I am reviewing the recruitment procedure for a firm that has a workforce of self employed door to door sales people. They are only paid commission on new and repeat business. There is no control on how many hours they work a week although there is a lot of pressure for them to work full time.
The employed managers exert a lot of daily control over these salespeople, they cannot send a substitute in their place and the sales force cannot sell until they have been on a week’s residential training course (paid for by the company) and have learnt the script to say to potential customers. The boundary between being an employee or self employed is blurred and I’m wondering if anyone has a similar experience or thoughts on this .
Also, I am interested in knowing more about a zero hours contract. Has anyone implemented such a contract for a commission only sales force and, if so, please can you highlight the advantages and disadvantages of such?
Finally, can anyone tell me when, and if, the minimum wage might apply to the above work force.The company provides all the sales force materials and is in daily contact with them.
