[Zacamil7525]

Hello all. I am an operations manager for a mid sized Landscape Company in the DC area. I am trying to work out a compensation plan for any salaried employees that happen to work in snow removal operations outside of regular business hours which for us is M-F 7:30am - 4:30pm. I was thinking of paying an hourly rate to salaried employees for this time worked outside of normal business hours or trading those hours worked outside of normal business hours for the same amount of time off of normal business hours depending on the situation. Basically I am trying to create a system that is both fair to the employee and the company. Has anyone else come up with a system that works well for the employee and the company?

 

[cwren2472]

Hello all. I am an operations manager for a mid sized Landscape Company in the DC area. I am trying to work out a compensation plan for any salaried employees that happen to work in snow removal operations outside of regular business hours which for us is M-F 7:30am - 4:30pm. I was thinking of paying an hourly rate to salaried employees for this time worked outside of normal business hours or trading those hours worked outside of normal business hours for the same amount of time off of normal business hours depending on the situation. Basically I am trying to create a system that is both fair to the employee and the company. Has anyone else come up with a system that works well for the employee and the company?

Have you discussed it with the employees in question to see what they will even consider accepting?

My guess is that the employees are going to object to getting paid their regular hourly wage at 12:30 in the morning on a Sunday during a blizzard.

And they will probably really, really, object to offering them 8 hours time off on a Wednesday in exchange for the aforementioned labor...

I have no employees, so take that with a grain of salt. That's just my take as a paid lackey.

 

[John_DeereGreen]

I’d talk with the employees you’re trying to be fair with, but I feel like you’re headed down a very slippery slope.

Are the employees in question field labor or supervisors?

 

[Defcon 5]

Generally a salary is based on X amount of hours a week...Our dispatchers for instance salary is based on 43 hours a week...

 

[Zacamil7525]

Thank you for your replies This compensation plan would be for salaried employees only. The pay rate I had considered for salaried employees working off hours doing snow removal work is $25/hour.

These salaried employees work as account managers/sales reps.

Our hourly employees are paid a higher wage for snow removal work already.

 

[cwren2472]

I'd talk with the employees you're trying to be fair with, but I feel like you're headed down a very slippery slope.

I don't think that slope is slippery. I think it's just going to be filled with a lot of hearty laughter.

 

[cwren2472]

Thank you for your replies This compensation plan would be for salaried employees only. The pay rate I had considered for salaried employees working off hours doing snow removal work is $25/hour.

These salaried employees work as account managers/sales reps.

Our hourly employees are paid a higher wage for snow removal work already.

So, you want to suggest to your administrative personnel that they aren't as valuable or useful as your hourly workers?

 

[Zacamil7525]

Generally a salary is based on X amount of hours a week...Our dispatchers for instance salary is based on 43 hours a week...

In your case would you pay your dispatchers an hourly rate for hours worked beyond 43 hours in a work week?

 

[Zacamil7525]

So, you want to suggest to your administrative personnel that they aren't as valuable or useful as your hourly workers?

No not at all. We want to be fair to our salaried employees. The hourly employees are paid at 1.5x their normal hourly rate for snow removal work.

 

[cwren2472]

No not at all. We want to be fair to our salaried employees. The hourly employees are paid at 1.5x their normal hourly rate for snow removal work.

I apologize, I misread your post before.

Whether or not the $25 would be acceptable would probably be dependent on how much the salaried employees normally make at an hourly rate vs how much you are paying the hourly employees at time-and-a-half.

 

[Zacamil7525]

I apologize, I misread your post before.

Whether or not the $25 would be acceptable would probably be dependent on how much the salaried employees normally make at an hourly rate vs how much you are paying the hourly employees at time-and-a-half.

Thanks cwren2472. What about paying this off hours labor rate when the salaried employee misses part or all of the next business day? Should one wash out the other hour for hour?

 

[Zacamil7525]

Thanks cwren2472. What about paying this off hours labor rate when the salaried employee misses part or all of the next business day? Should one wash out the other hour for hour?

essentially trading hours worked outside of regular business hour for hours that would have been worked during normal business hours..

 

[Defcon 5]

In your case would you pay your dispatchers an hourly rate for hours worked beyond 43 hours in a work week?

They get paid on top of the salary to work saturdays for instance...$125 from open till noon...Than an hourly rate afternoon...

For the Snow business...I would have a salaried employee clocking in and out during the week...Anything above the agreed amount of hours in their salary would be paid an hourly rate...Thats how I would do it...Some business owners in this field would say the snow end and the hours that go with it is part of the salary

 

[cwren2472]

Thanks cwren2472. What about paying this off hours labor rate when the salaried employee misses part or all of the next business day? Should one wash out the other hour for hour?

If your employees are fine with that, go for it.

From the employee perspective, asking me to plow from 10 pm to 2am, then graciously offering for me to come in at noon the next day would not be viewed as "fair."

If the work is outside the normal scope of the job, most employees would expect to be compensated for it at a premium rate.

If you salaried employees are making the weekly equivalent of $15/hr and you are offering them $25 to plow, then it may be ok to them. If they make $25 on a regular day in the office and you are offering $25 for plowing, don't expect for it to be well received. Especially if your hourly employees are making $20 per hour normally, and $30 per hour while plowing.

 

[Zacamil7525]

If your employees are fine with that, go for it.

From the employee perspective, asking me to plow from 10 pm to 2am, then graciously offering for me to come in at noon the next day would not be viewed as "fair."

I get it. This is tough one. I'm just trying to find a good balance that works well for both the salaried employees and the company. Do you think it is fair for the company to pay an hourly rate to salaried employees, whatever that rate may be, for hours worked from 10pm to 2am and still pay the salary for the following day if the employee didn't work during normal business hours?

 

[cwren2472]

I get it. This is tough one. I'm just trying to find a good balance that works well for both the salaried employees and the company. Do you think it is fair for the company to pay an hourly rate to salaried employees, whatever that rate may be, for hours worked from 10pm to 2am and still pay the salary for the following day if the employee didn't work during normal business hours?

I get what you are saying now.

I think a "fair" offering would be to offer the equivalent "time-and-a-half" for comp time in exchange for the time plowed. So if they plow for 8 hours, and can't work the next shift because of that plowing, offering the equivalent of an extra 4 hours (or whatever your employees are willing to agree to) would probably be a better solution.

 

[cwren2472]

I'm not your employee, so convincing me isn't an issue, but I'll tell you that personally it would take an extra 8 hours comp time per 8 hours worked to get me to even consider plowing at third shift on a weekend. But I'm greedy.

 

[Defcon 5]

The bottom line is...It’s tough to find employees in this day and age...Treat them fair

 

[Ajlawn1]

I'm not your employee, so convincing me isn't an issue, but I'll tell you that personally it would take an extra 8 hours comp time per 8 hours worked to get me to even consider plowing at third shift on a weekend. But I'm greedy.

Hey doggies need new outfits...

 

[Zacamil7525]

The bottom line is...It's tough to find employees in this day and age...Treat them fair

So true. Thank you.