Recordsforce employs hourly part-time and entry-level staff in positions that do not require any higher education. In many industries, that’s an invitation to pay minimum wage, exclude benefits and paid holidays, and treat them as “expendable”…..even when it turns out those employees are now “essential.”
When my wife and I started Recordsforce out of our basement in 2001, there was no way we thought we could afford to:
- Pay for 100% of our hourly employee’s health insurance
- Provide paid time off
- Compensate our employees well above the industry average
- Have a profit sharing plan
- Continue to make a profit in a business that was being squeezed by commodity market forces…
- Still have fun!
In 2020, we are doing all of these things for our staff, even during the pandemic. We are all benefiting from our employees having access to healthcare, giving them the option to stay home and still have an income to support themselves. Along with this, they have the financial flexibility to take personal time off when they need it. By paying them a living wage before a crisis hits, we all can withstand it together. If an employee doesn’t feel well, I feel comfortable asking them to stay at home because I’m providing the safety net that allows them to do so without negative financial consequences.
In supporting them, it allows my staff to pay their fair share in society instead of consistently relying on public assistance to help make ends meet. When I hear in Forbes that the Walton family has cost taxpayers $6.2 billion with their employment policies, it’s clear that America has not aligned its idea of what success is with the idea of paying your fair share.
This past year we realized an audacious sounding goal was within our reach; To get every employee at Recordsforce into the global 1% of wage earners!
According to Investopedia’s Daniel Kurt, updated September 25, 2019 “Are you in the global 1% of wage earners?”
- An income of $32,400 per year would allow someone to be among the top 1% of income earners in the world.
Assuming a worker has 2,080 hours per year, the hourly wage to reach that standard without any benefits included is $15.57. Starting in 2019, Recordsforce has been incrementally increasing employee wages for starting positions and the jobs that they lead to in order to reach our 2020 goal of having 100% of our workforce in the global 1% of wage earners.
Everybody Matters
One of our core values, Everybody Matters, reminds us that each person contributes uniquely to the success of our company and it’s our job as leaders to recognize and value that contribution. This year we’ve brought our starting wage up to $14.50/hour and everyone in the company earns that hourly wage or more. We have a goal to reach $15.57/hour by December 31st of this year – putting every worker in the company in the global 1%.
In addition to the wage increases, we also provide:
- 85% of individual health insurance for all full-time employees after 90 days, making sure our staff can get the medical help they need without worrying about the expense.
- A profit sharing plan that puts money in employees retirement accounts helping them invest in the future.
- Paid time off and sick leave so employees can tend to family members or take care of themselves without bringing their illness to work where they can infect coworkers.
- Weekly one-on-one check-ins with every staff member, even remote workers via video conference, for general wellness checks.
Getting everyone to the global 1% is a fun way to show the employees how they stack up against their peers globally. It also shows how lucky we are to live in the United States, where making the global 1% is the entry to a living wage. Making progress towards that goal has involved having employees improving company performance and creating the profits needed to fund their income growth. We are in this together to win!
Our company has been able to attract top talent in times when unemployment in NH was at record lows. We’ve grown and cultivated a contagious culture with a team of great people who like to work together. In times of crisis, our employees are well supported by our benefits and policies, which has a clear benefit to the company by protecting everyone from the risk of infectious disease. Our team spirit has kept us going in tough times.
I’m proud to be leading Recordsforce into a positive future where every worker has the opportunity to be valued for their work and to do more “Great Work” every day!