AIBU to pay an single parent mother minimum wage?

[Zodiacsunshine]

Admittedly I’m a bit out of touch with what would be acceptable. I’m starting my own business and with the current economy situation I’ve had to reevaluate my outgoings. I’m going to offer a single mother on UC full time work ( reception ). I know she will want the job as I know she is desperate but I really can’t offer more at this point. I will absolutely review this in six months with a view to raise it as I think it will be ok then. She is 40 with one school age child. Plus I think she will be an asset so happy to pay more when I know we will be stable

I’m concerned that.

1. she will think I’m taking the piss

2. it might mess her benefits up and not be worth it for her.

I don’t know anything about being on benefits. She will be my only staff member

Any ideas will be welcomed.

Ahippo I’ve heard it is a rubbish system So was concerned I’d bollocks it up for her. I’m going to look at other receptionist jobs and try and gage of that.

I would echo a @AHippoNamedBooBooButt and others who have said that you need to adopt a business-led approach. I would go one further and say that you should advertise the role and get the best person possible for the salary on offer. An experienced receptionist will also be a good organiser, probably a good administrator and usually have a reasonable idea about how the business runs and how to protect their managers from unwanted interruptions. It's nice to have a friend work for you but if she isn't up to the job, how are you going to sort it out? Are you going to performance manage her? Give her a formal warning? Sack her? Strikes me as making a possible rod for your own back and you really need to be more business savvy in my opinion.

Course that's fair. You cant be expected to pay more because she has a child. That's her decision not yours.
If you can give a bonus and she deserves then give it. We often give extra holidays as a bonus as we cant afford extra money and itd just be expected.

Good for you - maybe less hours @50p more than min wage, reviewed at 3 months and then 6 months? Build in 'flexibility' as you both work out how it's going?

I've seen jobs offering minimum wage wanting skills, qualifications and experience and definitely worth far more than minimum wage. Job seekers that meet the requirements will be sent for them and are not allowed to refuse. Anyone currently working at that level wouldn't even look at them.

If this is a 'learn on the job' position where you are looking for personality rather than previous skills and you you think she fits the role then offer it to her. You could even offer a review at 6 months (without actually promising a rise at this point because 'things happen').

Or tell her that as you feel you are able to offer her more responsibility you will review her wages.

Either way she then has the choice. If it's pure reception work then minimum wage is not too low. (Well any more than minimum wage is generally)

I’ve just had a quick look at the receptionist jobs near me that would be similar and it’s min wage - £9 hr.

I think I’m going to offer that.

She will be more than capable. It’s not a busy office think more sports injury clinic. She’s always had positions of responsibility in her past work and I know she will be a steady force (as I can be a bit of a flapper)

I’ll review in three months.

How odd you pay someone a wage based on what the job entails and their experience.

Her being a single mum is irrelevant. This is quite a sexist post and the potential employee can make her own decision about her finances.

Standupthisisnotateaparty why is it sexist? I’m a woman myself. She’s a close family friend who’s been to hell and back in the past few years and is ready to get back to work. She will be an asset and the role isn’t to demanding for her to ease back in. She’s more than capable of booking people in for an appointment.

And no it’s not irrelevant as I don’t want to screw her benefits up - she and Her son need them.

If she proves the wrong person for the job, then letting go a friend or relative will be a NIGHTMARE. If you need to even just give her a reprimand, it will be a NIGHTMARE. If she needs regular extra time off because her child is ill/school sports day/whatever it will be a NIGHTMARE to refuse her.

I think you are going to learn all this the hard way.

Forget the gender and parental status. do you think the job is worth minimum wage? What are the skills required? Could anyone do the job? This is more relevant. If you can afford more then greayt but I have had jobs I need my qualification and experiece for but still a minimum wage.

Op you sound like you're going to set out on your first foray into having employees really really badly. Sorry but you need to step back.

Pay her a fair market rate for the role,offer it to the best candidate/her if you want to, and let her decide.

You shouldn't be trying to wrap your head around someone's finances, it's a business, not a charity, and it's ridiculous to try and tailor your future wage increase offer based on what you guess is her financial position.

Put it this way - I've never had a job or an employee whose wages reflected whether they had kids or not, or were a breadwinner or not... Just a reasonable market rate reflective of the skill, locale, etc required.

Make sure you issue a basic contract setting out employment terms such as notice periods, holiday entitlement and contracted hours, and provide wage slips etc.

(As a tip, I work with a "single parent" who is actually a co owner in a soft play centre after having a very very good inheritance split between her and her siblings.. her actual part time job is because she enjoys it so she continued it, but went from full-time to part time when her proper income, the soft play opened. You don't know anyone's finances by guessing.)

Absolutely yes to a contract, with clear bounds and expectations. This is as much (if not more) for her benefit as for yours--she will know exactly what is expected and won't have to wonder if she's calling in unacceptable favors for a request that you assume is a given. It also means that you can take all emotions out of any reprimands/need for dismissal.

I would then pay a solicitor for an couple hours' work max to look over the contract and confirm that it makes full legal sense. You want everything with an employee to be completely clear and completely aboveboard.

I would pay living wage minimum and offer less hours to be able to afford it.

Yanbu. Offer her the minimum wage as that's what similar jobs pay. Tell her you'll review in six months and may be able to increase her salary dependent on business and her performance. Standard stuff really!

I understand UC is designed to encourage work, so although she may lose some of her benefits i expect she will be better off overall if she takes the role.

Pay her the going rate for the job in your area. Reception isn’t a minimum wage job where I am. Perhaps have a look at your business model and explore why you can’t afford to pay staff a living wage, instead expecting UC to take up the slack.

I am a single parent and I had to turn down some offers that wouldn't have worked (although i had two children).

if she has one child she may well be at the stage where she wants to invest in to herself now.

But don't get too involved in her finances just because she's a single mother! offer her the job. If you want to. She can say yes or she can say no.

invest in to her future I mean, ie, have work experience on her cv... even if it's not financially beneficial per se. It's still a pension contribution etc..

I agree with everyone saying you need to work out what you can afford to pay for the work you want doing, and offer that role. It is up to ANY potential employee to see if it works for them.
I also agree with @msmith501 and others that it REALLY isn't a good idea to employ a friend, and employ a friend because you feel sorry for their circumstances. It is going to be SO difficult when any of the circumstances people have suggested potentially occur.

Well OP, I think you are.doing a really nice thing for someone you know who is in need, especially now when things are so hard for everyone. You're showing that you are compassionate and considerate. The idea of offering min wage to start is fair and this is something you can review later. Good advice re the twelve payments per year from the other poster. Best of luck.

Completely reasonable to pay her minimum wage. Why wouldn't it be?

If you do, make sure you do what you can to offer some extra work bonuses. If you can't afford to pay her what you think she deserves yet, make sure you offer flexibility, support her where needed. Having a good boss might take the edge off starting on minimum wage.

Make sure you're open about the review in six months, that it will depend on how the business is going. You don't want her to be hanging on in there because she's expecting a payrise, only to discover it's not possible. Great to say that you will review, but bear in mind that it might be "we still can't afford it".

You're not doing her any harm if you offer the job, say that you're afraid that it's minimum wage, and that you'll understand if she turns it down or leaves if something better turns up. Oh, and give her time to investigate the effects on her benefits.

I don't like the idea of hiring a family friend for the reasons Haffiana mentioned. It is great if she works out but will put you in a much much more difficult spot if she does not. I hope you won't have to choose between her and your business.

As for your certainty she will be great at this, unless you worked with her you don't know. Maybe she is great at receptioning but might be always late or need a time off even during busy periods or go on sick leave lots. You really don't know.

I'd say pay her market rate and give her a bonus if you can afford it and she truly turns out to be exceptional like you anticipated. Otherwise, better to cool your jets, keep things friendly and professional but not chummy, and see how things turn out first.

I also agree with lanthanum on managing her expectations.

why dont you ask her if her benefits will be messed up?