Where to find rewarding reading

Ensuring that compensation systems are a true asset, and not a liability, is a concern for companies of all sizes. Changing market and demographic conditions can significantly affect the perceived value of compensation practices. Cultivating the right mix of financial and non-monetary elements in the employment relationship is key to any successful total rewards strategy.

While many of the books reviewed below stress compensation, they recognize the need to address employees’ overall motivations as a key driver in achieving business goals. Human resources and compensation practitioners and business leaders can look to these books for insights into the ongoing development of competitive and successful strategies. They include extensive how-to guides to compensation, with in-depth analysis and tools in support of the strategic development of solutions for today’s business.

Carswell’s Compensation Guide
edited by David E. Tyson; Sibson Canada Inc./
Thomson Carswell;
(416) 609-3800,
1-800-387-5164; www.carswell.com;
ISBN 0-459-56315-7

Updated four times a year through loose-leaf releases, this comprehensive compensation guide is an invaluable tool for planning, designing and maintaining all compensation programs. With current Canadian content, editor David Tyson pools the expertise of a number of compensation specialists. Contents include:

•trends in compensation;

•the legal framework;

•job analysis and evaluation;

•salary surveys;

•statistical analysis and accounting;

•base pay programs;

•performance management and communication;

•sales, executive, and international compensation;

•alternative rewards; and

•total quality management.

Creating a Total Rewards Strategy: A Toolkit for Designing Business-Based Plans
(with CD-ROM) by Todd Manas and Michael Dennis Graham; Amacom (2003); 304 pages; 1-800-263-2037; www.amacombooks.org; ISBN 0-8144-0722-6

Approaches the design of compensation systems by drawing a clear link between business success and employee rewards. Building on the theme of creating ‘linkage’ between the dimensions of business and a total rewards strategy, the book sets out a step-by-step road map for a successful strategy in support the organization’s goals. An accompanying CD-ROM provides design tools, exercises, facilitation guides, diagnostics and process techniques as part of the overall planning and design process.

Compensating New Sales Roles: How to Design Rewards That Work in Today’s Selling Environment
2nd edition by Jerome Colletti and Mary Fiss;
417 pages; Amacom (2001); (212) 903-8316; www.amacombooks.org; ISBN 0-8144-7106-4

Technology continues to change the face of sales, and this comprehensive guide offers a blueprint for redefining sales roles to meet new market and evolving business requirements. To meet the challenges that the Internet has introduced to the way business is done, the book focuses on:

•the need for new sales roles;

•designing compensation plans for new sales roles; and

•implementing new plans successfully.

Canadian Compensation Handbook (with CD-ROM)
by David E. Tyson; Aurora Professional Press (2002); 349 pages; 1-800-263-2037; www.canadalawbook.ca; ISBN 0-88804-384-8

Provides a clear step-by-step approach to building appropriate compensation programs:

•developing the right strategy based on a solid understanding of your business and your employees;

•obtaining appropriate job evaluation and benchmarking results;

•designing a total compensation program: base salary, benefits, incentives, and working conditions; and

•keeping programs current, legal and understood.

Also includes a useful CD-ROM with sample forms, documents, tables, and checklists linked to each chapter of the book.

Tyson is also the editor of Compensation and Benefits Update, a Carswell Publication, published 10 times a year.

The Compensation Handbook: A State-of-the-Art Guide to Compensation Strategy and Design, 4th edition
edited by Lance Berger and Dorothy Berger; 646 pages; McGraw-Hill (2000); www.books.mcgraw-hill.com; ISBN 0-07-134309-1

Recognized as the authoritative reference on compensation, this significantly revised handbook has been recently updated to address current compensation issues. Major areas of focus include:

•the ongoing role of compensation in meeting business objectives;

•base compensation;

•variable compensation;

•executive compensation;

•performance and compensation;

•corporate culture and compensation; and

•international compensation.

Worksheets and numerous tables are included.

Strategic Compensation in Canada, 2nd edition
by Richard Long (Nelson Canada Series in Human Resources Management, Monica Belcourt, series editor); 519 pages; Thomson Nelson Learning (2002);
(416) 752-9100; www.nelson.com;
ISBN 0-17-616952-0

As a compensation handbook for and by Canadians, this valuable addition to the Nelson Canada Series blends academic research with current trends and best practices to focus on:

•strategy, rewards, and behaviour;

•components of compensation;

•the compensation strategy;

•technical processes for compensation; and

•implementing, managing, evaluating and adapting the compensation system.

The book also provides objectives and summaries for each chapter, definitions, related Web sites, case studies, exercises and references. A separate instructor’s manual is available for the development of lectures and exams.

HRWorks Handbook Series
CCH Canadian Limited (2002) 1-800-461-5308 www.ca.cch.com

This on-going series consists of about 20 modules on HR subjects consists of useful step-by-step procedures on most HR issues with reproduceable checklists and worksheets, and suggested reading and bibliographies to simplify recruitment and staffing requirements.

For more titles on managing the administrative side of compensation and benefits, click on the related articles link below.

Daryl Gauthier is the director of human resources at epost, a subsidary of Canada Post delivering mail online. He can be reached at (416) 313-4181 or [email protected].