Money Talks Resources that offer guidance on the how-tos of paying your employees

Can you annoy your employees in the same moment you thinkyou're doing a good deed? Truth be told, many young bossesgrossly mishandle when and how they give out pay raises andbonuses. Understand this: Pay needs to be part of a consistentpolicy. Hand out raises the way Mom raised your allowance, and,guess what, you've screwed up, big time.

True, money is a tough topic. And a boss who rolls straightahead without learning the right way to handle these issues isheading toward big trouble. Plenty of Web sites offer guidance onthe how-to of paying workers:

Just want the basics of paying workers? Follow this link. This is your read because the article, based oninformation provided by consulting firm Effective CompensationInc., walks you through the facts of doing this delicate workright.

Bookmark this site, where you'll find the "HR Web Guide: EmployeeCompensation," prepared by University of Vermont staff.It's a rich collection of links to key compensation-related Websites. Whatever your question, this is the place to head first foranswers. Everything from minimum wage laws to employee stock plansgets covered here.

If there's a mantra in compensation theory, it'sthat you get more of what you reward. But what does that mean?Click here, there's a pithy article by consultant David Kinnedesigned to give bosses an objective tool for deciding exactly howmuch every employee should get in raises and bonuses. Tip: If youfollow this advice in determining raises for your people, give outthe URL to employees. The more they understand the thinking thatshapes compensation in your business, the better they'll work,and the more they'll earn. That's truly win-win, for themand you.

A generation ago, seniority was probably the key determinantof how much a worker earned. Today, seniority has nothing to dowith it-but what does? Skills and contributions, says Martin Kenny,a compensation consultant with HR firm Baker, Thomsen Associates.His article "The New Pay:Innovations in Employee Compensation" walks you throughthe thinking at America's leading corporations.

Should you build stock or options in the employees' paypackets? Probably-that's becoming a key reward strategy. Butthis isn't as simple as handing a worker a certificate good for100 shares. Get insights into the complexities involved in awardingequity to employees by dipping into www.rosenman.com/cabcewe.htm, awhite paper prepared by law firm Rosenman & Colin.

Exactly $15.36 per hour (a tad over $600/weekly) is theaverage pay across the United States, says the Federal Bureau ofLabor Statistics' recent survey. Benefits added $5.80 per hourto the pot. Crunch those numbers another way, and employee benefitsadd an average of 38 percent to the pay packet. Like those kinds ofspecific numbers? BLS is a treasure chest of data, and itscompensation-related research is found here.

Do you pay yourself too much? Don't giggle-the IRSdoesn't, and if it decrees that your pay packet is bloated, allmanner of tax consequences will follow. Get the scoop on thislittle-understood part of tax law at www.sdcpa.com/focusoct99.html,a white paper from accounting firm Schneider Downs.

Want just one book that provides the practical informationyou need to create the kind of compensation strategy that will letyour company grow? Pick up a copy of Pay for Results: A Practical Guide to EffectiveEmployee Compensation (Silver Lake Publishing) by KarenJorgensen. This book is aimed at filling your needs.

Robert McGarvey and Babs S. Harrison collect their paypackets from their Sonoma County, California, base.