Open Forum

  • 1.  Employees Pay

    Posted 12-03-2019 03:28 PM
    I wanted to get feedback what the current pay rate in our industry.

    I am a totally digital shop doing 1.7MM annually.

    I pay my main color operator $ 40,000 - no benefits

    My two customer service people average 16.50hr plus $ 300.00/ month towards heathcare.

    Operation Manager, $ 65,000.00 which includes insurance and I also give him a vehicle with insurance.

    My black department and envelope printer guys make like $ 15.00/hr and $ 17.00/hr.

    Please send me what feedback you have for me.

    I am in Grand Rapids, MI

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    Shawn Wylie
    President
    Printing Productions Ink
    Kentwood MI
    (616) 871-9292
    shawn@...
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  • 2.  RE: Employees Pay

    Posted 12-05-2019 08:49 AM

      What do you think you should pay your people.  I believe people are your critical assets with the knowledge of you equipment and operations. Retraining people in roles that require critical thinking, operations knowledge and equipment knowledge is very costly if you are not able to retain them.

      Some of the numbers look like Mc Donalds  labor rate. Is that level of competence sufficient? Can your business run high quality production and high quality customer support with a revolving door of trained employees? Competent labor is getting harder to sustain with the changing demographics. 

      Employees should feel a sense of ownership. we spend 40 hours+ at work. It should be more than a pay check. You can treat your people as overhead or as critical to business. In this market, pay should be in line with cost of living and competition DESPERATELY looking for good people.  More than ever loosing a knowledgeable workers would have a strong negative impact unless the job requires very little knowledge.

      It all comes down to profits and productivity. So improve productivity. If you are profitable, share it. Make sure you have a pulse on your labor rates in your community. Make sure you have conversations with your people.  Share the profits as bonuses! That gives a ownership stake and motivation to the work force to help be proactive and improve the business. 

      If you treat your people as replaceable machines, then that is what you will get. They will psychologically wear out and move on if they don't feel the equitable stake and ownership.

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    Carlos Rodriguez
    Engineer
    Royle Printing
    Sun Prairie WI
    (262) 893-3836
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