Employers Guide to New Agreements

Last week, we announced upcoming improvements to how you manage and pay your gurus. One such improvement will come in the form of a more powerful agreement.

Benefits of the New Agreements

Keep gurus on track.

Set expectations at the start and hold your gurus accountable throughout the job. Require status updates at specific intervals.

Protect yourself with SafePay.

State the maximum hours you will pay for each week, or the milestones at which you will pay. We’ll automatically pay invoices that comply with your agreement.

Strengthen your case.

Your agreement serves as the main reference point if you find yourself in a dispute over SafePay funds. It can mean the difference between winning and losing an arbitration case.

 What To Look For When Reviewing An Agreement

After you hire a guru, the next step is to establish an agreement before they start work. An agreement sets expectations and protects you in the case of a dispute. Carefully review any agreement to be sure you are fully satisfied before accepting it.

Billable Hours or Milestones

For fixed-price jobs, clearly define each milestone at which you will pay. Be clear about what you want to see before you pay.

For hourly jobs, have each team member listed along with their individual rate and maximum weekly hours so you know what your costs will be. We will alert you if someone tracks more time than the agreement allows. You will receive one invoice per week that will show the breakdown by team member. You can easily remove time tracked or billed that is in excess of the maximum hours defined in the agreement.

Billing Schedule

For fixed-price jobs, you will be billed for each milestone completed. Make sure you fully understand and agree with each milestone.

For hourly jobs, you will be billed by team member for the hours they work in a given week. Make sure you agree with the rate-per-hour and maximum hours per week for each team member.

Minimum SafePay Balance

Your guru can ask you to maintain a minimum balance in SafePay – either the cost of the next milestone or the cost of the next week’s work. At any given time, you’re only invested for the next step. Maintaining the SafePay minimum balance keeps your work on track and avoids delays.

As long as you have an agreement in place and funds in SafePay, you will be set up for auto-pay. For hourly jobs, you will be automatically billed each week for the time tracked per your agreement. For fixed-price jobs, you will be automatically billed for the completed milestone. Don’t worry, you will still have a chance to review the work before the payment is sent.  If you’re not satisfied with the work done, you can stop auto-pay by disputing the invoice. You will have 7, 14, or 28 days to review the work, depending on which invoice grace period your guru selected in your agreement.

Status Updates

Request how often you want to be updated on the status of your job. You will be able to use new work room tools (coming soon) to see time or progress made on milestones, and to send messages. Having all of this information in one centralized place encourages better communication and is helpful in the event of a dispute.

Questions You Might Have

What will happen to my current agreements when the new ones are released?

Any existing agreements you have in place will still be viewable, but not in the new format. If you need to edit an agreement, you will need to have your guru create a new one. If you have a pending agreement, it will be converted to the new format, and will remain pending your acceptance.

What if my guru completes work that is not outlined in our agreement?

Miscellaneous invoices allow your guru to bill you for work completed above and beyond your agreement. You will have the option to either pay or delete miscellaneous invoices. Miscellaneous invoices will not be set up for auto-pay, so you don’t have to worry about inadvertently paying for work you didn’t approve.

What is a “pending” agreement?

An agreement will remain pending until you either accept or decline it. If you decline it, provide your reasons and requests in the messages section, and have your guru send a revised agreement. You both can continue messaging one another until you both come to an understanding.