[Richy L]

i have someone working with me. The better we do the more money he gets.

If i see he has worked hard and by 2:00 we earn more money then usual i pay him more money than usual for less time, but it also it works the other way around. Sometimes he has to work longer for less money.   ......  as my dad always its swings and roundabouts!

[windowwashers]

It's only a matter of time until he realises he could work for himself earning more, (I did, after working for someone else for 3months). The good ones normally leave and start up on their own and the crap ones either get the sack or remain with you until the end of time

or the crap ones leave because they think they know how to do the job better and run a business, then go and work in a cafe 6 months after starting up as they thought it would be easy and they now dont get that wage everyweek that used to get and have to pay all the bills including tax insurance ect ect .

p.s wayne that was in no way aimed at you, just was making a point that some people just cant work for themself and it is not as easy as people make out 
but good on you aswell 

[bluez]

I would expect that an employee should give his/her best efforts each and every hour they work in exchange for the hourly rate they recieve, anything less is stealing and I would dock his pay. I would never explain the costs of running a business in all its details to an employee if they can't figure it out (insurance, vehicles, equipment, uniform, marketing, websites, phone costs, accountants etc) then they are far to thick, and will only wreck my head over other issues. Get rid of him because if he is brave enough or stupid enough to say this to you up front imagine what he is saying behind your back to the clients and anyone else who is listening. Good ridence.

[simon knight]

I think that being a w/c is a great job...here I am at 13.35 on a Friday and all finished...happy days

I work as a sole trader and frankly didn't find it at all hard to build up a worthwhile business.

Not being funny but anybody who has, in Hercule Poirot's immortal words got a bit of "grey matter" would never consider being employed as a window cleaners "lad".

I find it sad that there's people out there who despite years of education still haven't enough savvy to cobble together their own round.

But these people do exist...and scarily...they breed!!!

Everclean: Use him whilst he's making a profit for you and when he doesn't tell the no-hoper to sling his hook...and don't have any conscience as he'll soon find other work such as a brickies mate or sweeper-upper in Micky D's.

Simon

[Helen]

I find it sad that there's people out there who despite years of education still haven't enough savvy to cobble together their own round.

Agree it is sad, but there are people out there who can build a round, it's whether they can run and sustain a viable business or not that makes the difference!
 

[simon knight]

I see where you're coming from but surely the the two go hand-in-hand?

1) Find customer.
2) Clean windows
3) Go back at agreed intervals
4)Clean windows again....

....and so on and on and on and on...

Honestly Helen this isn't rocket science...is it?

[matt]

I see where you're coming from but surely the the two go hand-in-hand?

1) Find customer.
2) Clean windows
3) Go back at agreed intervals
4)Clean windows again....

....and so on and on and on and on...

Honestly Helen this isn't rocket science...is it?

you forgot the first and most important thing

0) build a website, if not contact WW 

[LSB]

i had a guy ( 19yr old boy ) like this the other year , very good worker , if a bit immature !
he left to work for someone who paid MUCH more , percentage / commission etc ,
however although he was worked very hard , taken to far away areas , the boss didnt have enough regular work , so he had many extra unpaid days off , sometimes had trouble getting all his wages and was soon fired for no real fault of his own . so over the same period he would have earnt more from me , without having to break his neck and worry about getting paid.
he was then out of work for over a year , and kept phoning asking for work !!

[Dean Aspects]

I see where you're coming from but surely the the two go hand-in-hand?

1) Find customer.
2) Clean windows
3) Go back at agreed intervals
4)Clean windows again....

....and so on and on and on and on...

Honestly Helen this isn't rocket science...is it?

Not everyone can run a business or even want to so they go into employment do the work go home and at the end of the week get paid some people prefer this

Also this job is or can be boring and monotonous so motivation is the main problem for all of us employed or self employed

Dean

[Helen]

I see where you're coming from but surely the the two go hand-in-hand?

1) Find customer.
2) Clean windows
3) Go back at agreed intervals
4)Clean windows again....

....and so on and on and on and on...

Honestly Helen this isn't rocket science...is it?

Not everyone can run a business or even want to so they go into employment do the work go home and at the end of the week get paid some people prefer this

No it isn't rocket science and that is exactly my point, yes your list Simon to a certain extent is right, but there is so much more to running a business, like record keeping, accounts etc etc. Most of the people we have employed wouldn't have had a clue about the admin side yet none of them have been particularly unintelligent
Dean you are spot on, not everyone wants their own businessm, It really can be hard work!

[East coast window cleaning Services]

Problem is sacking could result in him starting up himself and nicking work of you

[Helen]

EVERCLEAN WHERE ARE YOU?
We are all waiting to hear what happened with him today?

[macmac]

If i was this lad, i'd be prepareing to set up my own round & take some of your customers. thinking that with those margins i can easily under-cut you & still make a cracking wage. screw working for you anymore for just ?? per hour.

tony

[simon knight]

I see where you're coming from but surely the the two go hand-in-hand?

1) Find customer.
2) Clean windows
3) Go back at agreed intervals
4)Clean windows again....

....and so on and on and on and on...

Honestly Helen this isn't rocket science...is it?

Not everyone can run a business or even want to so they go into employment do the work go home and at the end of the week get paid some people prefer this

No it isn't rocket science and that is exactly my point, yes your list Simon to a certain extent is right, but there is so much more to running a business, like record keeping, accounts etc etc. Most of the people we have employed wouldn't have had a clue about the admin side yet none of them have been particularly unintelligent
Dean you are spot on, not everyone wants their own businessm, It really can be hard work!

Yes OK the admin side is tedious and needs to be kept on top of...but again it isn't massively difficult if you're prepared to apply yourself.

I'm just of the opinion that I'd sooner go the extra mile and earn £25ph (yeah I know I'm cheap cheap cheap...but that's down to me) rather than be employed in what ,let's face it, is a pretty unskilled job and earn £10-£15ph.

Anyway, who am I to judge?...each unto their own as long as they're content with life is my motto

[East coast window cleaning Services]

To be honest makes me think twice on expanding as means taking people on.

[Paul Coleman]

I would expect that an employee should give his/her best efforts each and every hour they work in exchange for the hourly rate they recieve, anything less is stealing and I would dock his pay. I would never explain the costs of running a business in all its details to an employee if they can't figure it out (insurance, vehicles, equipment, uniform, marketing, websites, phone costs, accountants etc) then they are far to thick, and will only wreck my head over other issues. Get rid of him because if he is brave enough or stupid enough to say this to you up front imagine what he is saying behind your back to the clients and anyone else who is listening. Good ridence.

Good God !!
I'm a self-employed sole trader and I don't always work my hardest 100% of the time so I wouldn't expect an employee to do that for me.  I would expect a reasonable degree of effort though and to be able to make a reasonable profit over and above what he/she costs me.

[windowwashers]

I see where you're coming from but surely the the two go hand-in-hand?

1) Find customer.
2) Clean windows
3) Go back at agreed intervals
4)Clean windows again....

....and so on and on and on and on...

Honestly Helen this isn't rocket science...is it?

you forgot the first and most important thing

0) build a website, if not contact WW 

good point Matt 
for anyone that does not know the ww stands for windowwashers.co.uk 

[mark dew]

I see where you're coming from but surely the the two go hand-in-hand?

1) Find customer.
2) Clean windows
3) Go back at agreed intervals
4)Clean windows again....

....and so on and on and on and on...

buy some PL insurance
keep a list of jobs you do each week
keep receipts
phone an accountant once a year
pay bills

still not really rocket science i don't think??

But it's true that there are many who can't be bothered with motivating themselves and would rather work for someone else.

[sgibsoncleaning]

MOST MECHANICS ARE AWARE OF THE AMMOUNT PER HOUR THAT THE CUSTOMER GETS CHARGED. YET VERY FEW LEAVE TO START ON THIER OWN.
IF THIS LAD IS AS GOOD AS YOU SAY I WOULD REVIEW HIS WAGES. LEFT, HIS UNHAPPINESS WILL SPREAD TO THE OTHERS. GOOD STAFF ARE HARD TO FIND. MONKEYS WORK FOR PEANUTS.

[bluez]

Ya The Shiner, I was a bit literal there, what I mean is that a reduction from his normal work effort within the time frame rather than he must work every minute. It would be nice if it was possible though