What to do with payroll during slow periods

[blelisa]

Hello,
My company is currently in the process of switching our operations to dispatching our technicians from home. The problem we are having is what do we do during slow periods when the techs are home by 1pm? do we stop their payroll? We are a small company and all of our techs have families and all three are the readwinners of their families. One tech has been with us for 7 years. How do I tell them now they are not guranteed 40hours per week now? Any other solutions or ideas or even opinions are greatly appreciated.!!!

 

[manfmmd]

As someone that was in that situation, our company paid us 8 hours for that day. If they were at work in the office and had their work completed by 1PM, would you send them home?

 

[aarenot]

If your techs get done early, pay them to do research, and study technical items from home for the rest of the day. You probably have ongoing training needs in the ever changing world of technology. Require them to be productive, and find a way to verify that productivity. Consider this an investment in your human assets which will benefit your companies performance.
Also, small comanies may not want to cover this expense, but training new employess is not cheap either, and they will leave if they can not bring home the bacon working for you.
Also, if they get home, and you do not pay them for the remainder of the day, do not expect to then call them and dispatch them in an emergency, they may have a couple beers, just like you would on a hot summer day with an early out. They could also send the babysitter home early to reduce their costs and no longer be able to respond.
Also, do not call them at home when they are not on the clock and expect them to respond until the next time they are scheduled. If they are not being compensated to be on call, and do not have the hours guaranteed they do not even have to answer the phone according to many states in the USA in order to be able to claim unemployment loss of income. Which brings in another issue, do you want the unemployment compensation costs to rise, if you are subject to these in your area?
Also, in the state where I live, if my employer communicates to me at my home office, or I am required to check in, or retrieve information from my home, via phone, internet, fax, or any other type of typical office equipment, that constitutes the begining of my work day, hourly pay, as well as mileage compensations. The home office then becomes the first location I am required to report to to complete business activities. If required at the end of my day, this is also the last location required to report to in order to complete my business day, ending my pay and mileage compensation at that point in time and geography.
Consider these items in the equation, and remember, the employee can if they keep records seek these compensations after they end their employment with your company even if they do not raise the issue until that time.
Remember this situation may raise the cost of doing business for your employess, and they will not be happy unless they are compensated. Also, remember your technicians do value added sevrices for your company, and may be the only ones who do, can you afford to alienate them?
Low morale spreads faster than the flu in a kindergarten class, and people need to be lead, not managed to perform. Leqadership requires influence, influence requires relationship, relationship requires interaction, interaction requires proximity. It is hard to lead from a distance, it takes a great leader. A true leader is determined by the leader looking over his shoulder and seeing if people are following, if they are not, you are not a leader.
Also, if sales is not holding up their quota, put them on commission only, or send them home early and cut their salary as well.
You asked for opinion, take it for what it is worth, exactly what you paid for it, lol.

You do not always get what you pay for, but you never get what you do not pay for.