Difficulties in recruiting certified and skilled technicians stays difficult for dealerships nationwide.
Many are deterred from providing enormous pay rises to tempt new starters by way of the door because it both creates stress to extend current employees wages or creates a divide inside the staff.
It’s a conundrum nonetheless that does have a solution, though it seems that for now many automobile workshops stay understaffed or unable to broaden to satisfy demand.
A current Motor Ombudsman ballot discovered that 43% of franchise sellers and unbiased storage workshops mentioned that difficulties in recruiting skilled technicians to their staff would proceed to current a problem within the coming yr.
Nevertheless, this represents an enchancment on the 50% of companies that mentioned they’d struggled to recruit in 2022.
This may occasionally point out a slight enchancment within the recruitment of mechanics or could merely replicate that some companies have both given up or shelved growth plans and are subsequently lacking a chance to develop income.
For my part there are a number of methods by which dealerships can tackle this undoubted nationwide scarcity of technicians.
The primary is by bringing new blood into the trade by way of apprenticeships, one thing that dealerships have typically failed to deal with for a decade or extra.
One of many predominant causes for the abilities shortfall is the advancing age of present automobile technicians, with many having reached or approaching retirement and fewer younger individuals being attracted into the trade.
If dealerships undertake a ratio of 1 apprentice for each two technicians always, it can go some technique to addressing the issue so long as coaching, assist, and mentorship are in place.
Though this doesn’t tackle the speedy want for knowledgeable and certified technicians, it gives a medium to long-term answer.
On the subject of recruiting certified technicians then one reply could be to supply a £5,000 golden handshake quite than providing an enormous pay improve and the plain repercussions that has for the enterprise and its wider workforce.
Clearly, phrases and circumstances have to be conditional to stop individuals claiming the money after which leaving shortly afterwards.
One other extremely efficient suggestion is to permit technicians to work a 10-hour four-day week – which permits the ramp for use 10 quite than eight hours per day, liberating up one in 5 ramps.
This ends in larger productiveness and happier technicians, who admire the chance of an improved work life steadiness. That is one thing I’ve carried out at quite a lot of vendor websites, and which has at all times proved standard.
Afterall, any technician ought to be tempted by the prospects of a £5,000 signing on bonus and a four-day week.
As well as, widespread misconceptions concerning the automotive retail linger and it’s important that dealerships proceed to focus on the enticing profession prospects out there and that the tradition has shifted to delivering excellent buyer expertise.
That depends on an environment friendly, responsive and expert workforce, which is why profitable dealerships are investing in nurturing, teaching, mentoring, and motivating their groups.
Writer:Â Fraser Brown, managing director of automotive consultancy MotorVise