Dealing with the Great Resignation?

You thought we would be done with the pandemic by now, but like Al Pacino’s character, Michael Corleone, said in The Godfather II, “Just when I thought I was out, they drag me back in!” Will the effects of the pandemic always be a part of our lives? It sure looks like it.

There are still many questions we never had to deal with before, and many things we thought would be in our rearview mirrors by now. Are you prepared for the postCOVID work environment?Are you ready for a majority hybrid-remote office model? Are other shops trying to hire away some of your top people? Will some of your upper management take this opportunity to retire? Is it time to sell?

These are life-changing decisions and the time to make them is here.

We’re now entering the post-pandemic world and many of your employees have different opinions. While some of your crew is enthusiastically returning to work, others are reluctant and have concerns about hours, safety and other issues.

Regardless of whatever your employees think will happen next, body shop owners and managers are just happy to return to some level of normalcy after these 30 months. But, are things really back to normal—and what is normal now, anyway?

In many parts of the country, the shortage of qualified people got even worse during the pandemic. An MSO owner told me recently he could put 80 collision professionals to work immediately, if they existed. I would bet any shop out there right now could use a few more qualified people, as car counts rise and customers who were reluctant to bring their vehicles for repairs start showing up at their doors.

Poaching employees is a problem, especially in states like California and New York, and it will undoubtedly get worse within the next year or so, I believe. So, with motivating your crew and strengthening them more important than ever, here are some methods to help you retain your best employees.

The pandemic caused body shop owners and managers to centralize decision-making to be more efficient, pulling it into the leadership team without feedback from key stakeholders, like top technicians or the head painter. This was essential during the pandemic, but this will need to change to ensure long-term effectiveness and continued employee engagement.

One of the smartest ways to do this is to start inviting employees outside the leadership team and closer to the rest of the crew to participate in the decision-making process.

Some body shop owners said communication improved tremendously during the pandemic because it became mandatory. “People were no longer in the same room, so imparting communication changed,” one owner said. “We became a Zoom culture, and in many cases, we became more comfortable with it and adapted.”

The pandemic created a virtual world, but unfortunately it won’t have much of an impact down the road in collision repair, because you can’t fix cars via Zoom.

It means some employees who were sitting home for more than a year are going to undergo major changes, like commuting and spending less time with their families. Some people won’t adapt well and it may take a month or two to re-engage, so patience but accountability should play a role.

During the pandemic, many shop owners and managers decided to push employee communication to the sidelines. The idea was they should not focus on engagement, saying “We can’t ask our managers, techs, estimators and painters to do one more thing!” Stressed out employees were on their own and forced to navigate it all solo. Some quit and many were laid off, and even a few took early retirement or sold their shops to an MSO.

LUTHER BROOKDALE MAZDA

Partner with Luther Brookdale Mazda for all your OEM Mazda Parts Needs

• $500K + On Site Mazda Genuine Collision Parts Inventory • Free Same Day Local Delivery • Price Matching on Select OEM Mazda Parts to Aftermarket Prices • Professionally Trained Wholesale Sta

Parts Department Hours:

Mon-Fri 7am-6pm Sat 8am-4pm

mathew.schroeder@lutherauto.com www.luthermazda.com

Toll Free 844-843-0615 Parts Direct 763-331-7280 24 Hour Fax 763-331-7281

4435 68th Ave. N. • Brooklyn Center, MN 55429 Classic BMW 440-585-9990

Mon-Fri 7am-6pm Sat 7am-3pm 2571 SOM Center Road Willoughby HIlls, OH 44094 bmwparts@drieclassic.com www.claasicbmw.com

Parts Trader Collision Link

©2022 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.

NEED PARTS?

Choose original mini parts.

Classic MINI

2571 SOM Center Road Willoughby Hills, OH 44094 440-585-9990

Hours: Mon-Fri 7-6 Sat 7-3

OPS TRAX CCC1 OE Connection