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HUGEHomePros's avatar
HUGEHomePros
Verified Community Coach
12 hours ago

Employee Benefits that Don't Cost You Extra Money (Sort of)

I was sitting down with a new hire this morning and I was talking about our pay frequency and his eyes lit up "You pay weekly??"

I had forgotten about this practice I started when I first started my business and how people really like that. To me it made the most sense, I have to do pretty much the same amount of work and cutting 2 weeks worth of payroll checks make my stomach turn. 

It's hard to compete with larger companies that have really built out and expensive benefits packages so you have to get the edge by doing the little conveniences that make it more enjoyable to work at your company. These are a few I use:

  • Do Payroll weekly - I feel like in general it wouldn't take that much extra time but it means a lot to your employees
  • Supplemental Insurance - Health benefits for employees are expensive. If you can't afford them companies like Colonial or Aflac have supplemental insurance packages that cost you nothing and give them cash when they go for check ups/ etc. You just have to process through your payroll
  • Good uniforms - ok so this costs more but the benefit outweighs the $$ cost. Philosopher Deon Sanders once said - When you look good, you feel good. When you feel good you play good. Make a design that isn't super corny, and have the material be nice. You'll never have a problem with people wearing your colors with pride. 
  • Let them use sick time as vacation - this might be controversial. In San Diego, we have to give them an hour for every 30 they work. I'm not saying I want people to work sick but I'd rather know when I'm paying someone than have an incentive for them to play hookie and still get paid. 
  • Don't be cheap with tools - ok this one costs more $$ upfront but pays off in the long term. If there's a tool that will make the job go faster/ easier for the guys, just get it or rent it. There's no sense killing your guys to hang drywall on a ceiling when there's a lift that can save everyone shoulders and your workers comp policy. It's like cutting with a dull blade when you are cheap on tools. 
  • Send out podcasts you've listened to to your team. Maybe they listen, maybe they don't. But everyone likes a friend that's trying to lift everyone else up. These should be podcasts about professional development, personal development. Not political or religious podcasts. I have invited coworkers to church with me but it's not something I blast out all the time. 

Just some food for thought!

1 Reply

  • Roger's avatar
    Roger
    Jobber Ambassador
    4 hours ago
    • Pay for the certs. Cover the cost and the time for licenses, cards, or certifications that help them do the job better. It makes them more valuable to you and they feel invested in. Most guys will never pay out of pocket for it themselves.
    • Gas cards / fuel help. If a guy's driving his own truck to the yard or between jobs, a fuel card or mileage help goes a long way. It's a real cost they feel every week, and covering it says you notice.
    • Real breaks and real lunches. Actually stop for lunch instead of eating on the tailgate mid-task. It costs you a little productivity on paper but you get it back in guys who aren't burnt out by 2pm.
    • Advance on pay when life happens. Car breaks down, rent's short, kid's sick — being the boss who floats a guy an advance without making it weird earns loyalty you can't buy. Costs you nothing but timing.
    • Birthdays and big days off, no drama. Let a guy have his birthday, his anniversary, his kid's graduation without having to grovel for it. Track it, plan around it, but make "yes" the default. People remember who let them show up for their family.
    • Bring them in on the numbers. Not the whole P&L, but show guys how a job gets priced and where the money goes. It kills the "the boss is getting rich off us" resentment and turns them into people who care about not wasting materials.
    • A clear path up. Ground guy → crew lead → foreman, and what each rung takes. Doesn't cost a dime, but a guy who sees a next step doesn't leave for a dollar an hour somewhere else.