5 Tips for Recruiting and Retaining Auto Technicians
Today’s economy makes it challenging for many industries to find skilled employees. This is especially true for the automotive industry. Interest in shop-related careers has declined as younger generations pursue other career paths. However, there are ways that auto shop owners can succeed in finding and retaining technicians. Since the best technicians in your area are probably already employed, it’s all about providing enough incentive for staff to consider switching over to employment at your shop.
Why Retention Matters
The need for hiring new technicians is clear. After all, if your shop doesn’t have the right number of staff, it can’t operate correctly. Even though it might be harder to see the value in staff retention, it’s just as important as focusing on recruitment efforts. This is because tech retention leads to customer retention. When customers see that your technicians are knowledgeable and great at using your shop’s specific equipment, and when they start recognizing specific staff members as experts, they’ll be more likely to stay loyal to the shop. Here are a few changes you can consider when it comes to improving your shop’s recruitment and retention efforts:
1. Include retention bonuses.
When you offer retention bonuses, you are more likely to keep current techs happy and to get potential hires interested in working for you. Retention bonuses can be customized to fit your business. For example, you could calculate a retention bonus rate by taking the total hours turned in a quarter and then set aside an additional $X per hour for that quarter. After the employee’s first two quarters, you can offer the first quarter’s bonus to the tech. And then they can look forward to receiving the second quarter’s bonus during the third. Building up bonuses for the future can be a great incentive for employees to stay on board for the long run.
2. Allow a flexible schedule for your technicians.
Today’s technicians appreciate flexible schedule options. It might be because the pandemic reminded them of the importance of enjoying moments with family, or it might be a shift in thinking that’s been long overdue. But technicians don’t want to work at an auto shop that does not respect their time.
What does this mean for auto shops? Well, it might mean that you should no longer require everyone to work the same hours each week (i.e., 9-7 each weekday). This shift may sound like a huge obstacle, but it pays off in the long run. For example, what if each tech took turns working weekends, always getting the following weekend off as an incentive? Your shop would still stay operational, but the employees would be happier and less likely to jump ship. Alternatively, what if your shop moved to a 4-day work week but stayed open for longer on each of those four days? This would offer more flexible hours for customers without overworking your technicians.
3. Create a more comfortable work environment.
Make your auto shop a great place to work every day. Seemingly small decisions, like getting a music subscription so your techs can listen to music as they work or making sure that your workspaces are well air-conditioned, make a big difference for those who work in those conditions every day. Today’s workers are also drawn in by other benefits such as health insurance, paid time off, and company get-togethers (dinners, outings, etc.).
4. Proactively search for great candidates.
When it comes to recruitment, you can’t just wait around for a candidate to come to you. Instead, go to the candidates. We recommend checking out American Diesel Training Centers or WrenchWay. Once you find a technician who could be a good fit, reach out to them about your job opportunity a few times. Most recruiters recommend reaching out three times. It may seem like you are pestering them, but persistence works for recruiters in all industries and can help you recruit great technicians for your auto shop as well.
5. Change up your job posting and ads approach.
Once you have a few great benefits to offer at your auto shop (great work environment, flexible hours, etc.), use them to create eye-catching job postings. There are some other points that you can mention about what makes your shop great. For example: “Manager has been with us for XX years”, “Our upper-level techs make $X per year,” and “We guarantee XX minimum hours per week.” It’s also important to make sure that you emphasize what’s in it for the potential technicians.
Response time matters as well. The quicker you respond to potential hires, the more likely that you’ll catch them before they move on to another offer!
Job ads also need to be respectful to applicants. Ensure nothing can be read as offensive in the job posting. They should be easy to read as well; bullet points tend to work better than paragraphs.
How R.O. Writer Helps
R.O. Writer’s Auto Shop Management software can help your recruitment and retention efforts. R.O. Writer modernizes your shop’s operations, making a tech’s life easier. They can easily build out a repair order, find and buy required parts within seconds, easily invoice customers, and more. You can mention your use of R.O. Writer in your job postings, letting your potential hires know that they’ll get to work with a shop that is organized and streamlined.
