On the commission side of our graph (see the article from September 2023), we are moving toward using some sort of “goal” to affect payout, rather than simply paying a straight commission from the first dollar.  One of the ways companies initially think of doing this is by deducting the salary or a “seat cost” from the commission calculation.  This ensures that commissions are not paid until the employee as covered their costs to the organization, which is usually an approach that CFO’s like… a lot.  And it can have it’s place in an organization, particularly when it is just starting up.  However, it does have some downsides.