Tip splitting: methods, maths and an example

The four methods

• By hours: each person gets a share by the hours they worked on that shift.
• By points: each person has a number of points, say by role or seniority, and the split follows the points alone.
• Points times hours: combines the two. An experienced person who worked more hours gets more.
• Equal shares: the amount is divided equally between everybody who worked.

A worked example

The pool holds ₪1,200, and 10% goes to the kitchen before the split, leaving ₪1,080. Three people worked: Dana 6 hours with 1.2 points, Yossi 8 hours with 1 point, and Maya 4 hours with 0.8 points.

With points times hours the weights are 7.2, 8 and 3.2, 18.4 in all. Dana gets ₪422.61, Yossi ₪469.57 and Maya ₪187.83 (rounded).

By hours alone: Dana ₪360, Yossi ₪480 and Maya ₪240. Equal shares: ₪360 each.

What to decide in advance

• Which method, and who gets how many points. A decision written down once saves an argument every evening.
• Whether a percentage goes to the kitchen or to staff who are not in the pool, and how much.
• Whether the split follows the rota or the clock. Following the rota does not penalise somebody who forgot to clock out, but it means the rota has to be updated when something changes.
• How each person knows what they got and for which hours. Transparency is what makes a split feel fair to the team.

In Mishmarotix

The tips module works out the split with any of the four methods, sets aside a kitchen percentage if one is set, and keeps a record for each person with the date, amount and hours, which they can see on their phone. It is an add-on package; the price is on the pricing page.