Grooms and employers, can it be improved?
- Thread starter Fools Motto
- Start date
Caol Ila
Well-Known Member
I lasted four days at my last groom job. For minimum wage, I was expected to do 14-16 stables with perfect banks and mats so clean you could surgery in two hours flat. Not two hours and five minutes. I had told the YO that I hadn't done that job in about ten years, so might not be lightning fast from the outset, but he still hired me. Then, after three days, I wasn't lightning fast. He let me go.
honetpot
Well-Known Member
I think employers are often end up as employers by accident, they need 'someone' so they get someone to do a job, there is no standard yard, so their expectations are variable. When you work for most companies someone has done the HR, H&S and worked out how and when people are going to be paid, and there is some line management. A yard usually works in isolation, it can not judge if what they are doing is appropriate, if it was a coffee shop, they would have to some training of staff, and if staff are unhappy there is always another coffee shop to work for.
I think like the racing industry they need to sit down and write a blueprint of best practice. What hours and when are paid, holidays time off. It's no longer acceptable to say someone works five days a week but not mention how many hours worked there are in those days.
No one should be expected to work for low wages to subsidise someone else's lifestyle.
I think like the racing industry they need to sit down and write a blueprint of best practice. What hours and when are paid, holidays time off. It's no longer acceptable to say someone works five days a week but not mention how many hours worked there are in those days.
No one should be expected to work for low wages to subsidise someone else's lifestyle.
blitznbobs
Well-Known Member
Its all about treating people well and EXPECTING staff turnover. Its not a glamorous job so some people wont stick at it forever. I wonder how many teenagers who dream of working with horses don’t like the reality of it… its cold, wet, muddy and inconsistent with nice nails. This is not going to change any time soon so the dreamers will always move on looking for something better which doesn’t exist in the horsy world. One of my criteria i look for when employing staff is that they’ve had a horse or preferably 2 that they’ve ‘done’ themselves (not on full livery) as these people generally understand the negatives of horse care before they start. I also will take people off yards where i know they are treated like dogs (and not in a good way) because i think between 4 of us we can do 14 horses in 2 hours not 14 horses each….