Rewards/ Bonus

[Hobbsurf]

Look at it from the other end of the scenario.

 

Decide on an amount that fits the DL budget and allows Staff Incentive Scheme to kick in and give your team an addition to the salary they earn which is then eroded by "errors" made by them - assessment monthly.

 

Installation of a bit more take care ethos and you are not affecting the basic salary agreement.

 

If the Barrack Room Lawyers kick off, take it away in full. You are after all offering a scheme incentives that helps both parties, but it's an additional payment in goodwill only.

 

Worked for me in the past.

 

Few posts added whilst I wrote this, but I my understanding is its legally viable.

 

Russ

Edited November 22, 2016 by Hobbsurf
Clarification

[Starscream]

I suspect it is an illegal deduction of wages also.

 

It's interesting you say that, but it's in the contracts that we have signed. I could pay it all in one lump or he could take a tenner a week, what choice do we have? He makes the rules and we agreed to them. Is what he's doing illegal then?

[jimmy_timber]

Look at it from the other end of the scenario.

 

Decide on an amount that fits the DL budget and allows Staff Incentive Scheme to kick in and give your team an addition to the salary they earn which is then eroded by "errors" made by them - assessment monthly.

 

Installation of a bit more take care ethos and you are not affecting the basic salary agreement.

 

If the Barrack Room Lawyers kick off, take it away in full. You are after all offering a scheme incentives that helps both parties, but it's an additional payment in goodwill only.

 

Worked for me in the past.

 

Few posts added whilst I wrote this, but I my understanding is its legally viable.

 

Russ

 

 

This is what I had in mind, like you said it gives them an incentive to look after the kit a little more and the better ethos.

 

I will have a play around with this tomorrow and come up with something to suit. 👍

[aspenarb]

A storeman or storechick is the answer, we had the least damage/losses to kit when we had a fulltime storeman come vehicle washer come yard bod employed. When kit is allocated out and checked in you can nip things in the bud, it becomes pretty obvious who the main culprits are. I need a new one, the old one has gone on tramp.

 

Bob

[cornish wood burner]

It's interesting you say that, but it's in the contracts that we have signed. I could pay it all in one lump or he could take a tenner a week, what choice do we have? He makes the rules and we agreed to them. Is what he's doing illegal then?

 

If you have signed a contract and agreed to this then as long as your wages stay above the minimum wage then its legal according to info I've just read.

Not in tree work but no breakage deductions for us, instead a profit share. Very nice bonus at Christmas.

[monkeybusiness]

I try to treat my lads to a decent Christmas bonus/day out/booze up. Last year it cost a few grand in total (and was a great laugh!), and at the start of the year I earmarked the same for this Christmas. However, I warned the lads that breakages etc would have to come out of it. I'm not sure they believed me as there appeared to be some surprise when I told them there was no money left when I was asked what we are doing this Christmas. It's pretty gutting to be honest as they are great lads and I really enjoy our annual shindig, but I really really need to reinforce the point that leaving saws out that subsequently get nicked/running chippers with loose/missing blades until the flywheel rotor is destroyed/running fully laden brand new trailer tyres into curbs thus tearing chunks out of the sidewalls on a regular basis/running pole pruners with no air filters until the engine is knackered/leaving lowering kit/fuel cans/rakes on site/in chip piles/wherever etc etc costs a lot of money!

[LGP Eddie]

I worked for a great guy early in my plant career who would take on small groundwork jobs, mainly drive dig outs, bits of demolition, levelling ground etc.

Most of these jobs were done at weekend utilising the kit that was standing and had a regular routine of tales from the weekend disasters being told in the yard Monday morning and the guy seemingly never doing any good on them.

 

I had a sit down with him and said I'll do them for you, but it's going to be on different terms?

Basically you tell me what you have in for the job in terms of type of plant and the hours you expect each item to work and then I'll choose the guys and do the job.

The bonus comes in every hour we shave off your agreed rate for each item of plant then we get to have half the current rate for it?

 

Basically simple weekend job would be Tractor and Trailer 16 hours and JCB 3cx 20hrs.

 

By planning the job, taking the right guys and working together we could usually get the job down to something like 10 hrs on the Tractor and Trailer and say 14 hours on the JCB 3cx.

That left us with 6hrs @ half the full rate of the Tractor and Trailer plus 6 hrs @half the full rate of the JCB 3cx on top of the hours we had worked.

You have to remember that half the full rate was far in excess of our flat self employed rate, especially the Tractor drivers and we all appreciated getting a bit of weekend time at home paid.

 

The understanding was that the client was happy, no damage done apart from the usual punctures and no services damaged.

 

Did it work?

 

He ended up flat out with groundwork, customers waiting to get us back and a great reputation for a tidy efficient job.

The kit was earning big time by not sitting idle on jobs, completing them far under his estimates, and being utilised to maximum efficiency when it was on site.

 

I'm a firm believer you're better with a carrot than a stick, and the times I've had bosses stunned when I call to say add more to an invoice to cover bonus for a good operator.

However the difference when you open the cab door and say we've got to get this wrapped up today, they just roll their sleeves up and crack on.

 

Work out a scheme that gives them ownership and at least a fair chance of some extra for working safely and effectively, and a full understanding that piece of pie is straight in the bin for cutting corners or damage.

 

 

 

 

 

Eddie.

Edited November 22, 2016 by LGP Eddie

[benedmonds]

I would be interested in any system you come up with as I have wanted to come up with something workable for a few years. As most employees don't care about kit like most owner operators.

 

I don't think it is right (or legal) to charge employees for breakages. We break stuff in this game sometimes.

 

I don't think leaving it a year and saying your christmas party aint happening is incentive enough as it is too long between breakages.

 

My thoughts were coming up with a figure (based on how much is spent monthly on repairs though breakages) then any breakages are taken out of it. If there is anything left ant the end of the month the bonus is shared out.?

 

My issue is that it will make the guys less likely to be honest about breakages..

[AHPP]

A storeman...,

...the old one has gone on tramp.

 

I assume this is Mick Dundee? A shame if so. I was enjoying the photos of his fabricating.

[monkeybusiness]

I don't think the Xmas party thing is the correct or ultimate solution - I've been trying to come up with something workable all year and have only fallen back on this as it was mentioned at the start of the year and I feel that I need to try and reinforce the point somehow! The store person would be the best answer I reckon, but expensive and unfortunately not really viable in a small business like mine.

I'm going to watch this thread with interest and see if anyone has a decent solution that I can pinch going into next year!