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Where have all the good automotive staff gone? Over the past few years, many employers in automotive have pondered over this question: Why can’t I get good reliable staff, where is all the new blood for the industry, and why can’t I keep the good ones? There is no doubt in Australia, but specifically in NSW, that there are currently technical staff deficiencies across all roles from mechanical to paint and panel.
Is it because NSW schools expect the students to stay on to a more mature age, potentially restricting those younger people who would rather leave at 15 years of age and start a trade?
Is it due to the pressures we put on new staff, is it because many workshops are so lean on staff to begin with that induction of new staff is done poorly or in many cases doesn’t happen, is it because once someone starts their new job they are expected to be 100 percent capable from hour one, or is it because of the long hours expected to be at a desk?
Or is it because the school students today are exposed to more technical opportunities where they don’t have to do an apprenticeship for lower dollars in working conditions that include the extreme hot and cold conditions of the Australian seasons?
We are aware many service advisors get good money and perks but many begin their day from before 7am and clock off after 6pm, often having to do half day Saturdays. Could this be impacting on staff personal lives?
Or is it simply that the trade path has lost some of its appeal in comparison to university or higher education pathways? Or pressure from parents?
Are the increasing pressures from the vehicle manufacturers (OEMs) to achieve new car sales quotas putting additional stress in the sales areas, with sales people sometimes working 13 days in a row to try to meet these targets?
ISSUE 02 2019
Why is this?
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While many of these salary packages can convince an automotive person to move from their current place of employment to the dealerships or workshops, why can’t they keep them engaged? Statistically, many large businesses experience 30 – 120 percent staff attrition in some front-facing customer roles. This is staggering and extremely disruptive for the business and the relationship with the customer, as well as being very costly.
It’s not only technically qualified staff that are becoming rarer, it’s also the other 50 plus roles that support automotive businesses from administration clerks, phone staff, human resources, detailers, service advisors, management and sales people through to pre-delivery nontechnical staff.
Is it also because of the pressure the Dealer Principles have from OEMs to achieve their net promoter scores (NPS) imposed by the brands? Does this drive additional unnecessary pressure and focus into the service workshops?
When we have conversations with our Members, many tell us they are struggling to attract non-technical staff, even though they offer competitive salaries, provide fair to good work conditions, with many offering career advancements along with drive cars and other perks of the trade.
Perhaps its all or some of these reasons that over time, culturally, is making the industry unpalatable for the next generation of automotive staff? Through word of mouth or vented industry frustrations, the negative pressures of the automotive world are seeping quicker into future potential staff.
