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By Joe Marconi in Joe's Blog5 commentsI recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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By Joe Marconi
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By carmcapriotto
In this episode of "Diagnosing the Aftermarket," host Matt Fanslow tackles the issue of motivating technicians to attend training. He shares personal experiences and the sacrifices he made to enhance his skills, acknowledging the difficulty of balancing training with work and family life. Matt discusses the intrinsic motivation required for technicians to seek training and the resistance some may have. He stresses the importance of continuous learning in the automotive industry and invites feedback on the topic.
Show Notes
Supporting intrinsically motivated technicians (00:02:18) Challenges of motivating technicians (00:04:23) Exploring potential reasons for technician resistance to training and addressing challenges. (00:05:35) The changing perception of training value over time and the importance of continuous learning. (00:09:09) The impact of training on technician satisfaction, turnover, and shop profitability. (00:10:12) Compensation, travel, and anxiety are factors affecting technician training motivation. (00:14:44) The role of training in career progression and increasing income levels. (00:17:14) Technician's challenges in attending training after work, including family responsibilities and time constraints.
Thanks to our Partner, NAPA Autotech napaautotech.com
Email Matt: [email protected]
Diagnosing the Aftermarket A - Z YouTube Channel HERE
Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com/
Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
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By Gerald Martin
No one loves comebacks. But they are a part of life. They come in all shapes and sizes:
1. Faulty parts. We have more part quality issues than ever before, including (less frequently) OEM parts.
2. Tech error. A tech fails to properly tighten brake caliper frame bolts. A belt is installed with one groove off the edge of a pulley. Some techs rarely make these errors. But mistakes will happen.
3. Warning lights on or new symptoms noted "ever since you worked on it". Always needs to be taken seriously - sometimes issues identified are fall into category 1 or 2. Or further OBD monitors ran since repairs were made and other issues are coming out of the woodwork. And sometimes people will try to pin every new issue on the shop that last worked on the car.
How do we deal with warranty cases?
When tech error is involved, is the employer responsible to pay the tech's time to correct his own mistake? Does it make a difference if there is a pattern of carelessness? If the employer picks up the tab for everything, doesn't this reward the making of mistakes?
It seems reasonable that the tech should not take responsibility for part failures not caused by tech error, doesn't it?
And what about that follow up scan to see why the warning lights are on? Should the tech handle this as a courtesy until determined what area the fault is in? It may be, after all, that he left a vacuum line off the air cleaner box. But it shouldn't take too long to know if the advisor needs to request more testing approval from the client...
And should any of these questions be influenced by whether the shop pays flat rate or hourly?
I know that's a lot of questions. But I hope it starts a conversation, because it's an area we really need to develop an SOP and stick with it.
Gerald
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By carmcapriotto
George Kingman discusses the importance of work-life balance, psychological safety, and cultivating a positive work environment. He shares personal experiences and lessons learned from his journey in the automotive industry, emphasizing the need for passion and positivity. Kingman also discusses leadership strategies inspired by George Washington and how they can be applied in modern businesses. He stresses the importance of making employees feel valued and connected to their work. George Kingman, Blue Sky Tire and Auto, Georgia and Illinois. Advanced Shop Leadership Show Notes
Advanced Shop Leadership Group https://www.advancedshopleadership.com/ Safety and the Importance of Passion (00:02:18) The role of safety in fostering passion at work, both in terms of physical safety and psychological safety. The Contagion of Passion and Negativity (00:03:35) How passion is contagious and can uplift others, while negativity can also have an impact on the work environment. Finding Passion and Building a Team (00:06:44) The importance of finding the right people (the "who's") to support and complement your skills and passions in order to build a successful team. The importance of learning from mistakes (00:09:57) The value of allowing employees to make mistakes and the learning opportunities that come from them. Creating a positive work culture for work-life balance (00:12:09) The importance of fostering a positive work culture to achieve a proper work-life balance and how it affects employees' motivation and happiness. Psychology articles and work-life balance (00:22:15) Discussion on the importance of work-life balance and the misconception that more time off is the solution. Creating psychological safety at work (00:23:21) Exploration of the significance of making employees feel happy and safe at work, rather than solely focusing on time off or monetary compensation. Building a positive culture and purpose (00:24:54) Importance of creating a positive work culture and purpose, and the role of leaders in mentoring and improving the attitudes of team members. The power of bringing something extra (00:35:48) The importance of going above and beyond in order to achieve success, both personally and professionally. George Washington's Leadership (00:36:53) George Washington's ability to motivate his troops and redefine their purpose during difficult times. Building Positivity in the Workplace (00:38:31) Using George Washington's methods to motivate employees by sharing success stories and creating a positive culture. Taking Care of Each Other (00:41:17) The importance of taking care of teammates and spreading joy in the workplace to create a successful business. Thanks to our Partner, NAPA Auto Care Learn more about NAPA Auto Care and the benefits of being part of the NAPA family by visiting https://www.napaonline.com/en/auto-care Connect with the Podcast: -Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RemarkableResultsRadioPodcast/ -Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmcapriotto/ -Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remarkableresultsradiopodcast/ -Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RResultsBiz -Join our Insider List: https://remarkableresults.biz/insider -All books mentioned on our podcasts: https://remarkableresults.biz/books -Our Classroom page for personal or team learning: https://remarkableresults.biz/classroom -Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/carm -The Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com -Special episode collections: https://remarkableresults.biz/collections
Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
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By Joe Marconi
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