[geefree]

Hi,

Can you guys who employ tell me if you have problems holding on to your employees,?

We have raised one or two issues on this forum regarding feeling a little ,lets say a little embarrassed ,...... telling people you are a window cleaner ( lets not debate this part its been done)....

and i simply wondered if you guys had any  problems keeping staff,

1/ The above reason, so leave when they find a better line of work.

2/ Decide to go alone

3/ Cant handle the weather


Or simply use window cleaning as a stop gap .

Im too inexperienced and not big enough to employ, and i aint  knocking window cleaning as i love this job,

i simply am curious as to wether they have the desire to work in our game , as we do but because its our own, we have to be driven by desire.

Hope i hve worded all that correctly.

gary.

[Londoner]

I think, to broaden the question, everyone who employs staff no matter what the business finds it hard to keep them.
Either they are so useless and lazy that they make themselves unemployable or they want to better themselves.

Years ago when I worked for Kodak I had occasion to visit one of our customers who had a shop in Camberley. The girl who worked in the shop was quite pleasant and made me a coffee and said she was waiting for her exam results.

Next time I went there a few weeks later she had gone but I asked the manager if she got the grades she was hoping for.
He couldn't even remember which girl I was talking about. They had such a turnover in staff that it was just a blur to him.

[Moderator David@stives]

Dont talk to me about staff !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since christmas, my staff have only worked on average of 25 hours each per week although they should have worked 40 plus.

Only once have they stopped for the weather, even though it brightened up later one of them dissappeared for the day, wouldnt answer his phone suprise suprise.

Other excuse have been

Dentist twice
got bladdered and couldnt remember a thing until he woke up at 1.00pm
had an interview for the marines 3 times
had to help someone to move house , sloped off without telling me
flu
the trots 3 times
baby kept them up all night
had to finish early to  get to Bristol for the weekend 3 times.
many more skives , finishing early


Hang on writing it down has just put it into perspective ,gulp !!!!!!

I am going to toss a coin and sack one of them on Monday

[elite mike]

Dont talk to me about staff !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since christmas, my staff have only worked on average of 25 hours each per week although they should have worked 40 plus.

Only once have they stopped for the weather, even though it brightened up later one of them dissappeared for the day, wouldnt answer his phone suprise suprise.

Other excuse have been

Dentist twice
got bladdered and couldnt remember a thing until he woke up at 1.00pm
had an interview for the marines 3 times
had to help someone to move house , sloped off without telling me
flu
the trots 3 times
baby kept them up all night
had to finish early to  get to Bristol for the weekend 3 times.
many more skives , finishing early


Hang on writing it down has just put it into perspective ,gulp !!!!!!

I am going to toss a coin and sack one of them on Monday

dont take anymore excuses sack the lot  
good luck
mike

[S.A.J]

Dont talk to me about staff !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since christmas, my staff have only worked on average of 25 hours each per week although they should have worked 40 plus.

Only once have they stopped for the weather, even though it brightened up later one of them dissappeared for the day, wouldnt answer his phone suprise suprise.

Other excuse have been

Dentist twice
got bladdered and couldnt remember a thing until he woke up at 1.00pm
had an interview for the marines 3 times
had to help someone to move house , sloped off without telling me
flu
the trots 3 times
baby kept them up all night
had to finish early to  get to Bristol for the weekend 3 times.
many more skives , finishing early


Hang on writing it down has just put it into perspective ,gulp !!!!!!

I am going to toss a coin and sack one of them on Monday

That is why i stopped employing, just me and my dad and we both know where we stand

[LWC]

i have been thinking about this, personally i just dont think its worth emplying extra people, ok i have 1 guy who works for me, hes great, works hard and understands when its raingin we aint working so no money

but then you could send off 2 other lads in a van and they could skiive all day, "it rained" and all that malarcy, and still expect to get paid at the end of the day.

how much money can you honestly pay them, some people say 30 % of what theyve earned, but who is gonna earn £200 a day and then take £60 happily? if it was me id certainly begrudge it, ok they might think its good for the first couple of months, but when they start thinking, hang on i could do this myself, your screwed.

my advice, build up your round till you cant cope on your own, take someone else with you all the time, then when it gets too much for both of you, rent it out or cull crap work

[Paul Coleman]

Dont talk to me about staff !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since christmas, my staff have only worked on average of 25 hours each per week although they should have worked 40 plus.

Only once have they stopped for the weather, even though it brightened up later one of them dissappeared for the day, wouldnt answer his phone suprise suprise.

Other excuse have been

Dentist twice
got bladdered and couldnt remember a thing until he woke up at 1.00pm
had an interview for the marines 3 times
had to help someone to move house , sloped off without telling me
flu
the trots 3 times
baby kept them up all night
had to finish early to  get to Bristol for the weekend 3 times.
many more skives , finishing early


Hang on writing it down has just put it into perspective ,gulp !!!!!!

I am going to toss a coin and sack one of them on Monday

Perhaps one of them will have that office job you offered me   

[williamx]

The ideal person to employ as a window cleaner, is someone who is at least 40 years old, you need to pay them a small retainer per hour with the rest made up of commision, this should equal 50% of the total charge for the job.

You need to provide a van, fuel and all their equipment, plus a company uniform and id badge, showing who they are and what their position in the company is.

They should have a working day of 6 hours and have a working week of 4 days, which they choose to work.

They have their own customers who they telephone the night before to let them know they will be cleaning them tommorow.

With this working package, you will find that they will look after your business as if its was their own, they will treat your customers with respect and because they are receiving more than 50% of the price of the job they won't have ambitions to start on their own.

[Art]

The ideal person to employ as a window cleaner, is someone who is at least 40 years old, you need to pay them a small retainer per hour with the rest made up of commision, this should equal 50% of the total charge for the job.

You need to provide a van, fuel and all their equipment, plus a company uniform and id badge, showing who they are and what their position in the company is.

They should have a working day of 6 hours and have a working week of 4 days, which they choose to work.

They have their own customers who they telephone the night before to let them know they will be cleaning them tommorow.

With this working package, you will find that they will look after your business as if its was their own, they will treat your customers with respect and because they are receiving more than 50% of the price of the job they won't have ambitions to start on their own.

How much money would you expect to be earned per day to justify that deal?

Arthur

[Small but perfectley formed]

My thoughts would certainley not work for us Northern WC

[D woods]

Hi Williamx
Do you employ many window cleaners?

[williamx]

A typical wfp window cleaner, who knows what he doing will clean 3 to 5 houses per hour, at £10.00 per house = £30.00 to £50.00 per hour x 6 hours = £180.00 to £300.00 x 4 Days = £720.00 to £1200.00.

Costs
Wage £360.00 to £600.00
Nat In £35.84 to £66.56
Van  £50.00
Fuel  £25.00
Misc  £75.00

Gross Profit £174.16 to £383.44 per week or £8359.68 to £18405.12 per year (based on a 48 week year).

These are only example figures, but they should be the minimum that you would expect to turnover.

[williamx]

Hi Williamx
Do you employ many window cleaners?

In a previous life, I use to employ staff and treat them the same way.

My goal is that in the next 3 years I will have 10 cleaners working for me.

[D woods]

William if you work on the figures you have posted you will be skint.

[Village Gleam]

I admitt I don't know anything about it, but the figures looked okay if the guy could self manage and was reliable.

What else should he have in his profile? he's forty, should he be english or polish?
Is it full time work or should he have another job or be on a pension?

Using myself as an example and my own work, I would struggle to earn £90 most days and I find the work very hard.

We all seem to struggle with this employing question from wannabees like me to people who have done it and shrank back. Also If it tips you into VAT the 50% becomes 60%, plus paying 10% on your own work.

I think Ian Lancasters talk at windex might be the best bet.

[simon knight]

A typical wfp window cleaner, who knows what he doing will clean 3 to 5 houses per hour, at £10.00 per house = £30.00 to £50.00 per hour x 6 hours = £180.00 to £300.00 x 4 Days = £720.00 to £1200.00.

Costs
Wage £360.00 to £600.00
Nat In £35.84 to £66.56
Van  £50.00
Fuel  £25.00
Misc  £75.00

Gross Profit £174.16 to £383.44 per week or £8359.68 to £18405.12 per year (based on a 48 week year).

These are only example figures, but they should be the minimum that you would expect to turnover.

I don't like to pick holes in your figures....BUT!

Reality is that nobody actually works 6 hours on the trot...there's time spent getting from job to job...unpacking/packing equipment etc...

My experience is that if I'm out "working" for 6 hours in reality I actually "work" for 4 and a half.

That said, i think you're on the right lines in that employees have to earn a sensible living in what can be a pretty pooty job sometimes!

If...and it's a big if I employ,  it would be because I simply had too much work to do on my own. I would pay top $...somewhere along the lines of 75% of the guys take...on the basis that the 25% I get would be 25% more than I'd get if i didn't employ him and had to let the work go.

If he makes £1000 a week....fantastic!

[Village Gleam]

Vat?

[simon knight]

Stop swearing

[williamx]

A working day of 6 hours is on;y a token figure, the same applies to 4 days a week when they work.

In reality, when they see that they can earn £350 a week for 24 hours work, they will think, why not work a little harder say 6 days a week or 10 hours a day 4 days a week, this now brings their earnings up-to £590 or more per week.

As for those who say they cannot turnover £100 per day, then you are doing something very wrong.

I would first look at your pricing, your should have a minimum charge of £5.00 front and £10.00 front and back, with a double charge on 1st cleans or those who want them cleaned every 3 months or longer.

The bigger the property and up goes the price, the houses that take longer to do then their price goes up accordingly.

Remember you are running a business, it might not be as big as Microsoft or Ionics, but its still a business, and therefore it needs to charge whats its worth for the service that you offer.

If you want to do a slap-dash clean, then charge peanuts, but if you offer a 100% clean then your customers will be willing to pay for it.

I understand that there are many cleaners who don't charge these type of figures, they all say that they would never get this amount from their customers, have they tried, I don't think so.

If you all increased your prices to a £10.00 minimum charge, then yes, you will lose some customers, but you won't lose everyone, the ones who stay will more than make up for the ones' that you have lost.

I cover various areas of Birmingham and when I first started I charged £5.00, the next week this had increased to £6.00 and 3 months later it went to £10.00. the reason for the price rises, was that I looked at what I do and what other trades-men do and charge.

For example a customer will call out a plumber or sparkie and expect to pay him a call out charge with him actually doing any work. (how many of you charge just to turn up, let alone do any cleaning)

If they call a cab they pay a minimum charge of £2.50 to £3.00. (if they change their minds they still have to pay this fare) how many of you charge your customers, when they don't want it done.

The general public are used to paying minimum charges, its just that window cleaners have never operated them much.

Its about time they started too.

[macmac]

A working day of 6 hours is on;y a token figure, the same applies to 4 days a week when they work.

In reality, when they see that they can earn £350 a week for 24 hours work, they will think, why not work a little harder say 6 days a week or 10 hours a day 4 days a week, this now brings their earnings up-to £590 or more per week.

As for those who say they cannot turnover £100 per day, then you are doing something very wrong.

I would first look at your pricing, your should have a minimum charge of £5.00 front and £10.00 front and back, with a double charge on 1st cleans or those who want them cleaned every 3 months or longer.

The bigger the property and up goes the price, the houses that take longer to do then their price goes up accordingly.

Remember you are running a business, it might not be as big as Microsoft or Ionics, but its still a business, and therefore it needs to charge whats its worth for the service that you offer.

If you want to do a slap-dash clean, then charge peanuts, but if you offer a 100% clean then your customers will be willing to pay for it.

I understand that there are many cleaners who don't charge these type of figures, they all say that they would never get this amount from their customers, have they tried, I don't think so.

If you all increased your prices to a £10.00 minimum charge, then yes, you will lose some customers, but you won't lose everyone, the ones who stay will more than make up for the ones' that you have lost.

I cover various areas of Birmingham and when I first started I charged £5.00, the next week this had increased to £6.00 and 3 months later it went to £10.00. the reason for the price rises, was that I looked at what I do and what other trades-men do and charge.

For example a customer will call out a plumber or sparkie and expect to pay him a call out charge with him actually doing any work. (how many of you charge just to turn up, let alone do any cleaning)

If they call a cab they pay a minimum charge of £2.50 to £3.00. (if they change their minds they still have to pay this fare) how many of you charge your customers, when they don't want it done.

The general public are used to paying minimum charges, its just that window cleaners have never operated them much.

Its about time they started too.

Theory is a wonderful thing, mainley for the dreamers among us!
If, indeed this was correct, you would be doing just this right now wouldn't you Mr.X?

Tony