[poleman]

I pay my employees by the hour but would like to keep them motivated and one way is a bonus scheme!

Does anyone do this!

[Ian Rochester]

We do, we used to pay purely on piece work, however when the bad weather came last year they were earning nothing so I changed them to a flat rate and a team bonus that is paid at the end of each 3 month period.

This way they are guaranteed the same wage each week but have the incentive to work hard and put something in the pot, if the weather in bad and no work gets done, their wages are paid out of this pot.  At the end of the 3 month period there is generally a decent little bonus in there for them.

There is some risk to the business if there is a long period of bad weather, but by taking it over a longer period the peaks and troughs are levelled out.

[DaveG]

Andy, tell them if they earn you £500 a week each, they will still have a job at the end of the week...that should do it  

Going up the New Inn tonight?

[gordonswindows]

Having a job during these difficult times is bonus enough if that doesn't motivate them you have hired the wrong people

Gordon

[Paul Coleman]

Although I've been self-employed for many years, I was an employee for nearly 20 years before that.
The "you're lucky to have a job" attitude from employers never did it for me.  If I were an employer, I would definitely build in some sort of bonus scheme - perhaps minimum wage plus a good earnings available for harder workers on full attendance - so long as there are no complaints about the work.  The group bonus scheme looks good as it can encourage teamwork and the employees become self policing.  When the bonuses are individualised, it can create too much friction if someone is perceived to be getting the better work.
All this is from the perspective of someone who has been an employee rather than an employer though.

[ronnie paton]

iv started paying piece work a percentage of the iob and the guy(who knows all my work and has no snail) is doing between 4-500 a week.

Now i dont see the weather stopping play that much iv never let it anyway.

You could do a bonus scheme but im guessing they would prefer it monthly not three monthly has they will want consistancy with there income to be able to plan ie moragage and bills.

after nearly three years employing i learn everyday, iv made lots of mistakes, one thing i think is employing is hard work and you have to make it worth it so make sure your not paying too much.

[Danny Guest]

I used to have a set the work for the week and as long as tghe work was complete i gave a £50 bonus at the end of the week but when we started doing 5 days of work in 4 days i stopped it and replaced it with a £100 if the work was done within 5 days (I canvassed and got another days work).

Now i have a new employee i have scrapped bonuses and just stay on his back and motivate him myself but i pay higher wages now so the money is guaranteed

Danny

[H S and Son]

Having a job during these difficult times is bonus enough if that doesn't motivate them you have hired the wrong people

Gordon

Yes m'lud, thankyou m'lud, very much appreciate it m'lud. Thankyou thankyou thankyou.

[Sean Dyer]

Having a job during these difficult times is bonus enough if that doesn't motivate them you have hired the wrong people

Gordon

Yes m'lud, thankyou m'lud, very much appreciate it m'lud. Thankyou thankyou thankyou.

Didnt you say you paid 10 an hour anyway gordon

they wouldnt need a bonus

but you could be paying a tenner to someone who is struggling to do enough work whereas at least a bonus scheme stops paying out to much to a labourer who is pants and you can reward those who graft

i dont employ just have a helper every now and again so im no expert but it makes sense to me

and the your lucky to have a job one is a bit weak as there are jobs that pay crap everywhere and window cleaning tends to be one of them

look how many lads on here are always after staff

[mikecam]

Having a job during these difficult times is bonus enough if that doesn't motivate them you have hired the wrong people

Gordon

The problem with that attitude might be staff retention, and the associated problems of re training new staff. Of course there are people who will fit the bill, but you have to snap them up at an early age and quickly as because they don;t think to much they tend to stay where they are !!

[mci services]

I have asked a few times on here, is paying piece rate still legal, that is how my old man employed for years, the better the employee the better % they got, I myself work on piece rates in the late eighty's but I was also paid a very basic rate if we couldn't work for whatever reason.

[mikecam]

I have asked a few times on here, is paying piece rate still legal, that is how my old man employed for years, the better the employee the better % they got, I myself work on piece rates in the late eighty's but I was also paid a very basic rate if we couldn't work for whatever reason.

I wouldn;t think paying a piece rate was illegal per se, but any target set would have to be able to accomodate comfortably the national minimum wage.

[mci services]

I have asked a few times on here, is paying piece rate still legal, that is how my old man employed for years, the better the employee the better % they got, I myself work on piece rates in the late eighty's but I was also paid a very basic rate if we couldn't work for whatever reason.

I wouldn;t think paying a piece rate was illegal per se, but any target set would have to be able to accomodate comfortably the national minimum wage.

makes sense, it used to be pretty much standard in commercial to pay piece rate, I know my brother used to make very good money as I did when employed by larger firms on piece rates, but I was only a teenager. about three years ago I was asked to quote some work but I ran it past my dad and brother and they both asked who I was quoting for, I mentioned the name and they both laughed and said get in writing as he will promise the world and not pay, both my dad and brother had been employees and he stopped their wages because they were earning to much because they were on piece rates and were making more than him the girl in the office phoned my brother on the thursday night and told him he wasn't getting paid and why, so my brother took the van on the friday and drove to work with the squad of guys to work then phoned him up and said why are wages not in the bank, he said I am not paying you that amount, so my brother said fine your van and crew are in dundee get them home yourself, I will get the train, none of the lads could drive he eventually stumped up from petty cash, but for the life of me I couldn't see why he didn't realise that the more the employee made the more the company made.

the guy I am talking about was a director and still is for a west coast firm in scotland.

jings that was an outburst, but anyway I like the idea of piece rate or bonus but pay the lads well and it can only be good with the right lads

[poleman]

BIG THANKS for your input lads

So...what do I base my bonus on! and how much!

I pay £8 per hour

[steve123]

My mate employes 2 lads. his bonus scheme works well for him.

His lads get a basic wage per hour, he then sets a target for them to turnover each day/week. anything above that target they get a % of.
that way his required income is garanteed and both him and the employee make a little on the extra work.

[Paul Coleman]

I have asked a few times on here, is paying piece rate still legal, that is how my old man employed for years, the better the employee the better % they got, I myself work on piece rates in the late eighty's but I was also paid a very basic rate if we couldn't work for whatever reason.

I wouldn;t think paying a piece rate was illegal per se, but any target set would have to be able to accomodate comfortably the national minimum wage.

makes sense, it used to be pretty much standard in commercial to pay piece rate, I know my brother used to make very good money as I did when employed by larger firms on piece rates, but I was only a teenager. about three years ago I was asked to quote some work but I ran it past my dad and brother and they both asked who I was quoting for, I mentioned the name and they both laughed and said get in writing as he will promise the world and not pay, both my dad and brother had been employees and he stopped their wages because they were earning to much because they were on piece rates and were making more than him the girl in the office phoned my brother on the thursday night and told him he wasn't getting paid and why, so my brother took the van on the friday and drove to work with the squad of guys to work then phoned him up and said why are wages not in the bank, he said I am not paying you that amount, so my brother said fine your van and crew are in dundee get them home yourself, I will get the train, none of the lads could drive he eventually stumped up from petty cash, but for the life of me I couldn't see why he didn't realise that the more the employee made the more the company made.

the guy I am talking about was a director and still is for a west coast firm in scotland.

jings that was an outburst, but anyway I like the idea of piece rate or bonus but pay the lads well and it can only be good with the right lads

A different tack here but you reminded me of a bricklayer I once knew in the building trade.
He was on block work on a huge series of retaining walls (non face work).  This meant that he could make absolutely massive money.  He was doing the work on his own.  Anyway, every lunchtime, the governors would walk around to see how the various jobs were going onsite.  So he used to go and sit with the steel fixers for his lunch break.  The governors would just assume that some of the steel fixers were part of his bricklaying gang.  The company were notorious for reducing rates if someone was doing too well - and he knew it too 

[RO-Sheen]

I've got one bloke working for me and I pay him £6.50 per hour plus 15% of the work we do.

[Wc Solutions]

just give monthly targets to meet on work done and new customers picked up.

i then give out vouchers for currys and B&Q.

only have to do it about every 3 months when they hit both targets of new work picked up and work done.

always have plenty of over time to give so they can always earn more if they need to.

we pay £8.50 for stater and upto £10.50 after a year...

[reachandshine]

Looking to take someone one very soon and my worry is don't really want them to know what I get for jobs and if I set up a bonus/target scheme they me tempted to cut corners.

[andyM]

I've heard of one employer who gives energy bars and sausage rolls as incentives