# charging employee's



## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

Would you business owners charge employees to clean their own sewer or have another employee do it for him while on the clock? Reason I ask, I have been working out of town the past month and mine needed cleaned. I called the service manager and he sent a guy to do it. And no I was not charged.


----------



## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

No.


----------



## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

No. But they would do it themself. And it damn well better be their house.


----------



## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

No...no charge.


----------



## bartnc37 (Feb 24, 2009)

To take it a step farther my parents W.H. puked out while i was out of town on vacation and my old boss went and changed it himself on a saturday. Asked him what i owed him and he handed me the invoice for the heater, his cost.


----------



## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

No charge


----------



## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

bartnc37 said:


> To take it a step farther my parents W.H. puked out while i was out of town on vacation and my old boss went and changed it himself on a saturday. Asked him what i owed him and he handed me the invoice for the heater, his cost.


I would charge you what you charge me to work for me per hour.....whatever that is per hour.....plus my cost on the heater.


----------



## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

Hmm. I am on the fence about this one. money, no money. Hmm. If it was a good employee, I would go out there and do it myself.


----------



## bartnc37 (Feb 24, 2009)

TheMaster said:


> I would charge you what you charge me to work for me per hour.....whatever that is per hour.....plus my cost on the heater.


And i would have found that to be more than fair, i tried to pay him for the time, his normal rates, o.t., but he wouldn't take it.


----------



## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

I would charge my going rate. My employee's charge me by the hour for what they do. I don't get "favors" or any special treatment from them come payday, why should I give any? I'm running a business, and as such pay a fair price for a fair days work. I also expect to recieve that in return.


----------



## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

So, for a measly hundred or so, you would risk alienating an employee? Or you could just get it done, and have a guy the would (should) (better) bend over backwards for you. 

Man, if you feel that you can't help out once in a while, and do some pro bono work for an employee, it must be pretty bad.

I would not keep a guy around that I would not feel comfortable helping out.


----------



## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

And when's the last time you had an employee tell you to just forget a couple hundered off of their paycheck? I understand it's nice to help people out but, where do you draw the line? Do you do it for the shop kid that has only been working there for a few weeks or only helps you out occasionally? 

I like to be paid for my time, no matter who it is. It's difficult enough to make payroll and do the other responsibilities that come with being a business owner, let alone do freebies. If an employee needed to use my tools to fix a problem in their OWN house I would be more than happy to allow them such. It would be different if it was a someone you've had working for you many years, and you WANT to do it.


----------



## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

RW Plumbing said:


> And when's the last time you had an employee tell you to just forget a couple hundered off of their paycheck? I understand it's nice to help people out but, where do you draw the line? Do you do it for the shop kid that has only been working there for a few weeks or only helps you out occasionally?
> 
> I like to be paid for my time, no matter who it is. It's difficult enough to make payroll and do the other responsibilities that come with being a business owner, let alone do freebies. If an employee needed to use my tools to fix a problem in their OWN house I would be more than happy to allow them such. It would be different if it was a someone you've had working for you many years, and you WANT to do it.


If your wife has a drip in her lav faucet, do you charge her? It's not that your employee's are charging you by the hour. You are required by law to pay them, while they are out there breaking their backs making you money. Big difference. if they were charging you by hour they can walk into your office an say they're raising their rates. just like you do to customers.

Note to self: DO NOT work for RW Plumbing.


----------



## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

Perhaps things are better for you, but here is really bad for work. I can't just raise my rates whenever I feel like it. Well I could but I wouldn't have any work. I don't think it's evil or selfish to expect to be compensated for my work. I thought that's why I was in business. 

When's the last time a secrectary at a doctors office got free surgery? Or a paralegal getting to sue people for free? I resent the implication that I am bad to work for. I treat my employees fairly and compensate them for the work they do. 

Last time I checked, my employees don't bust their backs because i'm a good guy. They do it for a paycheck. I bet your employees work for a check, not because your a nice guy also. When I work I am an employee of that customer. As an employee, I expect to be paid for the service I supply.


----------



## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

RW Plumbing said:


> I would charge my going rate. My employee's charge me by the hour for what they do. I don't get "favors" or any special treatment from them come payday, why should I give any? I'm running a business, and as such pay a fair price for a fair days work. I also expect to recieve that in return.


Seems like a hard line to take with an employee. We all know what we charge includes profit and overhead. It's not like they are asking you to redo all their plumbing at cost.

In general, I believe what you give comes back to you eventually.

Be nice and pay it forward.


----------



## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

RW Plumbing said:


> Perhaps things are better for you, but here is really bad for work. I can't just raise my rates whenever I feel like it. Well I could but I wouldn't have any work. I don't think it's evil or selfish to expect to be compensated for my work. I thought that's why I was in business.
> 
> When's the last time a secrectary at a doctors office got free surgery? Or a paralegal getting to sue people for free? I resent the implication that I am bad to work for. I treat my employees fairly and compensate them for the work they do.
> 
> Last time I checked, my employees don't bust their backs because i'm a good guy. They do it for a paycheck. I bet your employees work for a check, not because your a nice guy also. When I work I am an employee of that customer. As an employee, I expect to be paid for the service I supply.


Actually I had my vasectomy done for free. What ever the insurance didn't cover the dr waived. Why? because when my ex wife was a secretary at a dr's office she would refer patients to him. And that was his way of thanking her. I didn't thank him cuz it hurt. But thats another story. It's called physician courtesy. I dont own my company. I work for someone. I have worked for the same company for almost 19 years. 2 other guys have been there for almost 30 years. bayside500 another member on here has been there about 16 years. Why? because he is a good guy to work for. We all bust our ass to make him money. And he appreciates how hard we work. We get a paycheck every year for christmas. If it's a good year we will get more than a paycheck. We will sometimes get bonuses for big jobs. Most of us take a truck home and live 20 miles from the shop, and about an hour drive each way. It's the little things that a boss does that will make your employees loyal and want to work hard. Oh he does deep sea fishing trips. Anyway didnt mean to offend you, it was just a statement.


----------



## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

PlumbCrazy said:


> Seems like a hard line to take with an employee. We all know what we charge includes profit and overhead. It's not like they are asking you to redo all their plumbing at cost.
> 
> In general, I believe what you give comes back to you eventually.
> 
> Be nice and pay it forward.


 I understand what your saying completely. I guess I just don't see it that way. Plumbing is such a grey area, we all know what a simple sewer job can turn into. Also a lamen might not understand the difference between a small job and a bigger one. It is easier from a professional stand point to have a clear line drawn. I'm not above taking my employees out for a beer or giving an extra bonus for a job well done, but I draw the line at providing my lifeline for free.

There is a huge problem with the plumbing trade being devalued as a whole. What worse way to make your skillset worthless than giving your service away for free.


----------



## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

RW Plumbing said:


> I would charge my going rate. My employee's charge me by the hour for what they do. I don't get "favors" or any special treatment from them come payday, why should I give any? I'm running a business, and as such pay a fair price for a fair days work. I also expect to recieve that in return.


A bit hard core are we?


----------



## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

house plumber said:


> Actually I had my vasectomy done for free. What ever the insurance didn't cover the dr waived. Why? because when my ex wife was a secretary at a dr's office she would refer patients to him. And that was his way of thanking her. I didn't thank him cuz it hurt. But thats another story. It's called physician courtesy. I dont own my company. I work for someone. I have worked for the same company for almost 19 years. 2 other guys have been there for almost 30 years. bayside500 another member on here has been there about 16 years. Why? because he is a good guy to work for. We all bust our ass to make him money. And he appreciates how hard we work. We get a paycheck every year for christmas. If it's a good year we will get more than a paycheck. We will sometimes get bonuses for big jobs. Most of us take a truck home and live 20 miles from the shop, and about an hour drive each way. It's the little things that a boss does that will make your employees loyal and want to work hard. Oh he does deep sea fishing trips. Anyway didnt mean to offend you, it was just a statement.


 You can't understand my point of view as well as someone who owns a business. I would consider myself lucky to be working for someone doing well enough to be able to do those things for you. It has alot to do with his crew you including i'm sure. My current situation doesn't allow me to give bonuses or fishing trips. I would do so for my employees, as they are a great crew. Right now I am more concerned with keeping my doors open so they can collect a paycheck and not join the hundereds of other people sitting collecting unemployment. Our union has 600+ journeyman plumbers sitting right now. 

I can't afford to work on anyone's stuff for free. The hard working members of my crew can solve their own plumbing problems, so it wouldn't even be necessary.


----------



## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

RW Plumbing said:


> I understand what your saying completely. I guess I just don't see it that way. Plumbing is such a grey area, we all know what a simple sewer job can turn into. Also a lamen might not understand the difference between a small job and a bigger one. It is easier from a professional stand point to have a clear line drawn. I'm not above taking my employees out for a beer or giving an extra bonus for a job well done, but I draw the line at providing my lifeline for free.
> 
> There is a huge problem with the plumbing trade being devalued as a whole. What worse way to make your skillset worthless than giving your service away for free.


We can agree to disagree on this. I do understand your thoughts on this and in the example above, I can see charging something on a much bigger job (maybe).

Here's an example of something an employee was willing to do for me:

In 2008, I had to go out of town for over a week because my mother was admitted to the hospital. Our employee knew that my husband was home alone with three kids and doing double duty at the office. His live in girlfriend, who cleans homes for a living, volunteered to come over to our home to professionally clean it and provide a meal. My husband politely declined.

Fast forward, this employee has since moved back home (600 miles away) to help his father's plumbing business (due to a heart attack). He decided to stay home and whenever he calls for advice or help, we do what we can.

He is not our friend and we are not his friend. We both give out of mutual respect for the other.


----------



## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

RW Plumbing said:


> I would charge my going rate. My employee's charge me by the hour for what they do. I don't get "favors" or any special treatment from them come payday, why should I give any? I'm running a business, and as such pay a fair price for a fair days work. I also expect to recieve that in return.


Based on your above statement,let me ask you a question. Would you get upset if you found out one of your guys called another plumbing co to come do work for their landlord or their family?


----------



## Phat Cat (Apr 1, 2009)

Would you be upset if your employee used a competitor because they were cheaper?


----------



## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

TheMaster said:


> Based on your above statement,let me ask you a question. Would you get upset if you found out one of your guys called another plumbing co to come do work for their landlord or their family?


 No, I wouldn't get upset. I would have to wonder why though, as my rates are very reasonable. It may have already happened for all I know. I would like to think everyone I have working for me has a high opinion of my work as they have seen that I am fair and I do quality work. I would wonder why they didn't have me do the work. I wouldn't be upset though.


----------



## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

RW Plumbing said:


> No, I wouldn't get upset. I would have to wonder why though, as my rates are very reasonable. It may have already happened for all I know. I would like to think everyone I have working for me has a high opinion of my work as they have seen that I am fair and I do quality work. I would wonder why they didn't have me do the work. I wouldn't be upset though.


Ok then .....I like you:thumbup: You sound fair in your thinking at least.


----------



## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

TheMaster said:


> Ok then .....I like you:thumbup: You sound fair in your thinking at least.


 
WHOA!!! TM likes you. That is a first let me tell you.:laughing:


----------



## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

TM found a long lost brother.:thumbsup: This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius.!


----------



## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

RW Plumbing said:


> When's the last time a secrectary at a doctors office got free surgery? Or a paralegal getting to sue people for free? I resent the implication that I am bad to work for. I treat my employees fairly and compensate them for the work they do.
> 
> Last time I checked, my employees don't bust their backs because i'm a good guy. They do it for a paycheck. I bet your employees work for a check, not because your a nice guy also. When I work I am an employee of that customer. As an employee, I expect to be paid for the service I supply.


As business owners, our employees have entrusted their family's financial well being in large part to us. However, studies have proven time after time that money is not the reason most people leave a company. By extension, you could say it is not the only reason they stay. I think it is a bigger issue of common decency rather than did I get my money.


----------



## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

plbgbiz said:


> As business owners, our employees have entrusted their family's financial well being in large part to us. However, studies have proven time after time that money is not the reason most people leave a company. By extension, you could say it is not the only reason they stay. I think it is a bigger issue of common decency rather than did I get my money.


 I agree a good atmosphere is very important in retaining employees. Just because I don't do work at their houses for nothing doesn't mean I am not a fair decent boss. I take employees out for lunch, give bonuses and am flexible with time off. Everyone has a line they draw, mine happens to be applying my trade for nothing. It isn't one thing or the other. 

It is very possible to alienate employees by doing work for them. Imagine one guy just needs his KS unclogged and it's going to take you a half hour on the way home, you do it no big deal right? Well your other employee calls you up with a main sewer clog on a saturday, they have company over and really need you to bail them out. That particular saturday you happen to be unavailable. Don't you think employee #2 is going to feel less valued than the 1st one? 

I just think its easier to keep things equal amongst employees and keep people from being disgruntled, by not doing work for them for free.


----------



## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

*charging employees*

I had my hips replaced in 2004 and while I was out our water closet tank broke. The owner sent the shop guy over and he installed a Caruso ADA water closet for me and gave it to me as a gift. I really liked that water closet and decided to get a second one for the master bathroom. I ordered it through the company and when I went to pay for it the owner said NO. Since 1996 I have missed a total of 1.5 years due to health reasons and this guy has taken care of me and my family.
Plumbcrazy said it well givers gain. 

I have a great owner and a huge debt to pay to him and his wife. They are fantastic people and treat their employees as family. Every time I have went down with surgeries he was at my house every week to see if he could buy groceries and to see if we were ok or if there was anything he could do for us. At that time my kids were in grade school and high school. This is not the only time he has shown great care towards my family and me.

What he is receiving from me is a great day’s work, fantastic effort from me, complete loyalty, extra help and me taking on more responsibilities to ease the stress on a small businessman. Money is not the reason I am working for them. I can make more elsewhere however the grass is only greener when it sits on a faulty septic tank. It is due to the treatment and personal touch that they add for each of us when we joined his extended family. In the past he has taken hits in order to keep his work force working and getting paid. Everyone in his company owes him a great debt of gratitude. The only reason I would leave is if he sold his business. I do not work for him I work with him and I do not go to work I come to work.

This is meant to show how one person can affect people and how we think. When a person can look you in the eye and you know it is true. 

House plaumber you have a great guy to work with and for.


----------



## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

well said Richard. my boss is the exact same. I've been through 2 divorce's 2 surgerys on my left elbow a car accident and missed 2 months of work and had been sick with the flu for 2 months and didnt work, and he has been there for me in those 18+ years. With my disease i'm not as productive as i had been and he has always told me as long as the doors are open i'll have a job. layoffs came and a couple guys that been there longer than me got hit. really a great guy.


----------

