How Do You Pay Employees Of A Lawn Service Business

How Much to Pay Lawn Care Employees

Published on June 18, 2020

As a business owner, it'south of import to know how much to pay lawn care employees so you tin can hire and keep top talent.

However, determining how much to pay lawn care employees is a heavy decision with a wide variety of factors to consider.

Often, you lot're left wondering things like... Are you paying them too much, not enough, or better than the competition?

Employ this complete guide and reckoner aid properly decide how much to pay lawn care employees based on things similar:

Average lawn care employee salary in your expanse
Three main pay structures used in the lawn intendance industry
Bonuses, benefits, and perks to consider in compensation
Unlike ways aside from pay to recognize employees and ensure job satisfaction

Also, keep in mind, lawn intendance employee wage non merely affects the bottom line, only it also determines the quality of work and attention to detail you provide customers.

Remember, your employees are a Straight reflection of your backyard care business.

By the end of this guide, you'll have everything needed to be a pro at compensation. Plus, yous'll find out exactly how much to pay your backyard care employees.

Discover the Boilerplate Lawn Intendance Wages

In social club to find the average lawn care wages in your area, a keen place to start is by checking a job listing website to encounter what other local lawn care businesses are offering in their chore listings.

For example, a quick search on Indeed for "backyard intendance specialist" in Richardson, Texas pays anywhere from $12 to $25 an hour.

Hither's how the US Agency of Labor Statistics breaks it down:

Landscapers
- $14.88 per hr
- $30,940 per year
Spray techs
- $18.37 per hour
- $38,210 per twelvemonth
Foreman or crew leaders
- $24.66 per 60 minutes
- $51,280 per yr

Keep in mind, these are but the average wages for each position.

Though, how much you lot pay depends on the benefits you lot're offering as the total bounty parcel.

For example, are yous offering PTO (paid fourth dimension off) time off? Is there health insurance? Are there benefits or bonuses? Please note, compensations are likely just equally important to employees as the hourly rate.

In a moment, nosotros'll cover how to pay backyard care employees while too guaranteeing the business organisation stays profitable. Though, offset let's take a look at lawn intendance wages by region.

It'due south important to think that payment varies past geographic area.

Hither are the landscaper wages from a few major regions across the US:

California
- $16.59 per 60 minutes
- $34,510 per year
Florida
- $thirteen.28 per hr
- $27,610 per year
Hawaii
- $17.75 per hour
- $36,910 per twelvemonth
Texas
- $13.55 per hour
- $28,170 per year
Washington
- $17.75 per hour
- $36,910 per year

The Superlative 4 Ways to Pay Lawn Care Employees

There are four main ways lawn care owners pay employees, and there are numerous combinations of them.

Permit's briefly discuss each of the top 4 means to pay lawn care employees:

i. Hourly

Hourly pay is the old school, "normal" way that backyard care professionals have been paid for years.

Plus, this applies to almost any industry.

Using this method, employees are paid a sure dollar amount per hour also as time and a half for anything over 40 hours for the week.

2. Salary

Sometimes, information technology makes sense to offer a apartment yearly bacon.

Though, most of the time, this method is used for spray techs or anyone higher level than an introductory position (eastward.1000. anyone in leadership or management).

3. Pay by Twenty-four hours

The pay past solar day structure pays an employee for each twenty-four hours.

For case, you may pay an employee $130 per day.

A quick word of caution: If the employee ends up logging more viii hours this doesn't get yous out of overtime laws.

An employee nevertheless must be paid at least minimum wage for 40 hours.

For this reason, it'southward important to be cautious if using this pay structure in case yous get audited.

four. Pay for Performance

The performance-based compensation model pays an employee a certain amount of money for each specific chore.

Though, it is legal, you still need to track the employees' hours to ensure you're not running into overtime problems.

In that location are pros and cons to the pay for performance model...

Advantages:

Improves callbacks
Allows employees to work harder to make more money
Helps employees to think and work like owners and entrepreneurs
Employees take amend care of equipment (breakdowns mean lost money)

Disadvantages:

Overtime police force concerns
Can lead to poor quality work if employees hurry and get sloppy

Much like the pay for performance model, both hourly and salary payment models take a few drawbacks. For example, there'due south a possible lack of ownership and lack of incentive.

Like to the pay by mean solar day model, it's likewise important to be cautious with the pay for functioning model in case you go audited.

Though, regardless of which pay structure you choose, there are ways to keep morale high while also making employees feel similar a valued part of the business concern.

The #1 Pace to Setting Lawn Employee Wages

Whether you cull to pay an hourly wage, pay by twenty-four hours, or pay based on performance, there are a wide variety of factors to consider when determining pay structure.

Performance pay is becoming more and more popular in the industry and gives the employee more "buying" over a job.

In this case, pay is based on each job instead of an hourly rate. A little skin in the game. Though, we'll cover more on this later.

Now, let's wait at a few of the factors that make up one's mind how much to pay lawn intendance employees:

Location
- Different areas of the country pay more or less as a result of factors like cost of living, taxes, etc.
Market
- When unemployment is low it's tougher to notice great employees, and you'll probable need to pay more.
Contest
- It's important to maintain a competitive salary, or you'll likely finish up with the competition'south left over candidates.

Also, here are a few factors to consider that chronicle to employees:

Experience
Functioning and amount of callbacks
Mental attitude, work ethic, morals, and loyalty
The employee's ability to work well as a function of the team

Does Higher Pay Equal Less Turnover?

In a nutshell, higher pay can help equal less turnover, but it's not guaranteed.

Here's the thing, you don't desire to be the low payer among competitors.

If you become known as the low paying employer (or cheapskate), you'll likely become poor employee candidates, decreased employee memory, less piece of work completed, and lower quality work.

However, recall that paying employees is so much more than their have-home pay. While money in their pockets is of import, information technology's not the end-all be-all.

It's important to pay what's within the upkeep while still maintaining profit goals.

Likewise, incentives go a long way. For example, bonuses, benefits, and lunches all cistron in when trying to attract the best employees.

E'er retrieve, people want to experience appreciated. If yous treat your employees similar family, so chances are they'll work hard for you and put their best foot forward.

If they get nickel-and-dimed and micromanaged, then they'll likely look elsewhere (e.g. the competition).

At present, that's not to say employees don't have to exist held accountable. We've all seen people that take reward.

For example, a one-half 60 minutes dejeuner turns into 45 minutes, or a job is finished and the crew drags their feet starting the next chore. Information technology happens. As the lawn intendance business concern possessor, you just desire to minimize it.

It'south Non Always About the Coin

Senior Landscape Designer Karl Naegler from Rochester, NY has seen it all in his 20+ years of experience.

"If you take care of your employees, listen to them, treat them fair and as equals to i another, requite them at least 2 reviews, have a clear prepare of goals y'all would like them to perform, and have an open-door policy on any topic, then yous will retain them. Higher pay is just one item."
- KARL NAEGLER, CNLPVP NEW YORK Land NURSERY AND Mural ASSOCIATE Board

The Best Incentives to Keeping Local Acme Talent

So far, we've discussed nigh the diverse ways to properly pay lawn care employees likewise equally diverse payment models.

Now, allow's talk nearly the best incentives for keeping local top talent.

Have a wait at a few different types of perks backyard intendance businesses can offer to remain competitive:

Flexibility
Gift cards
Comp time
PTO (paid time off)
Visitor events (e.g. cookouts, parties, etc.)
incentive program (make it simple and public)

"I have washed all sorts of things [for incentives]. My favorite was handing out scratch-off tickets if the crews hit their quota for the week. If all met it by noon on Fri, and then a lunch party was provided at 1:00 PM, and they got paid for it. Information technology helped go along overtime down, all the same they were being rewarded. They also got the big scratch-off $10 ticket, and we had fun hanging out, talking store at the cease of the week. I had a ton of respect for my employees, and I tried to keep information technology on a professional person level."
- Karl Naegler CNLPVP New York Land Nursery and Landscape Association Board

For more ideas on rewarding employees, bank check out Chad Reinholz's incentive ideas for the green industry.

Remember, salary and pay are still very important to employees but many consider benefits to also exist in the conversation.

As y'all determine how much to pay backyard intendance employees, proceed these numbers in mind:

80% of employees adopt new or additional benefits over a pay increase
xc% of millennials adopt benefits over a pay raise

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Keep Top Talent by Knowing How Much to Pay Lawn Care Employees

Since swell employees are the lifeblood of any successful business concern, it'due south important to pay backyard care employees a competitive wage.

However, before finalizing any wages, don't forget to ensure you're still coming together profit goals.

As well, keep in listen, information technology'south absolutely essential to meet with a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) before finalizing whatever new changes. Later all, they'll aid walk you through the process to ensure you're making the correct decisions for the concern.

Now, you know everything use act you know nigh properly paying lawn care employees to hire and continue the top talent in the surface area.

Related: What to Practice During Lawn Care Rain Delays

Originally published June 18, 2020 7:00 AM, updated Sept 21, 2021 9:59 AM

Alyssa Sanders

Alyssa is a Content Marketing Specialist 2 at Service Autopilot. Her bookworming began after she discovered the Harry Potter series. Her love of books evolved into writing and creating content. When she'due south not writing, y'all tin observe her watching a new sci-fi serial or shoving her nose into a book.

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