Horse Jobs and Hiring Blog

15 Step Code of Conduct for Horse Industry Employers

15 Step Code of Conduct for Horse Industry Employers

Employers in the horse industry are as diverse as clouds in the sky. There is not a universal standard of conduct that all equine employers adhere to.  In many cases, horse industry employers simply don't understand how to manage personnel effectively.  Employees are the single most important asset to the success of any equine business.  Here is a suggested code of 15 rules for equine employers to follow to achieve the basics of good personnel management:

1. Always have a written job description for each job in your organization.  This vastly improves employee understanding of their duties and responsibilities.  It also creates a basis for performance evaluation, and termination (if that becomes necessary).

2. Always pay promptly in the amount agreed upon. Employees are not creditors. Set your pay levels realistically.

3. Explain to each employee how their job contributes to the over all mission of your business.

4. Apply policies across the board.  Don't have different policies for different employees.

5. Assess employee strengths and weaknesses.  Be ready to give praise for strengths and to assist with improving weaknesses.

6. Be ready to repeat instructions patiently or give more detail.  Employees are human and may not hear clearly or may forget.

7. Always tell an employee when they have failed to perform in some way and give them a chance to correct the failure.  Any person you terminate should know exactly why they have been terminated, because you gave them a chance to correct the problem.

8. Follow employment law including wage and hour laws, and employee/contractor employment status.

9. Avoid illegal discrimination.  Judge job applicants based solely on their ability to perform the duties and responsibilities of the job.

10. Listen to employee ideas and concerns.  Your employees may be closer to the situation than you are.

11. Pay attention to safety in the workplace.

12. Give employees time off to recharge or to attend to personal matters. One full 24 hour day off per week is a minimum for full time employees.  At least two weeks of paid vacation per year for year round employees is advisable. 8-10 paid personal/sick days are a good idea. Without sufficient time off, employee loyalty and productivity will drop.

13. Provide adequate equipment and supplies for employees to do their job.

14. Reimburse employees for business expenses including miles driven for your business in their personal vehicle.

15. Respect employee privacy.  Do not enter employer provided housing unannounced or when the employee is not at home.  Do not involve yourself in employee personal matters without permission from the employee.

Good compensation does not guarantee a good employee.  However, bad compensation DOES guarantee a bad employee.  For information on salary, benefits, vacation, housing, and more, take a look at the Horse Industry Compensation Study. 

Equine Employee and Independent Contractor - Which is Which?

Have you ever run across someone who says they are avoiding employment taxes by hiring their people as contract labor? In most such cases what they are doing is illegal. Aside from you and your family, there are two types of workers on your farm, employees and independent contractors. You do NOT get to choose how you will treat your workers. Federal law makes the choice for you. The question of who is an employee and who is an independent contractor is a matter of law. Internal Revenue Publication 15, The Employer's Tax Guide, says in part: "Generally a worker who performs services for you is your employee if you have the right to control what will be done and how it will be done." Most every farm employee falls into this category even if you give them a certain amount of freedom to make decisions. "Generally, people who are in business for themselves are not employees." Your vet and your farrier are probably in business for themselves and are not employees. They are independent contractors.

Treating workers who are employees under the law as independent contractors is illegal and can result in large fines. Consult IRS Publication 15 for more details. Paying employment taxes is not that hard, and it does not cost a great deal. Besides, it's the right thing to do.

Equine Employment - Negotiating so Everybody Wins

Conventional wisdom says "stick up for number one."  "Nobody will take care of you if you don't."  Our society sends us the message that this is the attitude we should have when we negotiate for a job.  Negotiating is seen by many people as a "battle of adversaries."   Each side is out to get whatever they can. 

Approaching negotiations as adversaries is generally not the best way to get the results you want.  The best negotiations take place between people who have mutual respect for each other and are working together to find a result where everybody wins. 

Good employers and candidates for equine employment understand that they are not the only ones that need to be happy with the employment relationship.  They understand that if everyone is not happy, the relationship will break down, the employee will leave and the business will suffer. 

When you negotiate, avoid ultimatums.  (I need X, Y, or Z or I am not interested.)  Always state your need and then ask the the other person to respond with their reactions and ideas.  Tell the other person that you are as interested in a good deal for them as you are in a good deal for you.  Acknowledge their needs, and tell them how you can fill them.  Be confident that if your real needs are not met, the job relationship won't last very long.  Don't accept something that you know will not work.  For instance, if you are an applicant and an employer is not offering enough time off from work, tell them that you know yourself well enough to know that if you don't get enough time off, your productivity drops.  So, if you can get a little more time off, you can do a better job when you are at work. 

Negotiate as collaborators not adversaries.  Focus on arranging things so that everybody's needs are met and everybody wins.  For more information on career building in the horse industry spend some time with The Career Game.  If you want help with salaries for equine jobs see our Salary Study .

In Equine Jobs - What should you do if You Don't get Paid

In these tough economic times, equine employers are under a lot of financial pressure. Even when the best financial practices are followed, it is easy for horse job employers to slip into cash flow problems without much warning.  When employers who have horse jobs are looking around for ways to conserve cash, it is very tempting for some of them to delay paying their help.  After all, the help is not likely to sue or cut off credit.  It is also hard for people in horse jobs to object when the alternative is quitting.

 

It is very easy for people who have jobs with horses to feel sorry for their employer or sorry for the horses and fall into the trap of going along with late or reduced pay.  This is a slippery slope upon which employees will quickly teach their employer that it is O.K. to take advantage of them.  The best time to handle this problem is the moment it first occurs.  Employees are NOT creditors.  The vet, the farrier and the feed company might be extending credit, but people in horse jobs should avoid extending credit to employers at all costs. 

 

When your employer comes to you to explain why your pay needs to be delayed or reduced, be ready in advance to state your position.  No matter what your employer tells you, your job is on the line and you must be ready to make quick and effective decisions to protect yourself.  You will be the best judge of how to proceed in your individual situation, but don't go along with your employer just on the hope that things will be better tomorrow, and don't be complacent about your situation. 

 

In most situations where an employer asks you to take a pay cut, or a delay in being paid, the financial situation is not going to get better quickly.  Your best alternative may be to go along temporarily, but immediately start looking for a new job. If things turn around, you don't have to take a new job.  Going along temporarily may not mean staying silent.  You may wish to say to your employer that you cannot afford to extend credit to him/her, that you have bills to pay too.  You may wish to indicate a specific length of time that you will accept the new arrangement.  Use your judgment in your individual situation, but don't put your head in the sand and just hope things will get better.

Salaries for Horse Jobs in the USA

Everybody wants to know what a job pays or what an employee should ask. Salaries and compensation in horse jobs are a touchy subject.  With out data, everyone is in the dark.  Employers don't know what to pay and applicants don't know what to ask. 

Equimax has come to the rescue with the Horse Industry Compensation Study.  Compensation is much more than salary.  Compensation may include, commissions, bonuses, housing, health benefits, retirement plans, board for horses, meals, or a vehicle to drive.  Information on all this compensation for horse jobs in the USA is available in the Horse Industry Compensation Study.  

Participate in the study and you can see the results for free!  If you don't have time to participate and you just want to see the results, get permanent access to the results for only $19.95, by  ordering here.

Don't be in the dark any longer.  Find out what the competition is paying or being paid.