Protecting Your Staff Through Good Business Practices

Band directors face the challenge of both working as a music educator hired through a school and managing a team with a broad range of experiences. Band directors, while always well intentioned, sometimes miss the power of good business practices with their staff. 

The key aspect of essential business practices I’d like to focus on are contracts. Sufficient contract practices in any field are a proactive protection for both parties (band director and hired staff), and keep things running smoothly and professionally. While it can seem like a lot of extra work, implementing contracts makes working as a team easier in the long term.

Contracts

Using a contract as you onboard staff is the number one business practice band directors should implement. Having clearly stated expectations ensures strong communication from the get-go. I truly believe miscommunication of expectations has the strongest influence in negative interactions between staff and director.

Elements to include in the staff contract

The next list details out some the fundamental expectations that should be included in a staff contract. These are closely inspired by a section from our most recent ebook Developing Your Staff 

• Detailed outline of the time required of them if they accept the job
  • As you create this outline, consider your expectations surrounding performances, football games, sectionals, or more. 
  • Do you have another scheduling expectation that might affect them? Does the staff need to ride buses, or are there show day rehearsals?  
  • Do you expect all staff at all football games? What about away games? State championships? 
• Job Responsibilities
  • Job responsibilities can be a reiteration of the job expectations, as they were stated earlier, in the job application process. If you are interested in learning more about how to clearly state these expectations, check out this blog about Hiring Practices. 
• A Condition of passing a background check.
  • A background check can protect you and your students, and should not be a significant obstacle for a teacher to overcome. 
  • Do not do this step before this point, there may be legal restrictions. If you are uncertain of your state’s laws regarding when you can ask for a background check, do research beforehand. Many districts have a process in place for checking “volunteers”, and most likely your principal or other administrator can assist you in this step. 
• Outline of amount paid
  • No professional should be expected to accept employment without knowing the financial terms. Having this in writing protects both parties. Whether it is a monthly salary i.e. X per month, or hourly wage, simple terms make for content staff.
• Outline of the payment schedule for services (lump sum, 2 lump sums, monthly, biweekly, etc.)
  • Knowing a pay schedule empowers your staff to say something if there is an error. This detail in writing is also helpful for your band boosters (or school bookkeepers) so that those details are clear for them. 
• A place to sign at the bottom for both you (a program representative) and the employee. Include a date section as well.
  • This section could also include the length of contract (is this just for fall, the school year, or more?)

Each party (the band program/boosters and the new employee) should receive a copy of this contract/ offer letter for record keeping. 

Other potential details to communicate or consider…

• Dress code/Expectations
  • Do you have a specific dress code for your staff at shows? A specific polo? Just dress nicely? It’s fine if you don’t have a specific plan (or don’t really care), but remember that if it isn’t communicated beforehand, you as the director have fewer supports behind you if an issue arises. 
• Alcohol/Substance Use Policies
  • If your staff is over the age of 21, do you have clear expectations surrounding alcohol use? There’s the obvious expectation of “don’t consume alcohol before a rehearsal or interacting with kids”, but what about on trips? One of the biggest considerations is at what times are staff acting as chaperones vs. parents being the main chaperone?
• Anything else relevant to your program! Each school is different, and so is each situation. Consider what you might want backed up on paper and add it in!

Throughout my time as a guard instructor and teacher, I’ve met so many fellow instructors who have been through a time where they were in a sticky situation with the band/director they worked with. Most of these conflicts could have been minimized or avoided completely with clear communication of expectations. 

Can non-directors use these practices?

YES! If you are joining a program and a director doesn’t have a contract or something similar set up, YOU can initiate this conversation. Contracts protect the staff member more than anyone and by bringing it up you are doing the right thing to protect yourself. Discussing pay and expectations is good! While teaching with a band is fun, it is still a job, and making sure you know what you are being held to is important to make both you and your director happy.

As you prepare for your next season, ask yourself, are you protecting your staff and yourself with good business practices?