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Replies
unskilled labour £6.50 an hour
Personally I would rather have one inexperienced guy on 30 hours a week and train him up. I think you could struggle to get anyone decent offering 15 hours part time work. If you look at one man x 30 hours per week you have a better chance of getting a good un. But it depends on how you are going to work them, one of them two days a week and the other working different days with you, or both working 3 hours a day. But you still need to be thinking around the £8 ph + mark, depending on the geographics of your business.Are they going to be just seasonal or full time, as in year round employed. If seasonal contact the local colleges for students looking for summer break work and industry experience.
Hi Guys
Thanks for your replies i find the whole process quite daunting to be honest. Initially I'm looking to get one of them to take over the lawns with the pedestrian mower to free me up for other jobs.I think fifteen will be the minimum but the hours can be flexible as long as the works done. Whether its seasonal im not sure (obviously the lawns will be) i like to keep people working throughout. If they are good I dont like to loose them! Im not sure the best way to employ them really as the hours will probably reduce during the winter any suggestions!I like to be straight with people from the outset.
In some respects i also need someone who can do it all (eventually) so i can concentrate more on growing the business as I am sure the works there its just taking that step and maintaining the quality
It is a first step Ross. Once you take someone on, you will wonder how you managed without the extra pair of hands. If you are looking for someone non skilled as you say, then start low – the minimum wage is there as a guide and it will give you room to maneuver with experience. Ready-made experience will come at a price you may not want to pay.
Hey Ross, I share your dilemma.....hang on.....opportunity, right? Keep thinking that way and maybe it'll come good! Brian offers some v sensible advice imo regarding 'grading' hours to give one team member more hours over the other.
For pay, the NMW at any level is a complete joke. Someone else wrote recently about monkeys and peanuts. Which means a decent charge out rate for you, the boss - because you deserve it for your work - which also means you can pay above the NMW for any staff, regardless of age/experience.
For work - or, rather, aptitude of workers, - this is your business reputation on the line. As Brian writes - find a good 'un and keep 'em. I have a guy with me now who's got skills I didn't know existed - plus others that are fantastic because I recognise them as quality. Then there is the guy who is content, through his own circumstances, to act as the man making good behind any mess that's created. He hasn't as many hours and doesn't command as good a wage - but it's still (much) more, % wise, than the NMW comes in at.
In my opinion, the stage of having good people work with you is as much as making sure your clients will accept the increased man power (and in some cases increased costs) as it is being a fair and decent employer. I feel that I have established that set of clients to go forward on the staffing front.
(Have done for an age actually, just wished I could find the right pairs of hands before now!).
Cheers, Eugene
Hi Eugene/Colin
Thanks for the input I share your sentiments and values from what you say. I charge for experience and am happy to pay for experience. I was looking around the minimum livable wage which is £7.65 as opposed to the minimum wage which is £6.30 or maybe somewhere in the middle to start with for someone inexperienced?I also have been approached by someone with quite a lot of experience who sounds like they would be a real asset, on paper any way!So what the going rate for an employee with skills you didn't know existed! ball park of course!
Appreciate your help
Ross
it depends on how much you charge ?
if u give them 16hrs? can they get 'working tax credits' ?
Ross - ditto gardens4u: work out the hourly rate that you need to achieve to pay some one ''good''.
As for Working Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits - that is your employee's issue, not yours.
Cheers, Eugene
HI,
I have a couple of chaps who work part time 1 or 2 days per wk. In my personal opinion you can't ask anyone to do a good solid days graft for under £60 per day, I pay my chaps £70 per day (That's in their hand) one is very good, know machines, can do stuff without me telling him. knows how I work and understands standards and gardening, the other is very good also not quite as good as the first.
I've just taken on my first chap on the books, although self employed £85 per day, but he has 10-12 years of mechanical engineering under his belt, and should become a good assett to me. I thought that was a good rate, its equivelant to £22,100.00 although that's no sick or holidays, and i have explained how quite it goes between Dec - end of Feb, and the heavy rained off days, so i suppose you could limit that to £18k - £20k I'm quite prepared to give him an insentive when jobs go very well ie dangling carrot. You have to treat your staff well then they will look after you. ( i hope ) thats my philosphy.
8 x £6.50 - £52.00 per day, for 8 hrs gardening, mowing, hoeing, tool work, you may get a teenager but anyone who are worth their weight in gold you'll need to pay them more than that. Well in the south east you would.
Good luck.
Andrew