Employment Agreement for Plumbing Technicians

What a good one includes

• A clear breakdown of the hourly rate or salary, including how commission or bonuses are calculated for upselling fixtures, parts, or service plans.
• A detailed list of which tools the technician must provide themselves versus what the company provides, along with accountability terms for lost or damaged company equipment.
• Specific terms detailing the on-call schedule rotation, emergency dispatch response times, and how overtime or holiday pay is calculated.
• Guidelines on the personal use of company wrap-vans, take-home privileges, and the technician's responsibility for keeping the vehicle clean and scheduled for routine maintenance.
• A clause requiring the technician to maintain active plumbing licenses or apprentice registrations and strictly adhere to OSHA safety standards and local plumbing codes.
• Protections preventing the technician from soliciting your residential or commercial clients for side work or taking your customer database to a competitor.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Forgetting to clearly define who pays for damaged customer property or callback work caused by the technician's negligent installation.
• Failing to specify the exact policy on take-home service trucks, which can lead to unauthorized personal mileage and insurance liabilities.
• Misclassifying a full-time, scheduled plumbing technician as an independent contractor instead of an employee, risking severe tax penalties.
• Leaving commission structures vague, which leads to disputes over when a bonus is officially earned or if it is paid out on unpaid customer invoices.

Frequently asked questions