Where is your shop today: Do you have a career or job culture?

In today’s shop operations, you must have clear policies in order to develop a strong culture. A strong culture will create a “career” atmosphere and retain the top talent compared to a “job” culture, where in essence the person is saying, “I am here until something better comes along.”

This three-part article series is a sample of what a policy manual for your team could look like. This can help all employees understand how they will conduct their business and where they fit in.  Adjust where necessary for your operation. With the policies from these three articles in place, your operation will truly have a “career” culture within your business.  

Team Member Responsibilities

Our Mission: We are committed to building a relationship with our clients to properly maintain and manage their vehicle based on their specific driving needs and to meet the manufacturer recommended specifications. We will provide the client with “Service and Quality You Can Trust” and offer a one-stop solution for all their automotive and maintenance needs.  We are committed to the ongoing education, training and development of our technicians and management teams to remain knowledgeable about the latest technologies. Our friendly, knowledgeable, and professional team will educate and counsel the client to their specific automotive needs for safety, reliability, and efficiency of their vehicle.

Hours of Operation: We are open to the public Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and we are closed on weekends and statutory holidays. Every team member plays an active role in the productivity and efficiency of the day-to-day operations of the shop. We have established a culture of trust, honesty, and integrity. We work as a team and make decisions for the betterment of the team together as a team.  Each team member is just as valuable as the next. Each member plays an integral role in the business operating to its full potential.  We Respect one another and go above and beyond to help each other out.  We are here to see each Team member succeed and excel.  We not only perform our individual roles required of each of us, but we also help in areas that are not in our specific roles if it means meeting goals and objectives.  We all help to keep the shop clean, sanitized and to maintain a safe working environment. We are family-oriented, and we do not tolerate Team members who focus on I and me but rather on we and the team, and we do not tolerate bullying and abusive behaviors of any kind. We believe in ongoing training and development for all Team members in all aspects of the business including business management to learn and understand the numbers of the business and why they are important.  We empower our Team members by giving them the tools and skills needed to succeed and to be able to make the best decisions on behalf of the Team and (Your company name here).  We encourage your feedback and both positive and constructive in a professional manner that will be of benefit to the Team and the company.

Pandemic – COVID - Due to the unprecedented times in which we may find ourselves, we will make decisions based on what is best for our Team members and for the health and viability of (Your company name here).  This may include layoffs or terminations due to shortages of work.  We will strive to keep all Team members working and will base decisions on the extent of the pandemic, what the future will bring, and on how we are mandated by the government to be open or closed.  This plan may change as the times change and could be out of our control.  All personal protective equipment and sanitizing products are encouraged to be used and are enforced.  Sanitizing procedures are the responsibility of all Team members.  If any Team member has come in contact with someone who has COVID-19, are showing any symptoms of COVID, such as sore throat, fever, headache, body aches, rash, or have been out of the country in the last 14 days or been in contact with anyone who has been out of the country in the last 14 days, you are required to stay home for 14 days and get tested.  You will not be allowed to return to work until you have a negative test result.  We encourage you to listen to the precautions put forth for everyone, to stay home as much as possible, social distance, and to use a mask when you cannot safely socially distance, get tested if you are feeling well, and do not come to work or go out if you are not feeling well. And wash your hands often.  Putting yourself in jeopardy jeopardizes not only your families and the community but your Team members and may mean the closure of (Your company name here) and the possibility of the trust of our clients.

With the onset of the COVID pandemic, we had to make some heartbreaking decisions leading to layoff and eventual terminations of members of the Team that did not embrace the Culture of our business.  Due to these decisions, we saw firsthand how detrimental it was to our net income to keep members who were not engaged.  It has made us realize that we must keep a close eye on aspects of our business that we had preciously trusted to members.  This will mean that going forward, we will maintain control over certain aspects of the day-to-day operations of our business.  It is imperative that all Team members take their roles and responsibilities seriously and communicate and embrace the culture that we have created.

Financial – The owners will provide certain confidential information they deem to be shared with the Team as to the productivity and profitability to the company.  As with all confidential information, this information must be kept confidential and stay within the four walls of the shop and is not permitted to be shared or discussed with anyone other than a Team member outside of the shop.  If it is found that the confidentiality has been breached, it is grounds for immediate dismissal without compensation.

With the ever-changing industry and advancements in technology, it is important to keep the Team educated and up to date prior to us seeing these advancements in our bays.  It is required that Team members take responsibility and an initiative on their own as well to keep up to date on changes in the industry and technical advances.

We believe in rewarding our Team members through profit-sharing after goals have been achieved on a quarterly basis. 

Profit-sharing is shared with employees per guidelines set up as follows:

• Licensed Technicians and Service Advisors are 1 full unit.
• Apprentice Technicians are .5 of a unit.
• Admins are .5 of a unit
• Owners are excluded from profit sharing.
• Team members must be a member of the Team for one full year before they are eligible for profit sharing.  This makes sure there is Team loyalty and commitment, and that the employee is fully committed to the productivity and profitability of the company. 

Non-Disclosure Agreements must be signed by every employee, as we are providing and trusting you with confidential information and numbers as to the profitability of the company.

 To be continued...