I ran across this piece on how we should pay people from Business Week. It's a look at the issues of specifying the exact work that someone will do once you hire them. I suspect this is a problem in many industries, but it can be especially tricky in technology, where the job requirements can change as the technology rapidly changes.

Most of the time I've taken a job in the US, it's been an "at will" employment, with a verbal contract between me and the hiring manager or HR representative. Nothing was signed, and I essentially did whatever my manager wanted, regardless of my job title. That was fine with me. Currently I have a written contract, but the requirements for my position are a little vague and my duties aren't explicitly spelled out.

Read the rest of "The Employment Contract" at SQLServerCentral.