About my business: I operate a horse boarding facility and teach riding lessons.
About my facility: 6 stalls fed twice daily and 18 pasture horses fed once a day with feed bags.
I've had a girl that has worked for me a year September 1, 2010. She works 75-80 hours a month at $8.50 an hour. She cleans stalls and re-beds if needed, water, hay, turn in or out, blanketing, basic wound care if needed, she may help with farrier or vet. I've also had her lunge the occasional horse. She was considered a contract employee and basically at will. She could work as little or as much as she wanted to as long as a schedule was set a week ahead of time. As we went along we agreed upon a more regimented budget. She worked 75 hours a month with Sunday, Monday off and she had every other Saturday off too.
For majority of the year, she showed up when she wanted to. Because I lived on site, my husband fed and turned out first thing every morning so I told her as long as chores were done before it was time to feed in the evening it didn't matter when she showed up. She also boards her horse at my facility and I deduct this from her check.
Now that I live 20 minutes away from the barn and I need her at the barn at 8am, 5 days a week. I agreed to give her a pay raise. I offered her a salary arrangement that I would pay her for 80 hours a month at $10 an hour for 5 days a week. I also offered her 4 private lessons a month, a fixed board rate, 13 paid days off to be accrued at an hour a week.
What is your opinion on this arrangement? Is it generous or stingy?
When I offered her this contract the second week of August, she said she would rather have one Saturday off a month, and 6 pto days to be accrued at 1/2 an hour a week (A possible 18 paid days off a year) She had a few other minor changes which I requested in email to run by my husband for his thoughts. During this meeting we said we would start this arrangement September 1st.
The first week of September I paid her $8.50hr for the hours she worked in August. She was upset that I didn't pay her the salaried amount ($450 after board). I explained to her that's not what I meant by starting in September and that I didn't understand why she would think that when
#1 thats not how it works in the real world anyway,
#2 she was absent for a week but her husband filled in for her but didn't feed pasture horses because he was afraid so I had to do it all week,
#3 We didn't even discuss this arrangement till the middle of the month (we work off a monthly budget) and
#4 she didn't send me an email with her proposed changes till September 7!
You be the judge.. Should I pay her the extra $150 because she misunderstood? Or kindly explain to her that wasn't our arrangement and potentially lose an employee?
Bookmarks