PLD 14 Report post Posted July 29, 2005 I pay my guys hourly, and it has posed some issues. Excessive work times, etc. I am considering paying by the job, but fear that it will make it harder to get/keep good people. So, I pose the question to you: How do you pay your guys. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Craig 111 Report post Posted July 29, 2005 I pay them hourly. I pay one-way drive time (generally). I figure their hours based on production, so I control their pay- they do not control my payroll (to a certain degree). If they have been outstanding and working hard, I will include a bonus that pays them for some or all of their driving time. I also pay bonuses for good ideas that we implement ($25 each), and take away for showing up late, bad attitude, unpredictable job performance etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PATZPW 14 Report post Posted July 29, 2005 i pay with beer and game tokens. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CCPC 26 Report post Posted July 29, 2005 You should have added a vote option for people without employees, becasue people like me without employees will have to vote on one of the options just to see the results of the poll. just a thought. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VanDiesel99 14 Report post Posted July 29, 2005 Just click "View Poll Results" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CCPC 26 Report post Posted July 29, 2005 where is the "view poll results" link? I see it written at the top of the poll, but there's nothing to click. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FullBlast 14 Report post Posted July 30, 2005 I pay them from the time they leave the shop till they get back. I pay 2 times a month and overtime. I have lots of overtime because we travel up to 2.5 hrs some days put a big day in and that gets them overtime. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henry B. 4 Report post Posted July 31, 2005 We pay and pay and pay...... Most of my guys make $15 an hour plus benefits (health,dental ect.) We pay overtime as required by law. They also make commisions for any jobs they pick up 10% or 20% if they pick it up and do it while there. We award a prize for the person with the most commissions at the end of the month (worth about $25) Any emergency service calls they do at night and on weekends they get 50% of. They also have 5 paid holidays a year. It's really difficult to find good help in this area so when I find someone I really like I do everything I can to hang on to them. I usually average 10 people hired and fired to find one that I want to keep. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Craig 111 Report post Posted July 31, 2005 I like it, Henry. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henry B. 4 Report post Posted August 1, 2005 I'm telling you, good help is really hard to find. Some day's it seems like the 20-30 year olds in this area just don't want to work. They would rather have their parents pay the way for everything. Not everyone is like that but we sure have the majority! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Craig 111 Report post Posted August 1, 2005 that's always the case- hardest part of the business for us! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted August 1, 2005 I'm telling you, good help is really hard to find. Some day's it seems like the 20-30 year olds in this area just don't want to work. They would rather have their parents pay the way for everything. Not everyone is like that but we sure have the majority! Boy is that the truth! Beth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PressurePros 248 Report post Posted September 8, 2005 $15 an hour PLUS benefits? Wow, Henry. With workman's comp that must come out to $40 per hour plus material costs, gas etc. You have mentioned your guys are fast and I guess they would have to be at that rate. Do you have crew leader rates or do two guys on a truck make the same rate? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henry B. 4 Report post Posted September 10, 2005 I have one guy that's my trouble shooter. If there's a problem he can solve it almost everytime. He also makes the most money. I'm also considering putting him and one other employee on salary in the next week or so. They are my best two employees and are willing to do what it takes to get the job done. I usually only have one man crews (3) except for special cases. We also provide a lot of other services that most PW companies don't. My guys do make good pay and it's not cheap but it enables me to not have to worry about everything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted September 10, 2005 One thing I have learned is that putting a worker on salary is a good way to lose them...let me explain. They lose the ot benefits and their hourly rate goes down when they exceed 40 hours in a week. Yeah they have a steady income but then they feel compelled to work only what they feel is their worth, salary wise. We lost a really good person by putting him on salary even though he was all for it. Problem was he couldnt see going back to hourly in spite of the monetary increases for the extra time worked. Right now, the principal owners are the only salary paid. Everyone else is hourly + ot. Health care benefits are skyrocketing. With all the costs going up so fast, its a wonder most pw'ers are staying alive. Rod~ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted September 10, 2005 Rod is right. If you have ever worked a salaried job and put in extra time, you feel like you are making less, and you actually are, if you compute the dollars per hour at 40 hours, vs. at 50 hours etc. Folks might like it when they are working 30 and getting paid like 40, but when you work them 50, it is a disincentive. ( do you want them disgruntled in the mid-summer?) Better to pay a decent hourly wage and abide by the laws and pay OT as earned. Makes for more satisfied help. Been there....done that... Beth p.s. our guys love getting paid overtime, and work hard to earn it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sflasealcoating 14 Report post Posted September 28, 2005 I have only two gusy that work for me part time...when i get so booked i cant do all th jobs myself.... I pay them .12 cents a sq ft ( i do mainly sealing of driveways and walkways ) works out very nice..... 1000 sq ft job they get 120.00 everyones happy.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve r 14 Report post Posted November 3, 2005 I pay my guys hrly.with bonuses.I only have 2 working .They have been with me for 5 yrs now in dec.im considering adding another person .The problem with hiring a new guy is ;most of the time they aint worth a flip.it seems like nobody wants to work for $17 hr .with experience .what to do if i havent got time to train some one .im busy all yr around never a break to train .ive got my swabby working in florida on parking decks.with one of my guys.there is only tom and i for now to do 4 decks a week and a couple house washes .these 30 hr weeks are terrible .i only want to work 20 hrs lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Douglas Hicks 128 Report post Posted November 4, 2005 I've got Jon, he has been w/me for 4 years. Jon's duties include extinguishers, sprinkler work, kitchen and industrial systems and exit/emergency light service. He does not do hoods. He gets his work assignment each month. There are times I do not know what county he is working in. Our counties here in Eastern Oregon are larger than some states. I saw him Wednesday, I'll see him next Friday. How many employees have I been through looking for another like him? About 100. Some employees have worked 10 minutes and told me they are not working that hard for any amount of money. Soem have stayed through the job and then quit. Some employees I Have fired after one night. As I get older, I have less patience w/ people. I/ve tried temp agencies, state employment agencies, referals from friends, resturants, nothing seems to be a good place to hire grease monkeys. I even hired a Chinaman once, see *** and my post on "Lazy white man, not work hard like chinese" Hood cleaning is tough, the hours are bad and the work makes you smell bad. I talked about this w/a friend of mine who ran a retail store w/75 employees. He told me his experience was the amount of money and benefits & recognition were not the real incentives for people. He said that a real good employee was motivated by something that came from deep within, and you could not teach or train a person who did not have the motivation from within. To get back to the original question, I pay by the hour, pay increases each year. Driving time is paid, sitting in the passenger seat may or may not be included. 10% commissionon new account, paid vacation after one year, up to 3 weeks vacation. No health benefits, no retirement plan. On the road, I take care of motels and meals. I furnish a cell phone, and don't care if they call the wife on my phone. Shirts and coats are furnished. My job application folder includes 1. a confidentiality agreement, 3 pages 2. a non-compete areement 2 pages both written by my attorny. 3.Drug & Acohol Policy 2 pages 4. Honesty Policy. You lie or steal you get fired. If we are out of town, how you get home is your problem. 5. Driving Policy 6. Driving report from the employee 7. I-9 8. W-4 9. Job descriptions 10. My expectations of an employee 11. Employment Application for prospective employee We do drug testing, not random, when I choose. We run people through the Law Enforcement Data System. The older I get,the less patience I have. Reading this, you may think I am an A**Hole, you are right.Every day I am more and more an a**hole. Having a person not show up to work, having to redo work, having people give you the ******* calf look gives you a bad attitude. This job was much easier when I could do all of the work by myself. But, I still would not go work for someone else. Douglas Hicks General Fire Equipment Co of Eastern Oregon, Inc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
