ADVICE INDUSTRY ASK MIKE: How Do We Revolutionize Employee Retention?

This month, we “ASK MIKE” for his thoughts on unique ways that shops can better ensure employee retention. We at Hammer & Dolly hope you find the following exchange useful, and we encourage you to reach out to us if you have a question for Mike on this or any industryrelated matter that he can answer in a future issue.

Hammer & Dolly: At the NORTHEAST® Automotive Services Show in New Jersey back in March, you participated in a discussion on employee retention. You mentioned that when you were a shop owner, you implemented four-day workweeks for your staff. This was pretty interesting; I don’t know of any other shop owner who does that. What led you to do that at your business?

Mike Anderson: When I worked with my dad years ago, I was always stressed about taking a day off from work. There were no cell phones back then, so when you took off, it wasn’t like you could check in with anybody. I knew how stressful it was for me to take off, so I thought, ‘You know, I want to make it so that my employees don’t feel that stress.’ We made the decision that we were going to work longer days Monday through Thursday and close at 1pm every Friday. My employees loved it, and it was also a way for me to get them to buy into having a team system. I told them, ‘Here’s the deal. We’re going to close at 1pm on Friday. But when we close on Friday, nobody leaves until everybody leaves.’ If a technician’s last car was delivered at 11am, they would help the other techs finish a car, or they might help the wash rack person wash cars. Everybody had to jump in and help. If a tech had an apprentice do assembly and disassembly, I would give them a three-day weekend once a month. Then, I started doing that for the estimators. I did it with the intention of giving my employees quality of life and also creating camaraderie so they would help each other. I did this from 2000 when I bought my dad out until I sold the shop in 2010.

H&D: You’re not an owner anymore, but you’re still in the industry and talk to shops every day. Clearly, we’re still somewhat in the pandemic era. One common complaint we hear from shop owners these days is, ‘Nobody wants to work.’ I would challenge that and say, ‘Nobody wants to work for you.’

MA: I agree.

H&D: With that in mind, what are some things you’re seeing shops do that really seem to attract and retain people?

MA: I see shops investing in their teams – not just with training but through team-building exercises or by having speakers like G.B. Outlaw or Mike Jones from Discover Leadership come in and truly build a team. Everybody wants to be part of a team. That’s why a lot of people like to be involved in sports or the military or in a band. That’s what our industry is missing. When people feel like they’re part of a team, it also helps them become better individuals.

When I was a shop owner, I’d shut my business down every quarter for a complete Friday. For example, in January, I’d shut down on a Friday and bring in the 401(k) people and tell my employees to invite their spouses. I’d buy lunch for everybody, and I’d allow the 401(k) people to schedule individual appointments with my employees and their spouses. Every April, I’d bring in someone to speak on health insurance. A lot of people have Christmas parties, but ours wasn’t just a party with a bar and a DJ; we’d have games where employees’ significant others could get involved. I used to have a strongman, Dennis Rogers, come in and do an event for kids. It was really about building that family. I used to send birthday cards to all my employees’ kids. We’d send gift cards, and I would sign the birthday cards. I had a collage in my office with all of my employees’ kids. Every year, I’d take their school pictures and put them on there. That’s who we all worked for – those kids.

H&D: Presenting a clear career path for someone is also key to employee retention. People want to know where they are going to be at your business in three or five years. It’s not about earning a quick buck; it’s about presenting something to your employees that they can hold on to.

MA: If you go online and Google ‘Chipotle Career Path,’ you’ll see they actually have a graph of how much you can make in different positions. We lock a lot of people out of our industry because, while we have great technicians and estimators, they’re not good teachers. Back when I had my repair business, I had after-hours body training on the first Wednesday of every month. On the second Wednesday, I’d do the same thing for the paint department. On the third Wednesday, I’d do it for estimating and parts. If you work in a particular department but want to go to another one, you may need to take a pay cut because you don’t know anything. By offering that Wednesday night training, people had the opportunity to learn new things after hours. That way, their switch to another department would be a lateral move.

Mike Anderson is an Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) and the former owner of Wagonwork Collision Centers, two highly acclaimed shops located in Alexandria, VA. He has served as a member of many industry organizations throughout his career, including the WMABA Board of Directors, the Mitchell Advisory Board, the MOTOR Advisory Board, the ASE Test Review Committee, the National Auto Body Council, the Collision Industry Conference and the Society of Collision Repair Specialists. Additionally, he is a past Virginia SkillsUSA chairman, serves as a facilitator for Axalta Coating Systems’ highly recognized Business Council 20 Groups in both the US and Canada and facilitates numerous courses for Axalta Coating Systems’ Educational Series. He currently offers expert industry consulting via his latest venture, Collision Advice (collisionadvice.com). H&D

BY MIKE ANDERSON

One of the biggest things that changed my life and my business was a book by Gary Chapman and Paul White called The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. People feel appreciation differently – not everybody is motivated by money. I had a client in Canada who wouldn’t reward a job well done with a bonus; the owner would do things like pay to have someone clean an employee’s house for a month! If I give you money as a bonus, you’ll spend it and not remember it five years from now. But if I pay to have someone clean your house or pay for your kid’s gymnastics lessons, that’s something that creates a memory, which can translate into loyalty. H&D