reason, Ms. Larson will be entitled to, subject to the execution of a release of claims against the Company and, if requested, an exit interview as the Company may designate, (1) continued payment of base salary and continued medical benefits for 12 months or continued payment of base salary for 24 months in the event of a “change of control” (as such term is defined in the employment agreement and summarized below), and (2) any earned incentive payment, based on pre-established target amounts for such year, prorated to account for days worked during the year of termination. The 24 month continued salary benefit upon a change of control referred to in the previous sentence expires after November 25, 2015.

Had Ms. Larson been terminated on November 2, 2014, the aggregate amount of her severance entitlement under her employment agreement would have been approximately $382,500 representing (i) 12 months of base salary ($300,000), and (ii) $82,500 the fourth quarter incentive bonus, which had not yet been paid as of November 2, 2014. Upon termination of employment for any other reason, Ms. Larson is entitled under her employment agreement only to payment of her accrued but unpaid salary and any unused accrued vacation.

The employment agreement contains non-competition and non solicitation covenants that apply during employment and for one year following termination of employment.

835,051157,950971,596

Rhona Driggs

The Company is a party to an employment agreement with Rhona Driggs, dated November 25, 2013. The agreement provides for a base salary at the annual rate of $300,000, which may be adjusted from time to time in the Company’s discretion. Ms. Driggs, under the terms of her agreement, is eligible to participate in the applicable Company incentive plan, as in effect from time to time. Pursuant to this program Ms. Driggs is eligible to earn incentive bonus dependent on both quarterly and annual performance metrics related to business unit performance and contributions to strategic initiatives.Cash Severance(2)

474,208111,958474,208

The employment agreement with Ms. Driggs provides for “at will” employment, but generally requires at least 10 days’ written notice of termination by the Company without “cause” or by Ms. Driggs with or without “good reason” (as such terms are defined in the employment agreement and summarized below). Upon termination of employment by the Company without cause or by Ms. Driggs for good reason, Ms. Driggs will be entitled to, subject to the execution of a release of claims against the Company and, if requested, an exit interview as the Company may designate, (1) continued payment of base salary and continued medical benefits for 12 months or continued payment of base salary for 24 months in the event of a “change of control” (as such term is defined in the employment agreement and summarized below), and (2) any earned incentive payment, based on pre-established target amounts for such year, prorated to account for days worked during the year of termination. The 24 month continued salary benefit upon a change of control referred to in the previous sentence expires after November 25, 2015.Health Benefits

17,10117,101

Had Ms. Driggs been terminated on November 2, 2014, the aggregate amount of her severance entitlement under her employment agreement would have been approximately $650,000 representing (i) 24 months of base salary ($600,000), and (ii) $50,000, the fourth quarter incentive bonus, which had not yet been paid as of November 2, 2014. Upon termination of employment for any other reason, Ms. Driggs is entitled under her employment agreement only to payment of her accrued but unpaid salary and any unused accrued vacation.Stock Options(3)

14,963

The employment agreement contains non-competition and non-solicitation covenants that apply during employment and for one year following termination of employment.Restricted Stock Units(4)

57,996

For purposes of employment agreements for Ms. Larson and Ms. Driggs, the following terms are defined generally as set forth below:Total

“cause” means generally: (a) embezzlement by executive; (b) misappropriation by executive of funds of the Company; (c) executive’s conviction of, plea of guilty to or plea of nolo contendere to a felony; (d) executive’s commission of any act of dishonesty, deceit, or fraud which causes material economic harm to the Company; (e) a willful failure by executive of a fiduciary duty owed to the Company; (f) a material breach by executive of any provision of the employment agreement; (g) a willful failure by executive to substantially perform executive’s duties; (h) a significant violation by executive of any rule, policy or procedure of the Company, or any contractual, statutory or common law duties owed to the Company; or (i) engaging in activities or conduct reasonably likely to impair the reputation, operations, prospects or business relations of the Company.

“good reason” means generally the occurrence of any of the following events which continues uncured for a period of not less thirty (30) days following written notice given by executive to the Company within ninety (90) days following the occurrence of such event, unless executive specifically agrees in writing that such event shall not be good reason: (a) an aggregate reduction of ten

percent (10%) or more in executive’s base salary in one calendar year, unless such reduction is part of a general reduction applicable to all or substantially all senior executives of the Company; (b) a change of fifty (50) miles or more in the geographic location in which executive works; or (c) a material and adverse change to, or a material reduction of, executive’s duties and responsibilities to the Company.

“change of control” means generally termination of employment within one hundred eighty (180) days of the following events: (a) a change in the management of the Company in which the Chief Executive Officer is no longer serving as Chief Executive Officer of the Company; (b) the Company adopts any plan of liquidation providing for the distribution of all or substantially all of its assets; (c) all or substantially all of the assets or business of Company are disposed of pursuant to a merger, consolidation or other transaction (unless the shareholders of Company immediately prior to such merger, consolidation or other transaction beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in substantially the same proportion as they owned the voting stock of Company immediately prior to such merger, consolidation or other transaction, all of the voting stock or other ownership interests of the entity or entities, if any, that succeed to the business of Company); or (d) the Company combines with another company and is the surviving corporation but, immediately after the combination, the shareholders of Company immediately prior to the combination hold, directly or indirectly, less than 50% of the shares of voting stock of the combined company (there being excluded from the number of shares held by such shareholders, but not from the shares of the combined company, any shares received by affiliates of such other company in exchange for shares of such other company).

Howard Zimmerman

We were party to an employment agreement with Howard Zimmerman, dated October 29, 2013. The agreement provided for a base salary at the annual rate of $325,000, which could be adjusted from time to time in our discretion. Mr. Zimmerman, under the terms of his agreement, was eligible to participate in the applicable Company incentive plan, as in effect from time to time. Pursuant to this program Mr. Zimmerman was eligible to earn incentive bonus dependent on both quarterly and annual performance metrics related to business unit performance and contributions to strategic initiatives.

The employment agreement with Mr. Zimmerman provided for “at will” employment, but generally required at least 10 days’ written notice of termination by us without “cause” or by Mr. Zimmerman with or without “good reason” (as such terms are defined in the employment agreement). Mr. Zimmerman’s employment with the Company terminated effective May 9, 2014. In connection with his termination, the Company agreed to pay Mr. Zimmerman severance of $162,500 in accordance with his employment agreement.

The employment agreement contained non-competition and non-solicitation covenants that apply during employment and for one year following termination of employment.

Subsequent Events

491,309111,958564,268

Paul Tomkins

On March 23, 2015, we entered into anCash Severance(2)

817,950157,950817,950

Health Benefits

17,10117,101

Stock Options(3)

15,870

Restricted Stock Units(4)

120,675

Total

835,051157,950971,596

Rhona Driggs

Cash Severance(2)

474,208111,958474,208

Health Benefits

17,10117,101

Stock Options(3)

14,963

Restricted Stock Units(4)

57,996

Total

491,309111,958564,268

Jerome Shaw

Fees from Consulting Arrangement(5)

3,877,5383,877,538

Cash Severance(2)

1,551,015

Total

3,877,5381,551,0153,877,538

Jorge Perez

Cash Severance(2)

462,55382,553462,553

Health Benefits

17,10117,101

Stock Options(3)

Restricted Stock Units(4)

85,658

Total

479,65482,553565,312

Ann R. Hollins

Cash Severance(2)

295,07370,073295,073

Health Benefits

17,101

Stock Options(3)

Restricted Stock Units(4)

66,564

Total

312,17470,073361,637

(1)Assumes a change in control occurred on October 30, 2016 and that the applicable termination event occurs as of the same date.

(2)For a description of how each executive’s cash severance amount would be calculated, please see the “EmploymentAgreements with 2016 Named Executive Officers” section in the CD&A. If Mr. Dean’s employment was terminated as result of the Company’snon-renewal of his employment agreement, with Paul Tomkins to be employed as our Chief Financial Officer. The employment agreement provides a base salary of $400,000 per annum. For fiscal 2015, Mr. Tomkins is eligible to earn an annual bonus with a target amount equal to his annual salary. With respect to fiscal 2016 and thereafter, Mr. Tomkins will be eligible to earn an annual bonus with a target amount of $250,000 and a long-term incentive award with a target amount of $250,000 payable 50% in cash and 50% in restricted stock. The cash portion is payable and the restricted stock portion will vest in three

equal installments at each of the following intervals: (a) 15 days after the filing of the Form 10-K for the applicable fiscal year; (b) October 31 of the calendar year in which the Form 10-K is filed; and (c) October 31 of the next following calendar year. The bonus for 2015 and the bonuses and awards for subsequent years are dependent upon achievement of reasonable, pre-established and objective goals and targets determined by the Chief Executive Officer and approved by the Compensation Committee, provided that Mr. Tomkins remains employed by the Company.

If Mr. Tomkins’ employment is terminated by the Company without “cause” or by Mr. Tomkins for “good reason” (as such terms are defined in the employment agreement), Mr. Tomkins willhe would instead be entitled to receive among other things,$1,300,000, representing 1x the sum of (i) his annual salary and (ii) his target annual bonus, as well as the earned but unpaid portion of his annual incentive award earned in respect of fiscal year 2016.

44    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

(3)Represents the intrinsic value of the acceleration of vesting of any stock options that vest upon the event. Intrinsic value is the difference between the exercise price of the stock option and the closing price of our common stock on the date the triggering event occurred, which was $6.39 on October 28, 2016. We used the closing price of our common stock on this date due to the fact that the 2016 fiscal year fell on a Sunday. In accordance with SEC guidelines, no amount is shown for any stock option the intrinsic value of which is $0 or less.

(4)The acceleration value of restricted stock units is calculated as the closing price of our common stock on October 28, 2016, which was $6.39 multiplied by the number of shares being accelerated.

(5)Upon any termination of employment (other than death), Mr. Shaw was eligible to be paid consulting fees in respect of his lifetime consulting role at an amount equal to one year(i) 75% of his then-currentthen-base salary annual bonus and medical benefits, conditioned upon his execution of a general release. Infor the event of a termination without cause or resignation for good reason within 90 days of a “change of control” (as such term is defined in the employment agreement), all unvested portionsfirst 10 years of the long-term incentive awards granted will vest immediately.

For purposesconsulting period and (ii) 50% of Mr. Tomkins’ employment agreement,histhen-base salary for the definitions of “cause” and “good reason” are substantially similar to the corresponding definitions for Ms. Larson and Ms. Driggs and the definition of “change of control” is substantially similar to the corresponding definition for Mr. Kochman.

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control as of November 2, 2014

For a description and quantificationremainder of the payments and benefits to which Mr. Kochman, Mr. Whitney, Mr. Shaw, Ms. Larson, and Ms. Driggs would have been entitled upon termination of employment, and of the payments of benefits to which Mr. Zimmerman became entitled upon his termination of employment during fiscal year 2014, please refer to “Agreements with 2014 Named Executive Officers.”

No other amounts would have been payable to our Named Executive Officers upon termination or change in control as of November 2, 2014.

2014 Director Compensation

consulting period. The following table presents the total compensation for each person who served as a non-employee member of the Board for the fiscal year ended November 2, 2014. As reflectedamount included in the table above assumes a10-year consulting period. On February 21, 2017, Mr. Shaw’s employment agreement with the Company was amended and restated and, as a result, the consulting and related separation benefits summarized above were eliminated. See “Employment Agreements with 2016 Named Executive Officers—Jerome Shaw.”

Payments Resulting Automatically in Connection with a Change in Control as of October 30, 2016

Had a change in control (as such term is defined his employment agreement) occurred on October 30, 2016, Mr. Shaw would have had the option of triggering the consulting period, entitling him to receive the payments described in footnote (5) above. As noted in footnote (5) above, on February 21, 2017, Mr. Shaw’s employment agreement with the Company was amended and restated and, as a result, the consulting and related separation benefits summarized in such footnote (5) were eliminated. See “Employment Agreements with 2016 Named Executive Officers—Jerome Shaw.

No other 2016 Named Executive Officer would receive any payment, vesting or other benefit solely as a result of a change in control.

2016 Director Compensation

The following table presents the total compensation for each person who served as anon-employee member of the Board (a“Non-Executive Director”) for the fiscal year ended October 30, 2016. Each director of the Company who was not an officer or employee of the Company was entitled to receive a director’s fee at an annual rate of $60,000, and was reimbursed for reasonableout-of-pocket expenses related to his or her services. The Chairman of the Board receives an additional $60,000 per annum. The Chair of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating/Governance Committee each receive an additional $20,000, $15,000 and $10,000, respectively, per annum. In addition, anyNon-Executive Director who also serves as a member of any committee (in a role other than Chair) receives an additional payment of $5,000, provided that eachNon-Executive Director is only eligible to receive one $5,000 payment per year. Additionally, eachNon-Executive Director is entitled to receive an annual grant of Company restricted shares or restricted stock units, with a grant date value equal to $75,000. As reflected in the table below, during his service as a director of the Company, Mr. Rudolf declined to accept certain fee disbursements and the annual grant of Company restricted shares or restricted stock units to which he otherwise would have been entitled. Our share ownership guidelines require that thenon-employee directors each hold shares of Company common stock (including shares underlying any vested and unvested options) with a value equal to at least $300,000.

Beginning with amounts earned by members of our Board in respect of fiscal year 2017, members of our Board will have the option of deferring certain portions of his or her compensation pursuant to our DCP described in the CD&A.Non-Executive Directors were not eligible to defer any compensation in respect of compensation earned for fiscal year 2016.

Mr. Dean was not paid any compensation for his service as a member of the Board during fiscal year 2016.

45    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

FISCAL YEAR 2016 DIRECTOR COMPENSATION TABLE

  Name  Fees Earned or
paid in cash
($)
   Stock
Awards
($)
(1)
   Total
($)
 

James E. Boone

   64,000    75,000    139,000 

Nicholas S. Cyprus

   85,000    75,000    160,000 

Bruce G. Goodman

   75,000    75,000    150,000 

Dana Messina

   125,000    75,000    200,000 

John C. Rudolf

   32,500        32,500 

Laurie Siegel

   80,000    75,000    155,000 

Theresa A. Havell(2)

   39,181        39,181 

(1)On June 13, 2016, the Board awarded each of thenon-employee directors, other than Mr. Rudolf, 12,376 restricted stock units under the 2015 Plan. As noted above, during his service as a director of the Company, who was not an officer or employeeMr. Rudolf declined to accept certain grants of the Company received a director’s fee at an annual rate of $60,000,restricted stock units to which he would have otherwise been entitled. The restricted stock units vested and was reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses related to his or her services. The Chair of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating/Governance Committee each received an additional $20,000, $5,000 and $5,000 per annum respectively. Effective February 3, 2014, the members of the Audit Committee, other than the Chair, each receive an additional $15,000 per annum, and members of the Compensation Committee and Nominating Committee, other than the respective Chairs, each receive an additional $3,000 per annum. These amounts were prorated for the current fiscal year.

In addition to the annual fees described above, effective December 14, 2009 through February 2, 2014, the Chair of the Audit Committee received $2,000 for each meeting of the Audit Committee he attended, each other member of the Audit Committee received $1,500 for each meeting of the Audit Committee he or she attended, and each director who is not an officer or employee of the Company or a member of the Audit Committee received $750 for each meeting of the Board he or she attended.

Name

  Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash (1)
   Stock
Awards (2)
   Total 

Lloyd Frank

  $64,000    $23,100    $87,100  

Bruce G. Goodman

   59,500     23,100     82,600  

Theresa A. Havell

   84,000     23,100     107,100  

Mark N. Kaplan

   88,250     23,100     111,350  

Deborah Shaw

   59,500     23,100     82,600  

William H. Turner

   83,250     23,100     106,350  

(1)Includes additional amounts paid for meetings attended in first quarter 2014 in the amounts of $8,750 for Mr. Kaplan, $6,750 for Ms. Havell, $6,000 for Mr. Turner, $750 each for Mr. Frank, Mr. Goodman and Ms. Shaw.
(2)On August 12, 2014, the Board of Directors awarded each of the non-employee directors of the Company 2,500 restricted shares under the Company’s 2006 Incentive Stock Plan. Amounts shown in the Stock Awards column reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of these awards determined in accordance with FASC ASC Topic 718. As of November 2, 2014, each director had 3,000 outstanding stock option awards.

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS

The following table sets forth information, as of April 1, 2015 (except as described in the footnotes to the following table), with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock, our only class of voting or equity securities, by (a) each person who is known to us to own beneficially more than five percent of the outstandingsettled into shares of our common stock (b) each ofon aone-for-one basis on the Named Executive Officers, (c) each of our directors and director nominees, and (d) all current executive officers and directors as a group. Unless otherwise indicated, the address for each individual listed below is c/o Volt Information Sciences, Inc., 1065 Avenue of Americas, New York, New York, 10018.

Name of Beneficial Owner

  Shares of
Common

Stock (1)
  Shares That
May be
Acquired
Within
60 Days (2)
   Percent of
Class
 

Five Percent Shareholders (other than Named Executive Officers and Directors):

     

Canton Holdings, L.L.C.

   1,570,320(3)   —       7.52

Linda Shaw

   1,391,095(4)   —       6.66

Steven A. Shaw

   1,329,794(5)   6,400     6.40

Dimensional Fund Advisors, LP

   1,277,074(6)   —       6.12

Michael Shaw

   1,111,484(7)   —       5.32

Named Executive Officers, Directors and Director Nominees:

     

Jerome Shaw

   2,492,225(8)   8,000     11.97

Deborah Shaw

   2,164,739(9)   3,000     10.37

Bruce G. Goodman

   653,654(10)   3,000     3.15

Ronald Kochman

   121,076(11)   68,000         

Lloyd Frank

   69,054(12)   3,000         

Glacier Peak Capital LLC / John C. Rudolf

   2,184,425(13)   —       10.46

James Whitney

   35,000    33,000         

Michael D. Dean**

   25,000    —           

Name of Beneficial Owner

  Shares of
Common

Stock (1)
  Shares That
May be
Acquired
Within
60 Days (2)
   Percent of
Class
 

James E. Boone**

   12,500    —           

Dana Messina**

   11,400    —           

Theresa A. Havell

   9,000    3,000         

Mark N. Kaplan

   7,500    3,000         

William H. Turner

   4,500    3,000         

Laurie Siegel**

   2,500    —           

Rhona Driggs

   722(14)   20,000         

Kevin Hannon

   506(15)   —           

Lori Larson

   244(16)   20,000         

Nick Cyprus**

   —      —           

Paul Tomkins

   —      —           

All executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group (22 persons)

   7,106,679    194,000     34.65

*Less than 1%.
**Director nominee who is not currently a director.
(1)Except as noted, the named beneficial owners have sole voting and investment power with respect to their beneficially owned shares.
(2)The shares underlying all equity awards that may be exercised within 60 days are deemed to be beneficially owned by the person or persons for whom the calculation is being made and are deemed to have been exercised for the purpose of calculating this percentage, including the shares underlying options where the exercise price is above the current market price.
(3)Based on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 13, 2015 by Archer Capital Management, L.P. (“Archer”), as the investment manager to certain private investment funds, Canton Holdings, L.L.C. (“Canton”), as the general partner of Archer, Joshua A. Lobel (“Lobel”), an individual, as a principal of Canton, and Eric J. Edidin (“Edidin”), an individual, as a principal of Canton. According to the Schedule 13G, Canton, Archer, Lobel and Edidin have shared and investment power with respect to all 1,570,320 shares.
(4)Includes (i) 73,356 shares held by Linda Shaw, Bruce Goodman (her husband and a director of the Company) and Deborah Shaw (her sister and a director of the Company) as trustees of trusts for the benefit of the children of Linda Shaw, as to which shares Linda Shaw has shared voting and investment power; and (ii) 5,749 shares held by the William and Jacqueline Shaw Family Foundation, Inc., a charitable foundation of which Linda Shaw, Deborah Shaw and a daughter of Deborah Shaw are the directors, as to which shares Linda Shaw has shared voting and investment power. The inclusion of the shares in clauses (i) and (ii) is not an admission of beneficial ownership of those shares by Linda Shaw. Does not include (a) 21,744 shares owned by Bruce Goodman, individually; (b) 3,000 shares underlying a stock option held by Bruce Goodman that were granted to him by the Company as a director of the Company; (c) 1,500 shares held by Bruce Goodman as trustee of an irrevocable trust for the benefit of a child of Bruce Goodman; and (d) 557,054 shares held by trusts for the benefit of Linda Shaw’s children, of which trusts Deborah Shaw and Bruce Goodman are trustees. The address for Linda Shaw is Shepherd Kaplan LLC c/o Bruce Goodman, 125 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02110.
(5)Based on a Schedule 13D filed with the SEC on May 16, 2014. Includes (i) 14,216 shares held by Steven Shaw as the sole trustee of trusts for the benefit of two nephews of Steven Shaw; and (ii) 54,054 shares held by Steven Shaw, Lloyd Frank (a director of the Company) and Michael Shaw (Steven Shaw’s brother) as trustees of a trust for the benefit of two of Steven Shaw’s nephews, as to which shares Steven Shaw may be deemed to have shared voting and investment power. The inclusion of shares in clauses (i) and (ii) is not an admission of beneficial ownership of those shares by Steven Shaw.
(6)

Based on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 5, 2015 by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, an investment advisor that furnishes investment advice to four investment companies and serves as an investment manager to certain other commingled group trusts and separate accounts (such investment companies, trusts and accounts collectively referred to as the “Funds”). In certain cases, subsidiaries of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP may also act as advisors or sub-advisors to certain of the Funds. In its role as investment advisors, sub-advisor and/or manager, neither Dimensional Fund Advisors LP or its subsidiaries (collectively, “Dimensional”) possess

voting and/or investment power over securities that are owned by the Funds. Dimensional may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of the shares held by the Funds through Dimensional, but all shares are owned by the Funds and Dimensional disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares.
(7)Includes (i) 373,753 shares owned jointly by Michael Shaw and his wife; and (ii) 54,054 shares held by Michael Shaw, Lloyd Frank and Steven Shaw as trustees of a trust for the benefit of two of Michael Shaw’s children, as to which shares Michael Shaw may be deemed to have shared voting and investment power. The inclusion of the shares in clause (ii) is not an admission of beneficial ownership of those shares by Michael Shaw. Does not include (a) 516 shares owned by Michael Shaw’s wife individually; (b) 58,696 shares owned by Michael Shaw’s children who do not reside in his household; and (c) 14,216 shares held by Steven Shaw as the sole trustee of trusts for the benefit of two of Michael Shaw’s children.
(8)Includes (i) 3,229 shares owned by Jerome Shaw individually; (ii) 2,394 shares held by Jerome Shaw through the Company’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan, which is part of the Company’s 401(k) plan; (iii) 22,951 shares held for Jerome Shaw’s benefit under the “Savings Plan” feature of the Company’s 401(k) plan; (iv) 8,000 shares underlying stock options issued by the Company to Jerome Shaw; (v) 1,398,318 shares held in The Jerome and Joyce Shaw Family Trust u/d/t dated 8/6/1969; (vi) 1,052,583 shares held in The Rachel Lynn Shaw Trust u/d/t dated 11/23/2001; (vii) 12,750 shares held by the Family Foundation by virtue of their position as directors of that corporation; and excludes 10,000 shares owned by Joyce Shaw individually. The inclusion of the shares in clauses (vi) and (vii) is not an admission of beneficial ownership of those shares by Jerome Shaw.
(9)Includes (i) 5,749 shares held by the William and Jacqueline Shaw Family Foundation, Inc., a charitable foundation of which Deborah Shaw, Linda Shaw and a daughter of Deborah Shaw are directors, as to which shares Deborah Shaw may be deemed to have shared voting and investment power; (ii) 71,220 shares owned by Deborah Shaw as custodian under the California Uniform Transfers to Minors Act for the benefit of her children; (iii) 73,356 shares owned by Deborah Shaw, Bruce Goodman (a director of the Company) and Linda Shaw (Deborah Shaw’s sister) as trustees of a trust for the benefit of the children of Linda Shaw, as to which shares Deborah Shaw may be deemed to have shared voting and investment power; and (iv) 557,054 shares owned by Deborah Shaw and Bruce Goodman as trustees of a trust for the benefit of Linda Shaw’s children, as to which shares Deborah Shaw may be deemed to have shared voting and investment power. The inclusion of the shares in clauses (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) is not an admission of beneficial ownership of those shares by Deborah Shaw. Does not include (a) 23,019 shares owned by Deborah Shaw’s husband; (b) 34,584 shares owned by Deborah Shaw’s husband as custodian for children of Deborah Shaw; and (c) 391,243 shares held by Deborah Shaw’s husband and his sister as trustees for the benefit of Deborah Shaw’s children.
(10)Includes (i) 1,500 shares owned by Bruce Goodman as trustee of a trust for the benefit of his one of his children; (ii) 73,356 shares owned by Bruce Goodman, Linda Shaw (his wife), and Deborah Shaw (a director of the Company) as trustees of trusts for the benefit of the children of Linda Shaw, as to which shares Bruce Goodman may be deemed to have shared voting and investment power; and (iii) 557,054 shares owned by Bruce Goodman and Deborah Shaw as trustees of a trust for the benefit of Linda Shaw’s children, as to which shares Bruce Goodman may be deemed to have shared voting and investment power. The inclusion of the shares in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) is not an admission of beneficial ownership of those shares by Bruce Goodman. Does not include 1,311,990 shares owned by Bruce Goodman’s wife individually.
(11)Includes (i) 1,075.55 shares held for Ronald Kochman’s benefit under the Company’s 401(k) plan and (ii) 40,001 shares that are subject to transfer restrictions.
(12)Includes 54,054 shares owned by Lloyd Frank, Steven Shaw (a former director of the Company), Michael Shaw and sons of Jerome Shaw as trustees of a trust for the benefit of two grandchildren of Jerome Shaw, as to which shares Lloyd Frank may be deemed to have shared voting and investment power. The inclusion of these shares is not an admission of beneficial ownership of these shares by Lloyd Frank. Does not include 3,793 shares owned by Lloyd Frank’s wife individually.
(13)Includes (i) an aggregate of 406,714 shares directly owned or controlled by John C. Rudolf, consisting of 220,397 shares directly owned by Mr. Rudolf, 5,000 shares held in an IRA account that he controls, 30,000 shares held in an account that Mr. Rudolf controls for the benefit of his wife and 151,317 shares held in accounts that Mr. Rudolf controls for the benefit of other family members and (ii) 1,777,711 shares owned by the Glacier Peak U.S. Value Fund, L.P., of which Mr. Rudolf may be deemed to be the beneficial owner. Excludes 2,464,130 shares in respect of which Jerome Shaw, Joyce Cutler-Shaw, The Jerome and Joyce Shaw Family Trust U/D/T dated 8/6/1969, and The Rachel Lynn Shaw Trust U/D/T dated 11/23/2001 granted to Mr. Rudolf, or any other designee of Glacier Peak Capital LLC, an irrevocable proxy to vote such shares at the 2015 annual meeting of shareholders of the Company or any meeting (or consent in lieu of a meeting) which may be called in lieu thereof.

(14)722 shares held for Rhona Driggs’ benefit under the Company’s 401(k) plan.
(15)506 shares held for Kevin Hannon’s benefit under the Company’s 401(k) plan.
(16)244 shares held for Lori Larson’s benefit under the Company’s 401(k) plan.

The following table sets forth certain information, as at November 2, 2014, with respect to our equity compensation plans:

Plan Category

  Number of
securities to be
issued upon
exercise of
outstanding
options,
warrants and
rights
   Weighted-
average

exercise price
of
outstanding
options,
warrants
and rights
   Number of
securities
remaining
available for
future issuance
under equity
compensation
plans
 

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders

      

1995 Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan

   —      $—       —  (a) 

2006 Incentive Stock Plan

   787,484    $9.17     605,850  

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders

   —       —       —    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

 787,484  $9.17   605,850  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

(a)Our 1995 Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan terminated on May 16, 2005 except for options previously granted under the plan.

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

Review of Transactions with Related Persons

The Board has adopted a written policy regarding the review and approval of transactions involving certain persons that SEC regulations require to be disclosed in proxy statements, which are commonly referred to as “related person transactions.” A “related person” is defined under the applicable SEC regulation and includes our directors, executive officers, nominees for director and beneficial owners of 5% or more of our common stock. Under the written policy, the Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving any related person transactions, and will consider factors it deems appropriate including:

whether the transaction is on terms no more favorable than terms generally available to an unrelated third party under the same or similar circumstances;

the benefits to the Company; and

the extent of the related person’s interestgrant date. Amounts shown in the transaction.

During fiscal years 2014, 2013 and 2012, we paid or accrued $1.2 million, $2.5 million, and $4.3 million respectively, to Troutman Sanders LLP, a law firm at which Lloyd Frank, a directorStock Awards column reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of the Company, is Senior Counsel, for services rendered to us and expenses reimbursed.

From time to time we have employed, and will continue to employ, relatives of executive officers, as well as relatives of other full-time employees. We believe that we have always employed, and will continue to employ, those individuals on the same terms that we employ unrelated individuals and for compensation that is less than the amount specifiedthese awards determined in Item 404 ofRegulation S-K.

Director and Director Nominee Independence; Executive Sessions of the Board

The Board has determined that directors Bruce G. Goodman, Theresa A. Havell, Mark N. Kaplan, John C. Rudolf, Deborah Shaw and William H. Turner meet, and that director nominees Nick S. Cyprus, Michael D. Dean, Dana Messina and Laurie Siegel would meet if elected, the current independence requirements under the applicable rules of the SEC and listing standards of the NYSE:MKT. The Board made these determinations based primarily upon a review of the responses of directors and director nominees to questions in a director and officer questionnaire prepared by the Board’s counsel regarding employment and compensation history, affiliations and family and other relationships and on discussions with them. The Board determined that there were no material relationships between any of such persons and the Company that could interfere with their exercise of independent judgment and that each meets the current independence requirements applicable to independent directors under the applicable listing standards of the NYSE:MKT to serve on the Board.

The Board has also determined that Lloyd Frank meets the current independence requirements under the applicable listing standards of the NYSE:MKT. We have retained Troutman Sanders LLP, or other law firms at which Lloyd Frank, a director of the Company, is or was counsel, since 1962 to advise us with respect to our legal position on numerous matters. These firms have also rendered professional services to the estate of William Shaw, Jerome Shaw, Deborah Shaw, and Bruce Goodman and his spouse that were and are billed directly, principally for trust and estate and tax advice by attorneys other than Mr. Frank. The fees paid by us to Troutman Sanders LLP with respect to services rendered during fiscal year 2014, exclusive of disbursement reimbursement, represented less than 2% of the firm’s consolidated gross revenues during the firm’s 2014 fiscal year and were not material to the

firm, which has approximately 620 attorneys. Mr. Frank is deemed to beneficially own less than 1% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. Mr. Frank has no other interests that preclude him from being independent under the NYSE:MKT’s criteria for service on the Board. The Board has determined that, in its judgment, such relationships did not interfere with Mr. Frank’s exercise of his independent judgment and that he meets the current independence requirements applicable to independent directors under rules of the NYSE:MKT to serve on the Board.

The non-management directors have held executive sessions. In accordance with the listing standards of the NYSE:MKT, these sessions are intendedFASB ASC Topic 718.

(2)Ms. Havell ceased to promote open discussion among non-management directors. Mark N. Kaplan has been chosen by the non-management directors to preside at these sessions.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

Our Audit Committee appointed Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal years ended November 2, 2014, November 3, 2013 and October 28, 2012. We incurred the following fees to Ernst & Young LLP for fiscal years 2014, 2013 and 2012 (in thousands):

   Fiscal Year
2014
   Fiscal Year
2013
   Fiscal Year
2012
 

Audit Fees

  $2,730    $2,686    $23,333  

Audit-Related Fees

   —       4     2  

Tax Fees

   3     4     4  

All Other Fees

   1     3     24  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

$2,734  $2,697  $23,363  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Audit fees are for professional services rendered for the audit of the annual financial statements and the review of interim financial statements included in Annual Reports onForm 10-K and Quarterly Reports onForm 10-Q and services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements. The amounts presented include costs associated with the restatement of $0, $0 and $19,785,000 for fiscal years 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

Audit-related fees are for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our consolidated financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.”

Tax fees include fees for services provided in connection with tax compliance, planning and reporting.

All other fees represent fees for products and services other than the services described above.

The Audit Committee has considered whether the provision of the non-audit services described above is compatible with maintaining Ernst & Young LLP’s independence and has determined that such services are compatible with maintaining Ernst & Young LLP’s independence.

Pre-Approval Policy

Pursuant to the Audit Committee’s pre-approval policy, it is responsible for pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our independent auditors. The Audit Committee may delegate pre-approval authority to one or more of its members, and such member or members must report all pre-approval decisions to the Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting. All audit and non-audit services for fiscal year 2014, 2013 and 2012 were pre-approved by the Audit Committee.

ITEMS OF BUSINESS TO BE ACTED ON AT THE ANNUAL MEETING

Item 1. Approval of an Amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to Declassify the Board of Directors

The Board proposes that the shareholders approve the proposed amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation attached hereto as Annex A (the “Amendment”). The Board unanimously approved amending the Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the Company’s Board on March 27, 2015, subject to approval by the shareholders at the Annual Meeting. The Amendment requires the approval of shareholders holding a majority of the Company’s outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting. If the Amendment is approved, it will become effective upon the filing of a Certificate of Amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation with the New York Department of State and will impact the term for which the director nominees are elected, as further described in Item 2 below.

Current Classified Board Structure

Article IX of the Certificate of Incorporation currently divides our directors into two classes. After the initial election of a classified board, each class is elected for a two-year term, with the terms staggered so that approximately one-half of the directors stand for election each year.

Proposed Declassification of the Board

The Board has approved an Amendment to eliminate the classified structure of the Board, subject to shareholder approval. If the proposed Amendment is approved by our shareholders, directors elected at this year’s Annual Meeting of shareholders will serve for a one year term or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Directors elected for a two year term at the Annual Meeting of shareholders in 2014 will serve out their terms, except for Mr. Frank who has elected to retire immediately prior to the Annual Meeting. If the proposed Amendment is approved by our shareholders, commencing with the Annual Meeting of shareholders to be held in 2016 all directors will be elected for a one year term or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. If the Amendment is not approved, the Board will continue to be divided into two classes of directors elected for staggered two-year terms.

In connection with the Amendment, the Board has amended Section 2.1 of our Bylaws to eliminate all provisions relating to the classification of directors. However, because the classified Board structure is set forth in the Certificate of Incorporation, elimination of the classified Board structure requires shareholder approval of the Amendment.

Rationale for Declassification

The Board is committed to strong corporate governance policies and regularly considers and evaluates a broad range of corporate governance issues affecting the Company. In connection with the Settlement Agreement and in view of the significant change in composition of the Board resulting from the Settlement Agreement, our Board determined that it was in the interests of shareholders to provide shareholders the opportunity to vote annually on all directors of the Company.

In connection with the Settlement Agreement, Glacier Peak Capital LLC, Glacier Peak US Value Fund, L.P., John C. Rudolf, Deborah Shaw and Linda Shaw entered into a voting agreement pursuant to which they have each agreed to vote or cause to be voted all shares of Company common stock beneficially owned by them in favor of the approval of the Amendment. As of April 1, 2015, these shareholders together beneficially owned approximately 36% of outstanding Company’s outstanding stock. Company to confirm ownership percentage.

The Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote “FOR” the approval of the Amendment.Unless you specify otherwise, the Board intends the accompanying Proxy to be voted for this item.

Item 2. Election of Directors

In accordance with the terms of the Settlement Agreement described on page 10 under “Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance – Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee,” the persons listed below have been nominated by the Board, on the recommendation of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee, for election to the Board. Assuming that the Amendment described in Item 1 is approved by the shareholders, each nominee will serve for a term that expires at the 2016 Annual Meeting, or at such time as the nominee’s successor is duly elected and qualified. If the Amendment is not approved, each nominee will be elected for a term that will expire at the 2016 annual meeting of shareholders or the 2017 annual meeting of shareholders, as described below. In order to give effect to the elimination of the classified Board structure at this Annual Meeting, voting for the election of directors will not conclude at the Annual Meeting until after the closing of the polls with respect to Item 1, and, if the Amendment is approved, until the Amendment is effective under New York law. Each nominee listed below has agreed to serve his or her respective term. If any individual is unable to stand for election, subject to the terms of the Settlement Agreement, the individuals named as proxies have the right to designate a substitute. If that happens, shares represented by proxies may be voted for a substitute nominee.

The following directors are not standing for re-election at the Annual Meeting: Mr. Kaplan; Mr. Shaw; Ms. Shaw; and Mr. Turner. In addition, Mr. Frank, whose term would have expired at the 2016 Annual Meeting, is retiring from the Board immediately prior to the Annual Meeting. The Company is grateful for the departing directors’ valuable service to the Company.

The Board recommends that you vote FOR each of the following nominees:

James E. Boone

Nick S. Cyprus

Michael D. Dean

Dana Messina

John C. Rudolf

Laurie Siegel

Unless you specify otherwise, the Board intends the accompanying proxy to be voted for these nominees. Each nominee will be elected for a term expiring at the 2016 annual meeting of shareholders; provided that, if the Amendment is not approved by shareholders, Messrs. Boone and Rudolf will be elected for a term expiring at the 2016 annual meeting of shareholders and Messrs. Cyprus, Dean and Messina and Ms. Siegel will be elected for a term expiring at the 2017 annual meeting of shareholders.

Biographical information about these nominees is set forth below.

James E. Boone, age 67, is currently an independent executive management consultant and angel investor. From June 2011 to May 2012, Mr. Boone served as an advisor to the Chief Executive Officer of the Company and, from June 2011 to December 2012, as President and Chief Executive Officer of ProcureStaff Technologies, Ltd., a then separate business unit of the Company providing specialized software applications to manage temporary staffing, project work, and other human capital services. From January 2009 to June 2011, Mr. Boone served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Impellam Group PLC, North America, a provider of

staffing solutions and managed services for workforce needs globally. From 2003 to January 2009, Mr. Boone served as a Managing Partner of Windship Partners, LLC, a senior level executive search firm that he founded, which later merged with NGS Global Americas, LLC. Prior to that, he was Chairman, Global Operating Committee, and President, Americas Region for Korn/Ferry International; and served as Senior Executive Search Partner and member of the Global Executive Committee at Heidrick & Struggles. Mr. Boone has served as a director of Pearson Partners International, Inc., a global executive search and leadership consulting firm since July 2013. Mr. Boone has extensive managerial and operational experience and background working with staffing and executive search firms, including the Company. Mr. Boone graduated magna cum laude from the University of Louisville with a Bachelor’s of Science in Commerce.

Nick S. Cyprus, age 61, is a member of the boardBoard as of directors of DigitalGlobe, Inc. and The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. He is the Chairman of the audit committees of both boards and serves on the governance & nominating committee of DigitalGlobe. He also provides advisory services for several smaller clients. From 2006 to 2013, Mr. Cyprus was employed by General Motors Company, most recently as Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer. Prior to joining GM in 2006, Mr. Cyprus was Senior Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer for The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc., one of the world’s largest advertising and marketing services companies. Before Interpublic, Mr. Cyprus held positions of increasing responsibility at AT&T for more than 22 years, serving in his most recent role as Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer from 1999 to 2004. Mr. Cyprus earned his Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University and an MBA from New York University, Stern School of Business. He is an active Certified Public Accountant in the State of New Jersey. Mr. Cyprus brings to our Board valuable managerial, financial and accounting experience serving companies with global operations.

Michael D. Dean, age 51, was Chief Executive Officer of Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. from July 2010 until March 2013, where he revitalized the global health and wellness company and returned it to growth. He also served as a director on its board from May 2009 until March 2013 and a member of its audit committee from June 2009 until March 2010. From 2003 to 2010, Mr. Dean was Chief Executive Officer of Mediaur Technologies, Inc., a privately-held satellite technology company that provides proprietary antenna system solutions for commercial and government applications. Before Mediaur, Mr. Dean was Executive Vice President of ABC Cable Networks Group, a multi-billion dollar global division of The Walt Disney Company, where he ran all of the division’s non-creative operations including Affiliate Sales and Marketing, Finance, Legal, Broadcasting Operations, IT, Human Resources, and Business Development. Earlier at Disney, he was Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategic Planning, responsible for all corporate strategy, development, and M&A in Disney’s broadcasting, cable, and film studio businesses. Before Disney, Mr. Dean was a strategy consultant with Bain & Company. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mr. Dean brings to our Board substantial managerial, operational and strategy experience.

Dana Messina, age 53, was Chief Executive Officer and a director of Steinway Musical Instruments from August 1996 to October 2011. During his 15 years as CEO, he led the company through a significant period of growth and profitability. When he retired from Steinway, it was one of the largest and most profitable musical instrument companies in the world. Mr. Messina owns Aria Partners GP, LLC, an investment firm which manages a diversified group of equity hedge funds. Mr. Messina also owns Kirkland Messina LLC, a firm founded in 1994 that specializes in financial advisory services. Prior to founding Kirkland Messina, Mr. Messina was a Senior Vice President in the High Yield Bond Department at Drexel Burnham Lambert Incorporated. Mr. Messina graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University with a Bachelor’s of Science in mechanical engineering, and received an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mr. Messina brings to our Board significant operating and financial expertise as well as substantial experience as a public company director.

John C. Rudolf, age 66, has been a director since March 2015. Mr. Rudolf currently serves as President and Senior Portfolio Manager of Glacier Peak Capital LLC, an investment advisory firm registered with the SEC he founded in July 2012. From April 1996 until July 2012, Mr. Rudolf served as a Managing Member and founder of Summit Capital Group, an independent investment advisory firm registered with the SEC managing individual accounts and several private investment funds. From 1975 until 1996, Mr. Rudolf served in various positions at Oppenheimer & Co., Inc., including partner in charge of Oppenheimer’s Pacific Northwest operations from 1988 until 1996. Mr. Rudolf has served on the board of directors of Detrex Corporation, a leading manufacturer of high performance specialty chemicals including additives for industrial petroleum products and high purity hydrochloric acid, since November 2012. Mr. Rudolf brings to our Board substantial experience as an investor, public company board experience, and the perspective of a significant, long-term shareholder of the Company.

Laurie Siegel, age 58, is the President of LAS Advisory Services, a firm providing advice to organizations on issues related to talent management, succession planning, organizational capability and culture. Ms. Siegel was the Chief Human Resource Officer at Tyco International Ltd. from 2003-2012. She joined the company as part of a new leadership team charged with restoring the company’s reputation, financial health and governance practices. Ms. Siegel had responsibility for rebuilding the leadership team, executing a strategy to restore the confidence of the company’s employees and building an HR function with deep expertise in global human resource practices. Since February 2009, Ms. Siegel has been a member of the board of directors of, and Chair of the Compensation Committee of, CenturyLink, Inc., a broadband, telecommunications and data hosting company. Ms. Siegel has an MBA and a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning, both from Harvard University. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan. Ms. Siegel serves as an advisor to the G100 Network and teaches at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Ms. Siegel brings to our Board substantial experience as a human resources executive with large global enterprises as well as substantial public company board experience.

Item 3. Proposal to Ratify the Appointment of Ernst & Young as the Company’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The members of our Audit Committee and our Board believe that the continued retention of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent Registered Public Accounting Firm is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders.

In light of this, our Audit Committee has appointed Ernst & Young LLP as our independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for 2015. We are submitting the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm for shareholder ratification at our Annual Meeting, although we are not legally required to do so. If our shareholders do not ratify the appointment, our Audit Committee will reconsider whether to retain Ernst & Young LLP, but still may retain them. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee may change the appointment at any time if it determines that a change would be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders.

Ernst & Young LLP has advised the Company that it has no direct, nor any material indirect, financial interest in the Company or any of its subsidiaries. A representative of Ernst & Young LLP is expected to be present at our Annual Meeting, will have the opportunity to make a statement if he or she desires to do so and will be available to respond to appropriate questions from shareholders.

The Board of Directors will offer the following resolution at the Annual Meeting:

RESOLVED: That the appointment by the Board of Directors of Ernst & Young LLP to serve as the independent Registered Public Accounting Firm of the Company for 2015 be, and hereby is, ratified and approved.

Your Board recommends that you vote FOR this item. Unless you specify otherwise, the Board intends the accompanying proxy to be voted for this item.

Item 4. Other Matters

The Board knows of no other matters that may properly be brought before the Annual Meeting. However, if other matters should properly come before the Meeting, it is the intention of those named in the solicited proxy to vote such proxy in accordance with their best judgment.

By Order of the Board of Directors.

Ronald Kochman

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

New York, New York

April 30, 2015

ANNEX A

PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION TO DECLASSIFY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

This is an amendment and restatement of this section, not the actual form of Amendment. The text of Article NINTH shall be amended and restated as follows:

NINTH: The business of the corporation shall be managed by the Board, which shall consist of such number of directors, not less than three nor more than nine, to be fixed from time to time by the shareholders or a majority of the entire Board.The directors shall be classified with respect to the time during which they shall severally hold office by dividing them into two classes, as nearly equal in number as possible, but in no event shall any class include less than three directors. At the meeting of the shareholders of the corporation held for the election of the first such classified Board, the directors of the first class shall be elected for a term of one year and the directors of the second class for a term of two years. At each annual meeting of shareholders held thereafter, the successors to the class whose term shall expire that year shall be elected to hold office for a term of two years, so that the term of office of one class of directors shall expire each year. Any newly created directorship or decrease in directorship as authorized by resolution of the Board of Directors shall be so apportioned as to make both classes as nearly equal in number as possible. When the number of directors is increased by the Board and any newly created directorship is filled by the Board, there shall be no classification of the additional directors until the next annual meeting of shareholders. No decrease in the number of directors shall shorten the term of any incumbent director. Each director shall be at least 21 years old. Directors shall hold office until the annual meeting at which their term expires and until the election of their respective successors.Commencing with the election of directors at the 2015 annual meeting of shareholders, which shall election shall take place immediately following the effectiveness of the Certificate of Amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation filed on May 11, 2015, directors shall be elected annually for terms of one year and each director shall hold office until the next succeeding annual meeting of shareholders and until his or her successor shall be elected and shall qualify, subject, however, to prior death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office. Each director elected at the 2014 annual meeting of shareholders for a term expiring at the 2016 annual meeting of shareholders shall hold office until the expiration of his or her term at the 2016 annual meeting of shareholders, in each case until his or her successor shall be elected and shall qualify, subject, however, to prior death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office. No decrease in the number of directors shall shorten the term of any incumbent director. Each director shall be at least 21 years old.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, whenever the holders of shares of any one or more classes or series of stock (other than Common Stock) issued by the corporation shall have the right, voting separately by class or series, to elect directors at an annual or special meeting of shareholders, the election, term of office, filling of vacancies and other features of such directorships shall be governed by the terms of the Certificate of Incorporation applicable thereto.

LOGO

9, 2016.

46    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

ITEM 4.    ADVISORY VOTE ON FREQUENCY OF FUTURE ADVISORY VOTES ON

NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION (“SAY WHEN ON PAY”)

This year, we also are asking shareholders to vote on an advisory(non-binding) basis on the following resolution at the 2017 Annual Meeting:

RESOLVED, that the Company’s shareholders recommend, on an advisory basis, that, after the 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the Company conduct any required shareholder advisory vote on named executive officer compensation every year, every two years, or every three years in accordance with such frequency receiving the greatest number of votes cast for this resolution.

Thisnon-binding advisory vote, commonly known as a “Say When on Pay” vote, gives shareholders the opportunity to express their views about how frequently (but at least once every three years) we should conduct aSay-on-Pay vote. At the 2014 annual meeting, our shareholders approved holding aSay-on-Pay vote biennially. During fiscal year 2015, the Board approved a change from holdingSay-on-Pay advisory votes biennially to holding such votes annually. You may vote forSay-on-Pay votes to be held “EVERY YEAR,” “EVERY TWO YEARS” OR “EVERY THREE YEARS” in response to the resolution or you may abstain from voting on the resolution.

Though we currently hold ourSay-on-Pay votes every year, there are valid arguments regarding the relative benefits of both annual and less frequentSay-on-Pay votes. After considering input from shareholders, the preference evident from voting results at other companies similar in size to ours, and practical commentary that has become widely available with respect to the Say When on Pay vote since its implementation, the Board is recommending that theSay-on-Pay vote continue to be held on an annual basis.

For these reasons, the Board unanimously recommends that shareholders vote for the Company to conduct any required shareholder advisory vote on named executive officer compensation every year.

The results of the Say When on Pay vote will be advisory and will not be binding upon the Company or our Board. However, we will take into account the outcome of the Say When on Pay vote when determining how frequently the Company will conduct futureSay-on-Pay votes and will disclose our frequency decision as required by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Unless and until the Board determines otherwise, the next Say When on Pay vote will occur at the 2023 Annual Meeting, since this vote is required to be held every six years.

47    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

Review of Transactions with Related Persons

The Board has adopted a written policy regarding the review and approval of transactions involving certain persons that SEC regulations require to be disclosed in proxy statements, which are commonly referred to as “related person transactions.” A “related person” is defined under the applicable SEC regulation and includes our directors, executive officers, nominees for director and beneficial owners of 5% or more of our common stock. Under the written policy, the Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving any related person transactions, and will consider factors it deems appropriate including:

whether the transaction is on terms no more favorable than terms generally available to an unrelated third party under the same or similar circumstances;

the benefits to the Company; and

the extent of the related person’s interest in the transaction.

There are no material interests, direct or indirect, of any other director nominee or any of the current directors, executive officers, or any shareholder who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, more than 5% of the outstanding common shares, or immediate family members of such persons, in any transaction since October 30, 2016, or in any proposed transaction in which the amount involved exceeded $120,000.

From time to time we have employed, and will continue to employ, relatives of executive officers, as well as relatives of otherfull-time employees. We believe that we have always employed, and will continue to employ, those individuals on the same terms that we employ unrelated individuals and for compensation that is less than the amount specified in Item 404 ofRegulation S-K.

Director Independence; Executive Sessions of the Board

The Board has determined that directors Dana Messina, Michael D. Dean, Bruce G. Goodman, James E. Boone, Nicholas S. Cyprus and Laurie Siegel meet (and former director John C. Rudolf met) the current independence requirements under the applicable rules of the SEC and listing standards of the NYSE:MKT. The Board made these determinations based primarily upon a review of the responses of directors and director nominees to questions in a director and officer questionnaire regarding employment and compensation history, affiliations and family and other relationships and on discussions with them. The Board determined that there were no material relationships between any of such persons and the Company that could interfere with their exercise of independent judgment and that each meets the current independence requirements applicable to independent directors under the applicable listing standards of the NYSE:MKT to serve on the Board.

Thenon-management directors have held executive sessions. In accordance with the listing standards of the NYSE:MKT, these sessions are intended to promote open discussion amongnon-management directors.

48    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc.2017 Proxy Statement


PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

Our Audit Committee appointed Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal years ended October 30, 2016, November 1, 2015, and November 2, 2014. Representatives of Ernst & Young LLP are expected to be present at the Meeting, will have the opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so, and are expected to be available to respond to appropriate questions. We incurred the following fees, which do not include statutory audit fees for fiscal year 2016 which will be incurred at a future date, to Ernst & Young LLP for fiscal years 2016, 2015 and 2014 (in thousands):

     Fiscal Year 2016   Fiscal Year 2015   Fiscal Year 2014 

Audit Fees

   $2,552   $3,355   $3,830 

Audit-Related Fees

        14     

Tax Fees

            5 

All Other Fees

             18 

    Total

    $2,552   $3,369   $3,853 

Audit fees are for professional services rendered for the audit of the annual financial statements and the review of interim financial statements included in Annual Reports onForm 10-K and Quarterly Reports onForm 10-Q and services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.

Audit-related fees are for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our consolidated financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.”

Tax fees include fees for services provided in connection with tax compliance, planning and reporting. All other fees represent fees for products and services other than the services described above.

The Audit Committee has considered whether the provision of thenon-audit services described above is compatible with maintaining Ernst & Young LLP’s independence and has determined that such services are compatible with maintaining Ernst & Young LLP’s independence.

Pre-Approval Policy

Pursuant to the Audit Committee’spre-approval policy, the Audit Committee is responsible forpre-approving all audit and permittednon-audit services to be performed for us by our independent auditors. The Audit Committee may delegatepre-approval authority to one or more of its members, and such member or members must report allpre-approval decisions to the Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting. All audit andnon-audit services for fiscal years 2016, 2015 and 2014 werepre-approved by the Audit Committee.

49    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc.2017 Proxy Statement


PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table sets forth information as of October 30, 2016 regarding shares of the common stock to be issued upon exercise and theweighted-average exercise price of all outstanding options, warrants and rights granted under the Company’s equity compensation plans, as well as the number of shares available for issuance under such plans. No equity compensation plans have been adopted without the approval of the Company’s shareholders.

  Plan Category Number of Securities to be
Issued Upon Exercise of
Outstanding Options,
Warrants and Rights
(a)
  Weighted-Average Exercise
Price of Outstanding
Options, Warrants and
Rights ($)
(b)
  Number of Securities
Remaining Available for
Future Issuance Under Equity
Compensation Plans
(Excluding Securities Reflected
in Column (A))
(c)
 

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders

   

1995Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan

  —                  —                       —                       

2006 Incentive Stock Plan

  986,410(1)              8.97                       —                       

2015 Equity Incentive Compensation Plan

  1,164,358(2)              6.48                       1,449,248                       

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders

  —                  —                       —                       

 

(1)Includes 43,781 restricted stock units.

(2)Includes 185,952 restricted stock units.

50    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

ITEM 5.    OTHER MATTERS

The Board knows of no other matters that may properly be brought before the Meeting. However, if other matters should properly come before the Meeting, it is the intention of those named in the solicited proxy to vote such proxy in accordance with their best judgment.

By Order of the Board of Directors.

LOGO

Michael D. Dean

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

New York, New York

February 24, 2017

51    |Volt Information Sciences, Inc. 2017 Proxy Statement


VOLT INFORMATION SCIENCES, INC. 1065 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS 20THLOGO

Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] Date Signature (Joint Owners) Date

KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS

DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY

TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS:

THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED.

E19558-TBD

For

All

Withhold

All

For All

Except

For Against Abstain

To withhold authority to vote for any individual

nominee(s), mark “For All Except” and write the

number(s) of the nominee(s) on the line below.

V.1.1

VOLT INFORMATION SCIENCES, INC.

1133 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS

15TH FLOOR

NEW YORK, NY 10036

VOTE BY INTERNET—www.proxyvote.com

Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery

of information up until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time the day before thecut-off date

or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site

and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic

NEW YORK, NY 10018

VOTE BY INTERNET - www.proxyvote.com

Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the cut-off date or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form.

ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF FUTURE PROXY MATERIALS

If you would like to reduce the costs incurred by our company in mailing proxy

materials, you can consent to receiving all future proxy statements, proxy

cards and annual reports electronically viae-mail or the Internet. To sign up

for electronic delivery, please follow the instructions above to vote using the

Internet and, when prompted, indicate that you agree to receive or access proxy

materials electronically in future years.

VOTE BY PHONE - PHONE—1-800-690-6903

Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions up until

11:59 P.M.p.m. Eastern Time the day before thecut-off date or meeting date.

Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the instructions.

VOTE BY MAIL

Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid

envelope we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge,

51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717.

TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS:

M92332-P66695 KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS

THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED. DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY

VOLT INFORMATION SCIENCES, INC. For Withhold For All To withhold authority to vote for any individual The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the All All Except nominee(s), mark “For All Except” and write the following: number(s) of the nominee(s) on the line below.

2. Election of Directors ! ! !

Nominees:

01) James E. Boone 04) Dana Messina 02) Nick S. Cyprus 05) John C. Rudolf 03) Michael D. Dean 06) Laurie Siegel

The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following proposals: For Against Abstain

1. Vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to declassify the Board of Directors. ! ! !

3. Vote to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for 2015. ! ! !2017.

3. Vote to approve, on anon-binding, advisory basis, the Company’s executive compensation.

4. Vote to recommend, on a non binding, advisory basis, the frequency (every 1 year, every 2 years or every 3 years) with which the Company

should conduct future shareholder advisory votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers.

NOTE: This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed herein. If no specification is made,

Unless you withhold authority to vote for all or any one or more of the nominees in accordance with the instructions on this proxy, your signed proxy

will be voted “For” Proposal 1, “For”FOR the election of alleach of the seven director nominees listed on this proxy card and described in Proposal 2, and “For” Proposal 3.the accompanying proxy statement.

The proxy holders are authorized to vote in their best judgment on such other matters as may be properly brought before the Meeting.


LOGO

ADMISSION TICKET Volt Information Sciences, Inc.

2015 Annual MeetingA plurality of Shareholders

Monday, May 11, 2015 10:00 a.m. (PDT) 2401 N. Glassnell Street Orange, CA 92865

If you wish to attendvotes cast at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders in person please present this admission ticket and or by proxy is required for the election of each such nominee to serve as

a valid picture identificationdirector. A vote FOR a nominee or an abstention with respect to such nominee will be taken into account as a vote in favor of such nominee in

determining whether the nominee has achieved a plurality of the votes cast at the door for admission. Cameras, large bags, briefcases, packages, recording equipment and other electronic devicesAnnual Meeting of Shareholders, while withholding authority with

respect to any nominee will not be permittedtreated as a vote in favor of such nominee.

In addition, unless you specify otherwise by voting AGAINST or ABSTAIN with respect to Proposal 2 and/or Proposal 3 or voting 2 YEARS, 3 YEARS or

ABSTAIN with respect to Proposal 4 (or if you make no specification), your signed proxy will be voted FOR Proposals 2 and 3 and voted for 1 YEAR in

Proposal 4 listed on this proxy card and described in the accompanying proxy statement. The affirmative vote of a majority of votes cast at the Annual Meeting.meeting

FOLD AND DETACH HEREin person or by proxy is required to approve each of Proposals 2, 3 and 4 listed on this proxy card and described in the accompanying proxy statement.

Important Notice Regarding the AvailabilityPlease sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) hereon. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, or other fiduciary, please give full title as such. Joint

owners should each sign personally. All holders must sign. If a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or partnership name by authorized officer.

01) Arnold Ursaner

02) Nicholas S. Cyprus

03) Michael D. Dean

04) Dana Messina

05) William J. Grubbs

06) Laurie Siegel

07) Bruce G. Goodman

1. Election of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting:Directors

Nominees:

The Notice and Proxy Statement and Form 10-K are available at www.proxyvote.com.Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the

following:

The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following proposals:

The Board of Directors recommends you vote 1 year on the following proposal:

1 Year 2 Years 3 Years Abstain


LOGO

E19559-TBD

V.1.1

Volt Information Sciences, Inc.

Proxy Card Solicited on Behalf of the Board of Directors

The undersigned appoints Ronald KochmanMichael D. Dean and Paul Tomkins, and each of them, proxies with full power of substitution, to vote

the shares of stock of Volt Information Sciences, Inc. (“Company”(the “Company”), which the undersigned is entitled to vote, at the Annual

Meeting of Shareholders of the Company to be held at 2401 N. GlassnellGlassell Street, Orange, CA 92865 on Monday, May 11, 2015, Thursday, June 8, 2017,

at 10:00 a.m. (PDT), and any adjournment thereof.

Volt Information Sciences’ employees. If you are a current or former employee of the Company, this card also provides

voting instructions for shares held in the Volt Information Sciences, Inc. Savings Plan. If you are a participant and have shares of

common stock of the Company allocated to your account under the Plan, you have the right to direct Charles Schwab Bank,

the Trustee of the Plan (the “Trustee”), to vote the shares held in your account. The Trustee will vote allocated shares for which

no direction is received and unallocated shares, if any (together “Undirected Shares”), in the same proportion as the shares for

which direction is received, subject to the Plan documents. The tabulator must receive your instructions by 4:00 p.m. (EDT) on Thursday, May 7, 2015

Tuesday, June 6, 2017 in order to communicate your instructions to the Trustee, who will then vote all the shares of common

stock of the Company which are credited to the undersigned’s account as of April 23, 2015.10, 2017. Under the Plan, you are a “named

fiduciary” for the purpose of voting shares in your account and your proportionate share of the Undirected Shares. This means that

you have ultimate authority to control the manner in which the shares are voted. By submitting voting instructions by telephone,

Internet, or by signing and returning this voting instruction card, you direct the Trustee to vote these shares, in person or by proxy,

as designated herein, at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting:

The Notice and Proxy Statement and Form10-K are available at www.proxyvote.com.

ADMISSION TICKET

Volt Information Sciences, Inc.

2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders

Thursday, June 8, 2017

If you wish to attend the Annual Meeting of Shareholders in person,please present this admission

ticket and a valid picture identification at the door for admission. Cameras, large bags, briefcases,

packages, recording equipment and other electronic devices will not be permitted at the Annual

Meeting.

Continued and to be signed on reverse side