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Shop Owner’s need downtime to put things in proper perspective


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I have found 14 days are required to really feel like I have left. I never call in or check cameras when I’m gone. If your people can’t take care of things for 14 days you are employing the wrong people. I have taken three one month long vacations, those were wonderful. You come back and everything looks and sounds different. After your back for a half day it feels like I never left, but my attitude is better for doing it. I get really bitchy if I don’t leave. February I spent 16 days in Palm Springs, CA. What a wonderful place. 

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Just got back from a 3.5 week trip, here for 4 days then gone again for another 10. Yep, if the goal of business ownership isn't to have the free time that we need to do the things we like to do then we definitely have the wrong perspective. Granted, we have to pay our dues, and it doesn't happen overnight. Thankfully, I've paid my dues.   

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Being able to vacation is a learned skill. Some folks are naturally better at disconnecting then others, but I agree it's important to be able to let your mind rest. I would imagine that there are quite a few shop owners rolling their eyes at the prospect of taking weeks away from their shop. To them I would suggest starting small: take a long weekend off, then work up to a few days during the week, then a week "staycation", then a week away. 

Pretty quickly you'll learn that your staff will fill in most of the gaps and put out those little fires themselves. 

That will give you confidence to take longer vacations and disconnect more. 

The irony is that this will likely help you be more successful as when you come back you'll be more comfortable leaving more day-to-day tasks with staff and be able to focus on more big picture initiatives. 

So learn to vacation; your family and your accountant will thank you!

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Life is short. I take long vacations and expect my employees to also take time off. When questioned years ago by an old timer why I was open on Saturdays I replied that I didn't want to lose the business. His answer was " how can you lose something you didn't have in the first place"? He also said if I can't make it on 5 days then I was doing something wrong. That was 15 years ago and I have not been open on Saturdays since then. As a very specialized shop I can get away with this easier than most shops. 

We also take advantage of 3-4 day weekends during any holidays and pay all the employees their full pay. They also get 3 weeks paid vacation time per year although only 1 week at a time can be taken during a 30 day period. I let them use my condo on Lake Michigan free of charge whenever they want. I do not pay sick days and expect them to stay late if needed which only happens 3-5 times per year. Needless to say, most of my employees have been with me 10 years and 2 of them over 20 years. 

I had always said to myself that if I ever had a shop of my own that I would treat my employees the way I wanted to be treated. 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Joe, you're right on the money! I hate to admit it, but I suffer these same "workaholics"symptoms - and it's nothing to be proud of. The one thing I keep repeating to myself is (and I don't know where I heard it or who said it), but it goes something like "Great music is made by the spaces in between the notes". 

Downtime is important - and hope yours was good! Thanks for that inspiration too!

Hope this helps!

Matthew Lee
"The Car Count Fixer"
Join me at "The Car Count Hackers" on YouTube

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         3 comments
      Got your attention? Good. The truth is, there is no such thing as the perfect technician pay plan. There are countless ways to create any pay plan. I’ve heard all the claims and opinions, and to be honest, it’s getting a little frustrating. Claims that an hourly paid pay plan cannot motivate. That flat rate is the only way to truly get the most production from your technicians. And then there’s the hybrid performance-based pay plan that many claim is the best.
      At a recent industry event, a shop owner from the Midwest boasted about his flat-rate techs and insisted that this pay plan should be adopted by all shops across the country. When I informed him that in states like New York, you cannot pay flat-rate, he was shocked. “Then how do you motivate your techs” he asked me.
      I remember the day in 1986 when I hired the best technician who ever worked for me in my 41 years as an automotive shop owner. We’ll call him Hal. When Hal reviewed my pay plan for him, and the incentive bonus document, he stared at it for a minute, looked up, and said, “Joe, this looks good, but here’s what I want.” He then wrote on top of the document the weekly salary he wanted. It was a BIG number. He went on to say, “Joe, I need to take home a certain amount of money. I have a home, a wife, two kids, and my Harly Davidson. I will work hard and produce for you. I don’t need an incentive bonus to do my work.” And he did, for the next 30 years, until the day he retired.
      Everyone is entitled to their opinion. So, here’s mine. Money is a motivator, but not the only motivator, and not the best motivator either. We have all heard this scenario, “She quit ABC Auto Center, to get a job at XYZ Auto Repair, and she’s making less money now at XYZ!” We all know that people don’t leave companies, they leave the people they work for or work with.
      With all this said, I do believe that an incentive-based pay plan can work. However, I also believe that a technician must be paid a very good base wage that is commensurate with their ability, experience, and certifications. I also believe that in addition to money, there needs to be a great benefits package. But the icing on the cake in any pay plan is the culture, mission, and vision of the company, which takes strong leadership. And let’s not forget that motivation also comes from praise, recognition, respect, and when technicians know that their work matters.
      Rather than looking for that elusive perfect pay plan, sit down with your technician. Find out what motivates them. What their goals are. Why do they get out of bed in the morning? When you tie their goals with your goals, you will have one powerful pay plan.
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