Sign on Bonuses
The massage industry, especially the mega chains play games with therapists. They offer scholarships that bind recent graduates to their company for years limiting their income potential, and lure in hopeful souls with sign on bonuses. We believe these tactics are unethical and contribute to an unacceptable level of dissatisfaction throughout the massage workforce.
A Beautiful Career
A career as a massage therapist can be a marvelous adventure. As licensed professionals we have the opportunity to help others ease away their pain, feel great, and rediscover the wonder of the day. Unfortunately, our path is littered with traps and dead ends. New massage therapists do not have the knowledge and experience we have. They do not know how to interpret starting wages listed on hiring sites, the perils of sign on bonuses, or even scholarships in our industry. Many are told to work for the chains to “gain experience for a few years.” Unfortunately, many who embark on the journey of working for the chain’s washout within their first year. Those who survive the meat grinder are no more skilled than when they graduated massage school. Far too many are lost and broken after a single year as a massage therapist. This trend must stop. We can end it by mentoring, guiding, and educating new graduates. We can be the change, we help others succeed where we have failed, and replace the pain of our peers with peace.
What are Sign on Bonuses
What is a sign on bonus? They are incentives offered by employers to encourage prospective employees or contractors to join their team. They seem attractive, especially when a company offers large amounts as a sign on bonus. However, in the thick brush stroke they are a one-sided offer weighed heavily in favor of the employer. Typically, the rules associated with sign on bonuses are vague, difficult to follow, and challenging to track.
A sign on bonus can be great if done properly, but even when paid in a fair and ethical manner the bonus may have a negative impact on team morale. How? Imagine performing massage diligently for a company for an extended period of time, you have proven yourself as an essential member of the team. Then a new hire is now earning more per service hour than you. How would this feel? The consequence of a sign on bonus may cause established team members to feel unvalued, and disrespected. As a result, new hires may endure the ire of established employees.
Typical Sign on Bonus Requirements
A massage therapist may be required to work an unreasonable number of massage hours to qualify for the bonus. This may push you to work beyond your physical and emotional limit, leading to burnout or injury. A massage therapist should never work beyond their maximum service threshold. If you have agreed to accept a sign on bonus you may feel obligated to work more, because you need the money, and are afraid of losing the bonus.
- A massage therapist may be required to remain within the facility for up to forty hours even if they have not been booked to perform a massage. The problem in this circumstance is it leads to burnout. The longer a massage therapist sits idle the more their mind wanders. Eventually they will become bored, and heart broken. Your love, passion, and energy are essential when performing a massage. You must find ways to protect it by keeping your heart engaged with your career.
- A massage therapist may lose eligibility to their sign on bonus if they are late to work, even on their first infraction.
- A massage therapist may be required to work a specific schedule. If your sign on bonus requires a specific schedule you may lose it if you request off or switch days with another therapist.
- A massage therapist may lose their sign on bonus if they miss a single day of work.
- A massage therapist may be required to perform services they have not been trained to perform or may be physically incapable of performing. This often occurs when the company wants the therapist to use firm pressure when they do not have the skill or ability to do so. Many massage therapists will still perform the service because they are afraid of losing the sign on bonus. Doing so may result in the injury of the client and/or the massage therapist.
- A massage therapist may be required to perform services on a client even when it is contraindicated. Some facilities, especially those who are not owned by LMTs believe they can dictate how you perform your services as a licensed professional. In some respects, as an employee they do, but when it comes to your legal right to refuse service, they do not. As a licensed massage therapist, we have the training and legal authority to make judgement calls to protect the health and safety of the public. It is our responsibility to protect our clientele, if you have a sign on bonus, you may be put in unethical and compromising situations due to the threat of losing your sign on bonus.
- A good rule of thumb when analyzing a sign on bonuses is to imagine you were paying it out for your company. Then pretend you are morally and ethically bankrupt. The last step is to brainstorm ways you can prevent your employees from receiving the bonus. This will provide you with the tools to discover how someone may attempt to take advantage of you.
How are sign on bonuses typically paid out?
In most cases your sign on bonus will be paid out over a specified (or unspecified) period of time. Many massage therapists expect a lump of cash, but this rarely happens. When a company offers a sign on bonus, they will often slice it up and apply it.
For example, let’s say the company is offering a $2,000 sign on bonus. Most places are going to require at least 20 hours of massage per week to be eligible for this kind of incentive (some may require up to 32). For simplicity we are going to say you only perform those 20 hours of service labor, and the bonus is paid over 52.143 weeks.
$2,000 / 52.143 = $38.35 per week
$38.35 / 20 hours = $1.91 per hour
For an extra $1.91 per hour you are placing yourself at risk for burnout and injury. Even over a 6-month period of time, you are still endangering yourself for a meager $3.82 per hour.
An additional $3.82 per hour can be significant, but not for what they are asking out of you. Especially since many of the chains offering these sign on bonuses only pay their therapists between $21.00 to $25.00 per hour.
Greater wages and a higher quality work environment can be achieved by working for LMT owned facilities.
Sign on Bonuses can be deceptive
Some facilities will trick you into thinking your hourly rate for services is higher than it actually is by calculating your bonus into your starting wage. With the 6-month $2,000 sign on bonus model, your actual hourly rate may be $21.18.
$25.00 – $3.82 bonus wage = $21.18
This deceptive practice may allow your employer to drop your wage after the bonus has been paid out.
“I will just quit when that happens, I will demand that rate of pay!”
You may think that, and even though licensed massage therapists are essential to running a massage business, they don’t care about you. You are replaceable to them, especially as the chains begin to create their own massage schools. In addition to this, they will be surprised if you are still practicing massage by that time.
The wash out rate for our industry is high, especially for recent graduates. They know there is a good chance you won’t be in the industry by the conclusion of your sign on bonus.
If you decide to quit at that point you will have to restart your career. Anytime you move from one facility to another you start over. Most of your clients will not follow you, and the chains know this. It is their goal to trap you with the sign on bonus, so they can shackle you to their business.
Instead of hunting for a place who offers a big sign on bonus, search for one that matches the culture, harmony, and pay you need.
