Enhanced EMPLOYMENT Bonus

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The world belongs to the energetic.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

There are few things as fulfilling as seeing someone’s face when they get a check or bonus they earned. I’m not about to get into the politics and reality of people that are on unemployment. When the Great Recession hit, things got pretty rough at Buechel Stone. People got laid off, work was nowhere to be found, and everyone was doing whatever they could to get by. It affected white and blue collar people and if you wanted a job, you had to do whatever it took to get by.

Things are a little different right now. When we were coming out of the Great Recession, you had to fight tooth and nail for every order, Even as things got better, positions were slowly filled, not because there was a lack of people willing to work, but because businesses had to be careful due to all the uncertainty in the future of the economy.

Did you know the $300 enhanced unemployment equals an additional $7.50 an hour

Fast forward to the spring of 2021. Hiring is through the roof, and jobs are there for people who want them. Buechel Stone’s locations in Kansas, North Carolina, and Wisconsin are fairly rural areas overall. Winfield, Kansas has a population of roughly 12,000 people with 450 full-time and part-time jobs listed on indeed. Marion, North Carolina has a population of roughly 8,000 people with 1,380 full and part time jobs listed on indeed. Chilton, Wisconsin has a population of roughly 4,000 people with 2,500 full and part-time jobs listed on indeed.

Businesses can get through this, and Buechel Stone could as well, but we have a commitment to our customers to get them the products they need, when they need them. Delays and lead-times can be difficult in the construction industry, putting projects off track. We do not want to be the company to slow a project down if we can do anything about it. After all, our goal is to be the best, most dependable experience in the natural stone industry, guaranteed. The only way to maintain dependability is to do what we say.

As you can probably guess, we are looking for additional Rockstars at all locations. One thing we feel strongly about is the personal integrity our Rockstars have, which is why it is a Buechel Stone Core Value. Personal integrity helps you get out of bed each day and come to work because you want to make a difference and help your family. While there are people throughout the country waiting for enhanced unemployment benefits to expire before getting a job, our Rockstars are hard at work and helping keep the economy moving forward.

So here’s our thanks to our Rockstars, the “BUECHEL BUCKS ENHANCED EMPLOYMENT BONUS”!

• Full Time Buechel Stone Rockstars accumulate $300 each week starting the week of June 1 (did you know the $300 enhanced payment is equal to $7.50 an hour extra people on unemployment are getting if someone would have a 40 hour work week).
• This accumulation will continue for 14 weeks, ending on September 3, 2021.
• We will pay the bonus on the September 17 payroll.
• Any unexcused absence or late punches during the week will result in losing the $300 for that week. Integrity is a core value and being on time shows integrity.
• Rockstars must be employed and still on Buechel Stone’s payroll on September 3 or they will forfeit the entire retention bonus.
• A person on FMLA will not be eligible for this retention pay as per FMLA guidelines. They would still be eligible for their normal FMLA protection.
• For Rockstars that start after June 1, they will earn the $300 for each week of full-time employment (40 hours or more), ending on September 3, 2021.
• Maximum retention payout is $4,200 per Rockstar. Similar to other types of income, income taxes must be deducted.

This adds roughly $850,000 of cost in extra wages and taxes (FICA, Social Security, Unemployment, etc.) that we did not budget for, but we also know that we cannot sell what we do not have available. Our thoughts are for now we can re-evaluate our capital purchases we may need in 2022.

Will people quit after this? Time will tell. It is our hope people get involved with Buechel Stone as a new Rockstar and see it’s a good place to spend 40-50 hours a week. Our strive for a dependable experience is not just for our customers – we take it serious with our employees (Rockstars) as well. We are proud of everyone making a difference here and coming to work when others maybe aren’t… well, they deserve a special thanks as well. It’s one of the beauties of capitalism and making people feel good about what they have earned.