Hi all
I wanted to discuss here some strategies related to employee retention. In my field (rope access work) it is the most important thing because people are highly skilled, they go through the mill while learning and are almost by default entrepreneurial and easy to jump ship.
So I knew right from the start it would be the main problem for scaling and decided to treat my employees as clients to whom I sell my money for their time and effort. I sat down and made a strategy I want to share with you. As it is still my point of anxiety, I`d like your feedback and ideas on what might be added.
So, point by point:
1. I explicitly hire Russian-speaking employees with little to no knowledge of Hebrew. As I deal with mostly Hebrew and Arabic speaking clients, I am the main communicator and the guys do what they do best - work on the project.
2. I pay on the 10th of the next month. Industry standard is to pay 40-60 days after the month is closed, I pay after 10 (while still receiving money on the 40th day). It puts a constant strain on me, especially hard when I scale up, but for the employees it means that should they leave me they will need to wait around 70 days (a month of work and 40 days of waiting)) till their next paycheck.
3. I provide the equipment. Each set is around 3000 USD.
4. I provide instruments, and not just any instruments but the best available. I even have factory-grade stone cutters that once installed on the roof saves workers literally hours a day and also decrease physical strain on their backs. Every other team in the country cuts their stones with hand-held angle grinder
5. I provide clear progression ladder and possibilities to earn more for my working men.
6. I even, the only one in the country, have somewhat like a paid vacation time. Each time someone needs to go on vacation, they may provide unskilled substitution. 10% of leaving worker`s daily wage goes to his partner (my people work in pairs) for the trouble, the other 90% goes to the worker who left, of which 50% they usually pay to the substitute and 40% are left in their pocket. So yes, they do not work and still get around 40% of day`s wage. And yes, I basically get staffing problems solve themselves without any monetary loss on my part.
And finally, yesterday we all got our salaries and today I host a big barbeque party for the guys. Teambuilding, if you please.
So what are your thoughts? Anything else I should add?
I wanted to discuss here some strategies related to employee retention. In my field (rope access work) it is the most important thing because people are highly skilled, they go through the mill while learning and are almost by default entrepreneurial and easy to jump ship.
So I knew right from the start it would be the main problem for scaling and decided to treat my employees as clients to whom I sell my money for their time and effort. I sat down and made a strategy I want to share with you. As it is still my point of anxiety, I`d like your feedback and ideas on what might be added.
So, point by point:
1. I explicitly hire Russian-speaking employees with little to no knowledge of Hebrew. As I deal with mostly Hebrew and Arabic speaking clients, I am the main communicator and the guys do what they do best - work on the project.
2. I pay on the 10th of the next month. Industry standard is to pay 40-60 days after the month is closed, I pay after 10 (while still receiving money on the 40th day). It puts a constant strain on me, especially hard when I scale up, but for the employees it means that should they leave me they will need to wait around 70 days (a month of work and 40 days of waiting)) till their next paycheck.
3. I provide the equipment. Each set is around 3000 USD.
4. I provide instruments, and not just any instruments but the best available. I even have factory-grade stone cutters that once installed on the roof saves workers literally hours a day and also decrease physical strain on their backs. Every other team in the country cuts their stones with hand-held angle grinder
5. I provide clear progression ladder and possibilities to earn more for my working men.
6. I even, the only one in the country, have somewhat like a paid vacation time. Each time someone needs to go on vacation, they may provide unskilled substitution. 10% of leaving worker`s daily wage goes to his partner (my people work in pairs) for the trouble, the other 90% goes to the worker who left, of which 50% they usually pay to the substitute and 40% are left in their pocket. So yes, they do not work and still get around 40% of day`s wage. And yes, I basically get staffing problems solve themselves without any monetary loss on my part.
And finally, yesterday we all got our salaries and today I host a big barbeque party for the guys. Teambuilding, if you please.
So what are your thoughts? Anything else I should add?
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