Paying staff for set-up time

[alpina]

I think there was a thread about this a while ago but I can't find it now...

I'm looking into hiring my first employee in the next few weeks. I have already found someone, she has been volunteering every Saturday for about the last month and I think it's time to make it official

My question is about what time I should start paying her opposed to the time of her first appointment for the day. When I was employed in a salon I would start at 9am (paid from this time) and my first appointment would be at 9am. I would always get to the salon about half an hour early (unpaid) to set up/help open the salon and get ready for the day. However, I can't expect my staff to volunteer a half hour of their time every morning for this purpose.

I open/take first appointment at 9:30am, and get to the salon myself at 9:00am to get ready. This is usually plenty of time, but a lot of clients arrive 15 mins early for the morning appointment, making things a bit rushed but managable.

I don't want to start paying her from 9am and have no appointments booked in untill 9:30am, this amount of money adds up alot over time. But I don't feel that arriving for work 5-10 mins before the first appointment is enough time to set up.

How do other employers handle this? I know it probably varies, but I'm hoping for some other ideas/perspective on this.

*** Just an interesting point - I have picked a date to start her employment, in about two weeks time to give me time to work out all these details. I had a look in my diary today, and the start date is the exact day of the 2nd anniversary of my salon opening. What a coincedence! Or maybe it's a sign

Thanks to anyone who managed to read all of this!

 

[champagne]

If you are paying her from 9.00 then she has to be ready to work at 9.00, make this clear.

I always arrive at work 15-30 mins early to get ready for the day.....

 

[jo-from-moorspa]

I would recommend having a look at the government site about employment requirements Employment terms and conditions : Directgov - Employment

It explains about your legal requirements like holiday pay, pay slips, tax, NI etc.

As for the set up time I think you have to make your best judgement and do what you think is right. It sounds like your last employer was taking you for a bit of a ride with the set up time.

Congrats on growing to need an employee

 

[Lynne Baker]

Not sure that English law applies in Australia, though!

 

[jo-from-moorspa]

Not sure that English law applies in Australia, though!

Well not any more

Oops, sorry my mistake. I am sure that there is a page like it from the Australian government that would give you the guideline you need.

 

[Zo Zo]

In my opinion you should pay her for the hours that she works, so that would include setting up, and cleaning up. So maybe pay her from 9.15, but she must be ready to work at 9.15 and spend the 15 mins setting up, not messing with her hair or texting her mates.

Or, alternatively, you set up for her, she arrives to start work at 9.30 on the understanding that she is ready to work at 9.30. If a client is early for their appt they can wait(?)

 

[Blue Rose]

My understanding is that if they are to start work at 9.00 (for eg) then this is the time they are ready to start, not arrive at 9.00, faff about for ages then actually start some 15-30 mins later.

My full timer has her 1st client in at 9.00 & is paid from that time. What time she actually arrives is up to her, as long as she is ready for her 1st client.

To make things easier, a lot of the set up is done the day before for the 1st client so all that needs doing is switching everything on, then checking answering machine/returning any calls.

 

[alpina]

Thanks for all the replies - you've all got some good ideas. I'm still not really sure what I will do, but this gives me a few different view points to consider.

I have always been paid from the time of my first client, but always chose to arrive earlier so I would be ready for them. I know a good worker (which this girl is) will do this, but I felt a bit unfair by expecting this to be done on their own/unpaid time.

Actually I think after typing this out I'm starting to lean toward the idea of setting up myself for both of us as long as she is in the salon ready for clients at 9:30.

Well not any more

Oops, sorry my mistake. I am sure that there is a page like it from the Australian government that would give you the guideline you need.

haha, I was reading the link in your first post and thinking to myself 'what on earth is NI?' There is an Australian website with this info, called wageline. They are fantastic, it's been a huge help with all the legal/wage related stuff.

Thanks for the input guys!

 

[Mandita8601]

Any job i've ever been in, wether it be salon work or otherwise. I've always had to be there before the start of the shift (usually 15 mins) to get ready to start. If you feel guilty about not paying her for that, you could give her a good christmas bonus, just a thought

 

[Zondrae]

Not knowing which state you are in - please check with your local authorities about minimum rates of pay and conditions of employment before you have her start. I worked for the NSW Dept of Industrial Relations (govt dept that administers rates of pay/employment conditions) in a former life and have seen some horror stories from both employees AND employers. Cover all your bases so that everyone is clear on what is expected from day one.

It is generally not acceptable to have someone work without being paid. You cannot expect someone to work 15/30 minutes every day without payment. It would be considered an underpayment, and while she may say she is happy to do it, it could become a legal issue later on if the employment relationship breaks down.

Make sure you keep accurate wage and time records for taxation purposes and for complete transparency should a dispute arise.

And I can't stress it enough - check with your local authorities BEFORE she begins so there is no problems later on. Good luck!