looking for staff.

[John Childs]

quote Cheryl Smith:

If anyone has any advice on taking on a new member of staff, I would gladly take any.

The best bit of advice I can give you is DON’T DO IT !!!!!!! 😀

Seriously, give it a great deal of consideration because employees are a lot of trouble and expense.

[Cheryl Smith]

I want to do it on a self employed basis. I know that the business owner ends up not having all the cards, but surely this is the best means of getting a trainee cutter/fitter etc? surely you dont do all your own fitting anymore John?

[Neil Davey]

I wouldn’t go there Cheryl especially on a self employed basis. Whats stopping them a couple years down the line, when they know your working practices and customer base, setting up against you!

One reason I’ve never employed anyone. It sometimes means a ghoster now and again and a few headaches when your very busy but I’d rather that give all I know to someone else and pay them while you do it.

Neil

[Cheryl Smith]

I dont really want to be outside fitting in the cold when Im fifty tho. how do you progress. I have soooooo much work on at the mo, shame that someone else couldnt benefit.; it is really finding someone you can trust. But I have tried friends and family…not worked…its true what they say.

[Neil Davey]

quote Cheryl Smith:

I dont really want to be outside fitting in the cold when Im fifty tho.

Thats thirty years time Cheryl 😉

It’s a difficult decision to make, but I’ve heard so many stories of sign businesses springing up and they’ve worked for someone for 2/3 years before.

That’s great that your busy, I think the best way to go is get in touch with another sign maker in your area, you must know some, and pass work on to them when your busy. I know four others near me and we have a mutual understanding that we won’t steal others work.

[David Rowland]

Cheryl.. how about a new russian jacket? http://www.rusmilitary.com/html/delta_jacket.htm

[Cheryl Smith]

thanks, given me something to think about.
Cx

[John Childs]

quote Cheryl Smith:

I want to do it on a self employed basis. I know that the business owner ends up not having all the cards, but surely this is the best means of getting a trainee cutter/fitter etc? surely you dont do all your own fitting anymore John?

My comment was a bit tongue in cheek Cheryl, but not by much.

The paperwork and admin is almost the same for one employee as it is for fifty and you will have quite a bit of it to do.

You can’t employ someone and treat them as if they are self employed. The Inland Revenue won’t allow it. What they will do, on an inspection, is to say that they are effectively an employee and come after you for all payments of tax and NHI going back to whenever the person started. That can be a very, very big bill! If it was possible then we would all be doing it to avoid holiday pay, sick pay, maternity pay and a whole raft of other costs and responsibilities.

You’re right, I don’t do my own fitting, or cutting, or book-keeping, and if you want to expand then employees is the only way to go. I was just making the point that you should very very careful, and sure that that is the way you want to take before starting down that road.

I did it at first because we have to provide a continuous reliable service and the only way I was going to be able to take a holiday was to have an employee here whilst I wasn’t. Once you have the first, the second and subsequent employees are not so much of an admin problem.

Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide.

[Cheryl Smith]

After having an part time self employed worker leave to do full time with a large company, I wanted to look at different ways of delegating the work load. Seems that employing a person is a nightmare, and seeing that I have more than enough paperwork to contend with, steering away from employing and working with other local signees sound the most agreeable option at the mo. I really really do appreciate the advice John.
Thanks hon
x

[Richard Urquhart]

May be I could help if you have any fitting jobs around Croydon

Rich

[Cheryl Smith]

Thanks hon, ill be in touch if I do
Cx

[Richard Urquhart]

Just thought logistic wise it would work out better for you and save that trip up from the coast
Rich
😀

[Mark Holmes]

Hi Cheryl, I cant help but notice all the negatives about employing people and how they could set up in business and compete against you and take all your client base !

I think if we all thought along the same lines, we’d all be sole traders, quietly plodding along, scratching a living and working 25hour days !

My advice is, employ someone who will make it easier to run your business effectively, not let the business run you. If you take some trainee, It will take you years to get them to the same standard as you, where as a trained person might actually bring something to the table. If there determined to leave, they’ll leave if there experienced or not. But make it difficult for them to leave, by that i mean pay them as much as you can afford to pay them. Make everything as appealing as you can. An employee with a vested interest in a business, especially financial will be less likely to stray, than a disgruntled employee.

The big boys out there recognise this, hence its these guys who offer the biggest salaries.

[Rick Kinloch]

Hi Cheryl,

totally understand your position. 8 years ago it was just the 2 of us now we have 8 staff and due to premises expansion we are looking for 2 more…

all sounds great but on any given day a large percentage of my and my business partner’s time is taken up dealing with staff related issues.

it could be something simple like a plot file not welded and our office manger then complains to us or it could be that one of our reps needs to use our fitter who is already booked. Not many of our day to day issues are really customer related these days. All of our staff are experienced etc.

While i can fully understand that you don’t want to be fitting when your older (nor do i) i’ve had to get my head around the fact that:

a. – "most" staff will at some time do something so stupid it knocks you sideways.

b – "most" staff will never treat your business as you would and why would or should they.

c. – "most" staff will never really thank you for being a nice boss, they will moan and slay you off behind your back and will never remember that you have done loads of small things for them to make their life better along the way.

If you want to grow your business then staff are the only step unless you want to work with another company or someone else and have them handle all the production and financial side etc leaving you to concentrate on the customers, fitting, growth side etc. This is how we do it for 3 reps / sign writers we have and it works well (99% of the time).

best of luck.

Rick

[David Rogers]

Nothing quite like resurrecting a thread that died a year ago….Mon Oct 29, 2007 🙄

[Cheryl Smith]

After careful consideration and following my nose I have found myself sub contracting alot of work and am working very closely with others without going down the employer route at the moment, but you never know when things might change, always great to have imput into these things you have just put to one side for the mo.
Thanks for your input and advice everyone

[John Childs]

quote David Rogers:

Nothing quite like resurrecting a thread that died a year ago….Mon Oct 29, 2007 🙄

I think it’s a good thing Dave.

It’s a perennial problem, so it doesn’t hurt to bring it to the top every now and again.

Saves somebody else with the same query starting a new thread. 😀

[Rick Kinloch]

quote David Rogers:

Nothing quite like resurrecting a thread that died a year ago….Mon Oct 29, 2007 🙄

sorry did not read the date.