Quantcast
Jump to content

Tech pay issue


Recommended Posts

Wondering how other shops handle this. A tech starts a head gasket job on Thursday. The head is sent out to the machine shop for a valve job. It returns the following Monday and the job is completed on Tuesday. Do you pay him that week for the teardown or wait till the following week and pay him for the whole thing? It seems kind of confusing sometimes if you split it up and then you are wondering the next week how much time you paid him for the previous week. Don't want to cheat yourself or the tech. Any better ideas?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were having that issue a while back. What we implemented were tech time sheets. We found this to work out great, then the tech would get paid the week he had time into the job. Not only is it good for the tech, it is also good for the shop to be able to track properly. So, each week the tech would get paid off of his weekly time sheet. It works really well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

pay him when the job is done, as a tech myself thats what I would do to myself. you get paid when the job is done and ready to ship.

This is when it won't be fair to the tech. Scenerio: Tech does 8 flat rate hours worth of work on a vehicle on Weds, then finds out a part you were waiting for isn't going to come in until the following Monday. How is that fair? So what you are saying is the tech should not get paid for a full day of work because he was unable to finish the job?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keeping track of what was paid last week is the way to go. Its easy to do. As far as what to pay, pay the tech for what is complete at the end of the pay period. The cylinder head example is a good one, The tech has no control over the machine shop, or when correct parts arrive. Its not fair to withhold his pay over things out of his control. It will kill his motivation and create animosity in the shop.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

pay him when the job is done, as a tech myself thats what I would do to myself. you get paid when the job is done and ready to ship.

Agreed. I did plenty of engine jobs that I didn't flag till Monday morning, just made the next weeks paycheck that much better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have worked for more companies then I care to admit and not one ever paid for 1/2 the job. From the stand point of paper work it makes no sense.

 

I pay percentage of sales and the percentage depends on the dollars sold. That being said, it is better for the tech to get paid when the job is complete. It will give him a good head start towards the current weeks sales so he can climb from 15% to 18% of his sales.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is when it won't be fair to the tech. Scenerio: Tech does 8 flat rate hours worth of work on a vehicle on Weds, then finds out a part you were waiting for isn't going to come in until the following Monday. How is that fair? So what you are saying is the tech should not get paid for a full day of work because he was unable to finish the job?

 

 

Pretty much sorry about your luck better luck next time, some weeks are good and some are bad. I will pay him when he hands the ticket in and the job is done. If it take the customer a week to come pick up their 30 hour stupid 6.0 headgasket job then sucks to be me and I have to float that. But thats also where having strong financials helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Right now I pay actual time on the tear down and the rest of the book time on completion. It's just a pain the next week trying to remember how much you have already paid him for. I would rather give him the benefit of a doubt than cheat him, but I don't want to cheat myself either. I also try to keep up with my gpm each week and it looks like it messes up my numbers if I split it up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

KMS, how often do you review/audit the time sheets? I would think daily makes sense since at the end of the week any errors or mistakes can be harder to track since its been days since the work was done.

All time sheets are gone through daily, so I know what a tech has produced each day. Then, at the end of the week, the times sheets are what their pay is based upon. The service advisor should be going over all work performed daily with the techs so the time sheets stay current. It helps keep the numbers accurate for each week.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Pretty much sorry about your luck better luck next time, some weeks are good and some are bad. I will pay him when he hands the ticket in and the job is done. If it take the customer a week to come pick up their 30 hour stupid 6.0 headgasket job then sucks to be me and I have to float that. But thats also where having strong financials helps.

Its not the techs job to float the costs of the business ever. It is up to the business to pay the techs for what they have done weekly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm surprised this is an issue, in the body shop business when I owned or ran one each tech had a time sheet with job number, time, dollar amount or if needed time stamp and it was sticky on the back. The tech may have a job in one of his stalls for weeks depending on the severity of the repairs and as the week ended if he accrued time on the repair vehicle he could flag money against that job. I as the owner/manager would initial the time sticker on each repair order that he wanted to flag, then took it off his ticket and stuck it to the back of the repair order, and collect the employees time sheet at the end of the work week, so he could collect his pay check for that week the following week. It was my responsibility to ensure that he was not over collecting, or collecting more time that was needed to complete the job. Some guys never touched the time/money allotted on a job till it was done, others took is as a draw so they had a pretty steady paycheck. The shop was large enough that each employee had 3 stalls and if held up on parts, adjusters or some other delay, they had work in another stall. Some of these expensive repairs could be in a stall for may weeks and if the tech was putting hours in on that job he could flag time/money if he wanted. These techs were making 75 to 100 grand a year and some paid their helpers out of their gross still leaving them with these incomes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its not the techs job to float the costs of the business ever

 

I don't think anybody every said it was the techs job to float the costs of the business... And I don't think anybody would ever expect that. Regardless, the idea of paying a tech when a job is completed isn't exactly floating the costs of the business.

 

It is up to the business to pay the techs for what they have done weekly.

 

I disagree. We sell entire services and complete jobs. I pay my tech and service writer when all the services are finished and the whole job is complete. Not if they spent 15 minutes on it here, 2 hours there, 45 minutes the other day, etc.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For ease of tracking and for selfish reasond it would be nice to pay for hours that have been posted however its unreasonable to not pay say a big job that had 20+ hours tacked to it that the tech already has say 10 hours in and is held up til the next week due to parts. We have cashflow issues so do techs. Im still trying to figure it all out lol

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
  • Similar Topics

    • By Changing The Industry
      Enhancing Shop Operations with John Heller of PartsTech
    • By Changing The Industry
      The Basics of Owning An Auto Repair Shop - Part 5
    • By carmcapriotto
      The Weekly Blitz is brought to you by our friends over at Shop Marketing Pros. If you want to take your shop to the next level, you need great marketing. Shop Marketing Pros does top-tier marketing for top-tier shops.
      Click here to learn more about Top Tier Marketing by Shop Marketing Pros and schedule a demo:https://shopmarketingpros.com/chris/
      Check out their podcast here: https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/
      If you would like to join their private Facebook group go here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/autorepairmarketingmastermind
      In this episode, Chris Cotton from Auto Fix Auto Shop Coaching explores the issue of transition leaks in auto repair shops. He explains how frequent task-switching hampers productivity and energy levels for shop owners, service advisors, and technicians. Chris advocates for batch processing to consolidate similar tasks, thereby reducing transition leaks and increasing efficiency. He advises reorganizing work schedules to minimize cognitive load and suggests that while flexibility is necessary, intentional planning can greatly enhance productivity. The episode wraps up with Chris encouraging listeners to embrace growth and efficiency, thanking the sponsor, and promoting a positive work ethic.
       
      Transition Leaks (00:00:06) Explanation of the concept and its impact on auto repair shop owners, service advisors, and technicians.
       
      Impact on Efficiency (00:02:27) Discussion on how transition leaks lead to lost efficiency and diminished capacity for delivering high-quality service.
       
      Batch Processing Strategy (00:04:48) Explanation of the batch processing strategy to combat transition leaks and improve productivity.
       
      Applying the Concept (00:07:03) Guidance on analyzing and reorganizing schedules to minimize transition leaks and increase efficiency.
       
      Embracing Change (00:09:11) Encouragement to prioritize efficiency and quality by embracing a new way of organizing work schedules.
       
      Connect with Chris:
       
      [email protected]
      Phone: 940.400.1008
      www.autoshopcoaching.com
      Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
      AutoFixAutoShopCoachingYoutube: https://bit.ly/3ClX0ae
       
      #autofixautoshopcoaching #autofixbeautofixing #autoshopprofits #autoshopprofit #autoshopprofitsfirst #autoshopleadership #autoshopmanagement #autorepairshopcoaching #autorepairshopconsulting #autorepairshoptraining #autorepairshop #autorepair #serviceadvisor #serviceadvisorefficiency #autorepairshopmarketing #theweeklyblitz #autofix #shopmarketingpros
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
    • By Joe Marconi

      Premium Member Content 

      This content is hidden to guests, one of the benefits of a paid membership. Please login or register to view this content.

    • By carmcapriotto
      Matt Fanslow explores the analogy between running a repair shop and the world of dating. He shares insights on first impressions, trust-building, and the value of substance over style in both customer relationships and shop management. Matt emphasizes the need for repair shops to maintain high standards of service and to view customer feedback as opportunities for growth.
      Show Notes
      Dating in Modern Times (00:01:15) Comparison of modern dating to historical dating and personal experiences with initial interactions. Physical Attractiveness and Shop Appearance (00:02:25) Reflections on interactions with physically attractive individuals, similar to the importance of a shop's appearance. Importance of Customer Reviews (00:04:54) Discussion on the significance of customer reviews, the impact of negative reviews, and the importance of backing up a shop's exterior with quality service. NAPA Auto Tech Training Sponsorship (00:11:34) Information about NAPA Auto Tech Training and its benefits for technicians and shop profitability. Constant Improvement in Customer and Employee Interactions (00:13:42) Emphasis on the importance of constant improvement in customer interactions and the parallels with employee relationships. Long-Term Relationships and Continued Accreditation (00:17:06) Discussion on the importance of continued accreditation and constant improvement to maintain long-term relationships with customers and employees. Shop Relationship Parallels (00:18:13) Drawing parallels between shop hiring and dating, emphasizing the importance of attracting and maintaining long-term relationships with employees. Attracting Talent (00:19:16) Encouraging self-reflection on what attracts and separates a shop from competitors, and the importance of perpetuating long-term relationships with employees. Promoting Training (00:20:20) Advocating for the importance of training.  
      Thanks to our Partner, NAPA Autotech napaautotech.com
       
      Email Matt: [email protected]
      Diagnosing the Aftermarket A - Z YouTube Channel HERE
      Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com/
       
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio


  • Our Sponsors

×
×
  • Create New...