[DanielWelford]

Thinking of setting on a cleaner to help with workload.

Any of you multi van setups got any tips. Specifically terms of employment, i.e employed/self employed, petrol allowance/let them pay it, plus any other gems.

Cheers

[martin19842]

hello there,

we have employees on vans, they are on site all week.

we have operated on a cash for fuel basis, cas given out is exchanged for petrol receipts.  we have then managed everyhting else.

from april we are changing to  a monthly expense form per vehicle, and a float issued to the van driver at the beginning of the month, and then signed for by the driver, as receiving a float repayable on leaving the employment.

the dti and fsb provide a lot of info regarding employing, it opens up a complete new side to your business, as you are then relying on those people to represent your business, to carry out the job in the best way possible.

its always a worry.

we just keep them on a tight reign and supervise correctly.

so good luck

regards

martin

[DanielWelford]

Cheers Martin

One of my principal concerns is getting someone who can represent me.

Daniel

[Len Gribble]

Daniel

So you want someone who can represent you? Get some dna done and clone them!

Len

[Fox]

Hi

If you are going to take someone on I would defo go for employee rather than self employed, you have more control and their loyalty will hopefully lay with you alone.

Company vans cost the employee in tax £500 per year or £300 if over 4 years old (the van not the employee! ) Although this was pre budget - I think it has gone up £50.  You can pay what you like in milage allowance but if it is low your employee will need to get themselves registered with the tax office and they can claim back the rest, then there will be a small amount of tax for you to pay at end of year.  (Sorry if I am a bit vauge but I know the basics and leave the rest to the accountant!) 

My employees have Company vans but I use my own vehicle and claim for it through the company, this is much better for me personally on the tax front as I have a car not van.  Milage allowance is usually 40p per mile for the first 10,000 then 25p thereafter.  It is best to pay for milage through the wages (listed as a separate tax free item) as all the info is then stored and as long as they keep a milage account you don't necessarily need recipts.

Ensure you have enough work for someone before you take them on, it can end up costly, think about the full costs of your vehicle (tax, ins, AA etc) uniform, training and so on.  If possible pay an hourly rate rather than a salary, especially to begin with and ensure you have in place a contract of employment.  Standard holiday pay is four paid weeks per year at the moment and you don't need to pay full sick pay (you will be liable for SSP though depending on the employees NI status). 

Hope this helps a little.

Fox

 

[mark_roberts]

When I started in this business I was self employed but had a contract with a company who supplied me with work everyday.  I got 25% and 50% of extra work but had to pay for my own car, equipment and chemicals.  Not a good situation for me as I had all the cost bar advertising and as soon as I had my machine paid off I left and started up on my own.

So if I where you i would employ someone but you buy the machines and vans to make it as difficult as possible for him to leave and startup on his own.  I would also operate from a central office so that all vans and equipment had to be brought back to base at the end of the day so no 'homers' could be done in the evening or weekends.

Mark

[Karl Wildey]

I think the tax situation mentioned by Fox only applies if employee takes the van home. if he leaves it at your place of work/home he does not get the tax removed.

I used fuel cards, no cash flow or forgotten reciepts. You also get one monthly bill at the end of month with all the receipts stating where and when there filled up, Also states the time, handy for keeping an eye on things. This monthly one bill makes easier accounting too.

Thing I did not like about employing people is all the extra paperwork, paying an employer's NIC, which is more than the employee pays and all their rights (moan).

If you are busy cleaning carpets then either buy a truck mount or put your prices up, (this squeezes out the lower end payers whilst increasing profit).

Employeeing someone is not an easy straight forward option as you know, hence this post.

I had lots of insurance work and hence no choice, but before the work load became too much I sub work out to another cc.
Profit may not be as high but its an easier life.

[Don Atkinson]

One scorching hot day when I used to work for a large franchise, I decided to take a bath in the customers house when she left me in the house alone to catch a plane.

Needless to say she wasn't to impressed when she returned after forgetting her keys, to find me rinsing my hair in the bath!!
The lads back at base found it highly amusing. the boss didn't
I was sacked the next day.
Thinking back, I cant believe how stupid I was.   

don
 

[mark_roberts]

Hope you washed behind your ears!

You plonker

[Matt Read]

Thats a cracking story Don ! i can't belive ya cheek lol

Karl above had his employee accused of crapping on a bathroom carpet once...Karl backed him to the hilt but i reckon he did it  i never did get on with him Karl after he ripped me off over those vids !

[Karl Wildey]

A very honest story Don, but also serves a good point on this post. If you had been the boss of your own cc company you probably would not have had that bath, as an employee you thought sod it, who cares, thats the diffence between employer and employees.

Astroclean - Forgot that incident. The family had had a smoke damaged house, wife and kids went to in-laws and the dad stayed at home. He went out each night and got rat-arsed, even bought a lady back one night. It was he who messed on the bathroom carpet and then blamed my employee, who was on site cleaning carpets that day. (no one else at home).
Cost me £100.00 and no I never mention the lady friend to his wife, because they had two kids. The guy was going to cock up himself one day, guaranteed, he was an a-hole.

What goes around comes around.