A little like making a salad, staffing a shop. Without giving any thought to how they were produced or where they came from, you can go to the grocery store, get your vegetables, and toss them together. However, a single lousy component can utterly spoil a dish.
As an alternative, you might laboriously produce your own vegetables in a garden, giving you the satisfaction of using organic, fresh ingredients. Even if cooking a homegrown salad takes more time and work, few would disagree that it is superior than the easier and more popular first option.
The same is true for shop managers who have two methods for hiring people. They can hire from the sector in the hopes of finding a match with someone who simply didn't work elsewhere. Alternately, they may carefully develop their own talent, spending time and money to create a technician they hope will provide them with years of service.
Rush Truck Centres of Canada's Dean Luttrell, regional service manager for Northern Ontario, is aware of his preferred method.
Regarding stealing talent from other shops and dealers, he added, "We don't normally engage too much in the 'technician recycling program'." Young students come here to learn how to execute the job properly because we catch them before they form poor habits at other dealerships or shops.
Local educational institutions in the Sudbury, Ontario, region have a long history with Luttrell and Rush Truck Centres. The business works with Edge Factor to promote careers in the trades to students, sponsors a co-op student from the neighborhood Rainbow District School Board, sits on the board of the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, and actively aids students in acquiring the abilities required to have a prosperous career as a heavy truck technician.
As an employer that offers excellent learning in the workplace through apprenticeships, co-ops, internships, specialized training, and other work-integrated learning opportunities, we have been granted the Stellar Award from the Rainbow District School Board for 2022, Luttrell announced with pride.
Particularly potent have been the Edge Factor videos. The business enters a Rush dealership and documents the workday of the technicians. According to Luttrell, the videos created from that film are just as good at informing instructors and parents as they are at informing pupils about the trade.
According to him, it "highlights Rush as an industry leader in talent development for young apprentices." It's a useful educational tool for high school trade teachers. The student reviews of [the videos] are positive to the extent that parents are beginning to become interested in their child's educational career.
Like Luttrell, Regina's Roger Staub, service manager at Maxim Truck & Trailer, supports the development of technician talent and serves on the regional apprenticeship board. Over the course of his 18-year career, he takes pride in having nurtured 14 journeypeople who started off right out of school.
Regarding such youthful talent, he stated, "Usually they stick with you. "They are raised on our [international] products; they don't inherit bad behaviors from another store that can be challenging to break. And despite how difficult it may appear recently, I firmly feel that we owe it to our society to encourage people to enter this field.
The simplest strategy to prevent employing a technician who won't fit well with your shop culture is to simply avoid hiring anyone at all. And frequently, that can be accomplished by increasing the existing shop staff's efficiency.
How can you tell whether you actually need that extra technician? It's as easy as making sure all bays are fully staffed during all shifts, according to Dean Luttrell, regional service manager for Northern Ontario at Rush Truck Centres of Canada, though this isn't always practical in a labor market with limited employment opportunities.
"The number of technicians I need depends on the size of our building. How many I do have is determined on the market," lamented Luttrell. "Most of the time, we're short a couple."
Fullbay, a shop software company, asks its clients how they decide when to bring on a technician. Utilization and effectiveness are key. In a conversation with Today's Trucking, Patrick McKittrick, CEO of Fullbay, emphasized that utilization takes into account the amount of time a technician spends clocking into a service order. How effective are you when comparing the time you spend there to the time you bill for?
The efficiency rate should ideally be in the mid-80s and should be at least 80%, meaning that 80% of a technician's time is invoiced. It is possible to increase usage and efficiency without adding additional bodies. The next step is to assess the technicians' time management.
"We want them turning wrenches," McKittrick declared. What other tasks outside turning a wrench am I requiring my techs to perform?
How much of their day is spent making invoices, talking with the parts manager, and walking to the parts room? "Those things must occur, but when you consider a technician's skill set, it is extremely specific. It takes a different talent to run parts and collect payments, according to McKittrick.
He's seen customers deploy software to eliminate paperwork, make sure they have the proper tools for the job, and provide electronic resources like wiring diagrams so less time is spent paging through binders as some ways to increase the productivity of their existing IT personnel.
It's crucial to make sure a technician will fit into or contribute to a shop's existing culture before hiring them, whether they are in-house or from a store. Running a small business herself, co-owner Jennifer Callaway of Inland Empire Fleet Maintenance in California is well aware of how simple it is to destroy a positive work environment.
There are only six of us here. During a Shop Owner Roundtable with shop software supplier Fullbay, she stated that one individual may completely turn everything upside down. The main goal is to create a positive workplace culture. You want them to look forward to going to work and have compelling reasons to do so.
One way Callaway keeps an eye on the environment is by spending time on the work floor herself. She can tell when things are going well because the techs are singing.
"I've got a bunch of American Idols in my shop," she remarked. She becomes concerned when the store is empty. "In a group so small, you can usually detect when anything is awry right away. If you're in tune with the individuals you have, you'll be able to tell right away if everyone withdraws or starts going in various directions.
Staub is also constantly on the lookout for indications that something is wrong among his technicians. Prior to them festering and developing into more serious issues, he stressed the importance of early problem identification and resolution.
"Usually only one or two guys are needed to start and spread a bad culture in a shop," he said. "Don't ignore the issue; instead, go to work on it straight now. Nowadays, it's easy to discover negativity. Most of the time, an issue is manageable and can be resolved quickly. Most of the time, it's probably a minor issue, like a man who requested a day off but didn't get it. Simple issues to solve.
By organizing activities for the technicians outside of work, including going to baseball games, Inland fosters a sense of community among the staff.
Owner of OnSite Truck & Equipment Repair Henry Uribe manages a larger network of locations with many more experts while also being mindful of culture when hiring. Before conducting an interview, he starts to assess fit by perusing a candidate's social media presence to learn more about their motivations. This may provide hints as to why they left their prior position.
Family-oriented men might not want to work overnight. Someone else who has a spouse who stays at home is likely required to be present on weekends to assist with the children. Every weekend, they go camping, so they won't want to be on call.
"Figure out their motivations," Uribe said. There are other factors besides pay.
When all the other technicians arrive early and start working as soon as their shift begins, bringing in a technician who arrives just on time or a few minutes late will sow the seeds of discontent, warns Fullbay CEO Patrick McKittrick.
"During interviews, you can use straightforward questions like: How do you get ready for the day? What kind of morning routine do you prefer? When do you show up for an 8 am shift? Get some instances of their work approach to see if it aligns with your expectations and how you run your business, McKittrick advised.
Additionally, he advised asking prospective employees how they would go about fixing a non-trucking equipment, such as a broken toaster or computer printer. Their response can offer insightful information on how individuals approach a task and how their minds work through issues.
To learn more about a candidate's behavioral fit, Callaway employs a JOBehaviors personality evaluation. In accordance with the personality attributes that create a skilled technician, it assigns candidates a score between one and five.
Does it function? It does, I think. "I hired 'one stars' and fired them all," she remarked. "People can hide issues that arise as soon as you put them to work," said one interviewer.
Additionally, employers should be honest about the duties of the position. Will the technician be required to make late-night roadside service calls? When their friends head to the lake on weekends, do they spend time on call? According to Callaway, "No two people are motivated in the same way."
It's crucial to understand that no two businesses operate in the same way, Uribe continued, and a new hire can have very diverse work history. While some shops prefer that technicians figure things out on their own, others encourage them to ask for assistance when necessary. In some, borrowing tools is acceptable. Other cultures, according to Uribe, "when I grew up, if you ask for a tool three times, you buy it."
Additionally, shop culture must change to appeal to younger workers. We have put a lot of effort into improving the culture over the past few years, according to Luttrell. "We had to change the culture to create a more welcoming environment for employees."