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Should I warn my teachers


SuzieQ
Go to solution Solved by Thaddeus Kosciuszko,

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I would give them a week or mores notice for any large change in the wages way. Some people might be ok, but others might need to change a few things around

this...but probably more than a week.  Be prepared that one or two might hit the highway on you.  

Also, be prepared to help them workout the new payscale, so they can see what effect it might have on them.

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if you are going to fuck around with how they get paid, you really should let them know

 

if somebody is about to make less than they were, they need to know that so they can either budget or find another gig

 

I'm guessing they are going to be making less, or you wouldn't be asking

 

it might also be good for morale to not tell them you are going to India at the same time you tell them they are making less

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The structure will change and unless they bring in students their pay will be slightly less.  They will be making what other studios in the area are paying, and some of those studios are much larger and bring in much more money than mine.  

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They already know I'm going to India, and that should not affect their thoughts about how they are paid.  The money for India is certainly not coming from the studio, and I don't pay myself any more than I pay them.  I only pay myself for the classes I teach, and nothing for the hours each day I put into the studio.

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They already know I'm going to India, and that should not affect their thoughts about how they are paid.

 

speaking with my vast experience as a disgruntled employee, I can tell you that these facts will be neither here nor there.

 

I make less money + you going to India = disgruntled employees

 

its simple math

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They already know I'm going to India, and that should not affect their thoughts about how they are paid.  The money for India is certainly not coming from the studio, and I don't pay myself any more than I pay them.  I only pay myself for the classes I teach, and nothing for the hours each day I put into the studio.

 

Hmm, you can think that, but I am guessing that that isn't what they think.

 

Ok, more devil's advocacy here, but wth are the instructors responsible for your marketing???  Isn't it the owner's responsibility to drive people to your business?

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speaking with my vast experience as a disgruntled employee, I can tell you that these facts will be neither here nor there.

 

I make less money + you going to India = disgruntled employees

 

its simple math

 

100% agreed, they are going to be talking about this between themselves the minute you announce the changes.

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The instructor are not responsible for marketing I do it all, and that is where most of my time goes.  If they are great teachers and students love them their classes fill, if they are not so great teachers the attendance will be low.

 

Yes, and now you will ask me why I have not so great teachers at my studio..... answer:  I did not hire them, the one teacher I did hire is a great teacher and her classes fill.

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she is...she's docking the pay of any teachers that can't bring in students

 

I would think "Am I an instructor, or am I a yoga whore for SQ's business?".  

 

If this is the way the yoga business is run, generally, it doesn't sound all that great for the instructors if they don't get a good timeslot or are just taking over an empty class or whatever.  How are they supposed to generate new students?  How do you know whose students are whose, or who brought them in?

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The instructor are not responsible for marketing I do it all, and that is where most of my time goes.  If they are great teachers and students love them their classes fill, if they are not so great teachers the attendance will be low.

 

Yes, and now you will ask me why I have not so great teachers at my studio..... answer:  I did not hire them, the one teacher I did hire is a great teacher and her classes fill.

 

Ah, ok, this makes more sense now.  Just so I am clear, pay is for butts in the classes, right?  I bet there will still be massive resentment among those who don't have the plum time slots.  This is all good if you are trying to clear out the deadwood or if you have malcontents, I suppose.

 

Can you tell us more how the yoga business works from your end?

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I'll tell you how this yoga business works....

 

  1. hippy decides to try something physical, refuses to get a job, enrolls in yoga class instead
  2. hippy pays money (probably stolen money or money from government handout program)
  3. money is kiestered by owner
  4. somebody teaches a yoga class
  5. Suzie shells out some bucks to that somebody
  6. repeat step 1
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 How do you know whose students are whose, or who brought them in?

The studio brought in most of the students, some have follow a couple of teachers.... myself and maybe one other teacher.  But the students get to try out all the teachers and then tend to go to classes they like. 

 

I know some time slots are better than others, but all are good.  some teachers want to add classes at awkward timeslots and this is where I suffer, it can take a long time to build a class and until it builds I lose money.  One of my teachers (whom I don't mind losing is rather pissed with me at the moment because I cut a class she started after a month of no or one or two people showing)

The way the new pay structure will work I won't lose money, but they won't really make much money until they bring in more people.  

Most studio work this way.  Base pay, then $ per head

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The studio brought in most of the students, some have follow a couple of teachers.... myself and maybe one other teacher.  But the students get to try out all the teachers and then tend to go to classes they like. 

 

I know some time slots are better than others, but all are good.  some teachers want to add classes at awkward timeslots and this is where I suffer, it can take a long time to build a class and until it builds I lose money.  One of my teachers (whom I don't mind losing is rather pissed with me at the moment because I cut a class she started after a month of no or one or two people showing)

The way the new pay structure will work I won't lose money, but they won't really make much money until they bring in more people.  

Most studio work this way.  Base pay, then $ per head

 

I guess that is reasonable.   Will it scare an instructor or two away immediately?  I wonder if you should wait until you get back to change it, it would be tough to deal with an insurrection while you are being knifed in an Indian alley.

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I would think "Am I an instructor, or am I a yoga whore for SQ's business?".  

 

If this is the way the yoga business is run, generally, it doesn't sound all that great for the instructors if they don't get a good timeslot or are just taking over an empty class or whatever.  How are they supposed to generate new students?  How do you know whose students are whose, or who brought them in?

No different than lot's of jobs......work retail for commission? Better hope your on schedule for the weekend.  Radio talk show host? Rush hour has the captive audience.....

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I am not a Yoga guy although I have been a fan of yoga pants for some time now.  Having worked in dive shops teaching SCUBA in the past, I experienced a pay change like the one you are proposing from the other side.

 

Tread carefully, and set some ground rules in regards to instructors openly trying to steal each others students.  You are also going to have to deal with the prime time slots.  You say they are all good, but some will be better than others.

 

It may be an interesting Social Science thesis to study a band of "hippy-dippy, peace love and equality, semi-commie" Yoga Instructors through a change to a capitalist system where they are going to be rewarded based on their results and see if they all turn on each . 

 

Just be ready to lose a few and have a few that stay not be totally happy campers.  Good Luck

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I would agree with this zephyr fellow and say that, on the surface as an observer, all the time slots are simply not good, some are far better than others.  From an instructors perspective (especially a disgruntled instructor), ALL the other slots are better than theirs, no matter what.

 

I can't wait to hear how this goes down, but you have my sympathy.  Optimize for the long run!

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I am glad you have gotten a bit more information and are ready to initiate a change.  If you get flack...remind them that if their classes get a few more students...they won't notice a pay change!!!  They might have more incentive to promote classes at your studio...if they know it will help their bottom line!!  Be positive...with a touch of compassion. 

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  • Solution

I think you have a good plan.

 

One way to clear less effective people out of a company is to make them uncomfortable.  The less able, less energetic people often hate change and deal badly with it.  Rather than adapt, they leave the business and seek employment elsewhere.

 

Which is fine, because you want your competitors to hire all the less able, less energetic, resistant-to-change people your company can get rid of.

 

If some of these less capable instructors leave, then their students will either

1-leave with those instructors or

2-take up a classes with one of your remaining instructors.

 

In the second case, your remaining instructors will have more students in their classes.  They will get paid more and they will be happy.  The students will be happier with a more able instructor and will enjoy your studio even more.

 

I suggest you have a private conversation with each of the instructors you wish to keep.  Tell them you expect that you might lose an instructor or two, but you're working on how to keep students.  Let them know you can't promise anything, but if the students stay with fewer instructors that will mean more students per class for the instructors who stay.  Especially if the remaining instructors themselves encourage the students to stay when their normal instructor leaves.  I think the remaining instructors will understand that fewer instructors + same number of students could = more students per class and = money for them.

 

I would suggest you do NOT have a similar private conversation with the instructors you would prefer not to keep.

 

People do not like change, and like to feel secure in their routines.  Do what you can to make your better instructors feel secure, that this change will not disrupt their routines, and that they could have an opportunity to increase their pay under the new method if they help you retain students.

 

You can manage how many students leave.  If an instructor decides to leave, send each of the instructor's students an email offering a promotion of some sort if they attend class with a remaining instructor.  You decide what you can afford to offer.

 

I don't think you'll lose that many students, because, as I mentioned, people dislike changing their routine.  For them to switch to a new studio will require effort to work out a new routine of fitting yoga into their day.  Especially when you consider that the instructors who leave you certainly will not get the 'plum' time slots at their new studios.

 

So, my apologies for the long response. Have confidence in yourself when you make your changes, and hold an awareness and the expectation that you will probably have to modify your plan to achieve success.  That doesn't mean you had a 'bad' plan, it simply means you have to manage circumstances you didn't anticipate.  But then again, that's why you're the boss, isn't it? ;)

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TK, thank you for your words of wisdom!  I really feel that the ones who will leave are the ones I would not be sad to see go, and the don't really have a student following.  

 

When Petite was here I was really stressed about this..... but the more I let it just churn, the more I believe I am doing the right thing for the health and longevity of the studio.  After all, if the studio fails, then they would have one less place to teach.  

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The teachers that leave would have probably left sooner or later anyway. There will always be a number of malcontents who blame others for their lack of whatever.

 

Do what is right for your business and enjoy your trip to India.

 

Lots of great thoughts/ideas in this thread.

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I think Thad would run your business into the ground by next month

 

Your instructors are going to be pissed off. They are getting a pay cut. Nobody, and I mean nobody, is going to dig that

 

there is no way in hell an employee that just took a pay cut is not going to think the money went to a porche and a trip to India. Prance around that one all you want, but a person would have to be completely stupid not to put that together and figured they were getting screwed.

 

So the timing is just what it is

 

anyway, screw your instructors and hope there's enough of them left to run the place while you're in India

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I will never forget a former employer who showed up to the office in his new car on the same day he gave an employee her layoff notice. The employee had been the last one hired, during a downturn in the economy. Everyone in the building could accept that. If the employer had not driven up in a new car, the job cut would have been easier to accept. The timing resulted in more than a little resentment.

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I will never forget a former employer who showed up to the office in his new car on the same day he gave an employee her layoff notice. The employee had been the last one hired, during a downturn in the economy. Everyone in the building could accept that. If the employer had not driven up in a new car, the job cut would have been easier to accept. The timing resulted in more than a little resentment.

 dig it. This is what I'm saying.

 

you cut pay and take a trip to India in the same breath? and you need to depend on these folks to keep your business going while you are a world away?

 

I'd lose money for another few months and hit them with this after the holidays. Better to give a little to keep alot

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 dig it. This is what I'm saying.

 

you cut pay and take a trip to India in the same breath? and you need to depend on these folks to keep your business going while you are a world away?

 

I'd lose money for another few months and hit them with this after the holidays. Better to give a little to keep alot

 

I agree with Nate and Destination, your perception of their perception is certainly wrong, as they are not inside your head.  Perception is reality, we all have are own realities, and theirs is gonna say that your trip cost them money, which in turn tells them that you are far, far removed from their challenges and realities.  Fine if you can make your main employees happy and fire the crap ones and hire a few new ones immediately so that things don't unravel when you are gone.

 

If you can wait it out until a little after, it might be best.  Of course, it might not even be a problem for you after you catch Indian ebola or suffer multiple tiger/elephant attacks, after which you get shiv'd to death for your fillings while you lie bleeding in the road. 

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If you can wait it out until a little after, it might be best.  Of course, it might not even be a problem for you after you catch Indian ebola or suffer multiple tiger/elephant attacks, after which you get shiv'd to death for your fillings while you lie bleeding in the road. 

 

believe it or not, this is right out of the India travel guide

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its actually an attraction. "See the historical practice of Thugee while you travel the back of beyond"  or something like that is what they had on their website

 

the funny part is that the Indian Government website runs their help desk from a call center in Colorado

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its actually an attraction. "See the historical practice of Thugee while you travel the back of beyond"  or something like that is what they had on their website

 

the funny part is that the Indian Government website runs their help desk from a call center in Colorado

When was the last time an ebola ridden elephant went on a rampage in Denver?  Oh yeah, never.  I wonder if they hire Americans who make up fake names.  Hi, this is Steve, err I mean Sandeep, how may I help you?

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So just as I thought I had made a decision..... crap

 

SuzieQ, I would suggest to you that a vast majority of people will first think of how to criticize a plan and pick it apart for its supposed faults, and then not offer any suggestions on how to improve what they criticize.   Alternatively, a  far smaller group will look for the plan's merits and offer suggestions on how to secure its benefits. 

 

If you don't think this is so, observe carefully next time you see or hear someone float an idea or suggestion and watch the reactions.

 

I used to stand in the first group.  For myself I find it more difficult to do, but now I try to place myself in the second group.

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