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By Joe Marconi in Joe's Blog0 commentsIt always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.
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By J.P. GLENN
Anyone using alignment stands on a 2 post lift? How are they for daily use?
I have a smaller shop with 2 techs and 3 bays, We have 2 lifts and 1 small "flat" bay. We are Japanese specialty shop that is growing and we were planning to add a new lift to the flat bay. The bay is not deep enough for a true 4 post alignment lift, so I was planning to purchase a new 2 post lift and add stands with an alignment machine in the near future. In searching for the right lift to be used with stands, I was just offered a used 2 post Hunter alignment rack that would fit in the bay for the same price as the 2 post with stands... and that really got me thinking...
We do an average of 25 cars a week on 2 makes and we are adding 3 more early this year (thus the need for another lift). We just started doing tires this past year and only sublet alignments when they are absolutely necessary. Our situation is pushing us towards needing an alignment machine in house, but we could use another lift for "over flow" just a much.
Knowing that we will be doing alignments out of necessity in the near future, I am leaning towards having a dedicated alignment lift. My questions are:
1. Does anyone regret purchasing their stands over an actual alignment lift?
2. Does anyone do "other" work on their alignment lift?
3. And how many alignments should I really expect?
If space were a major issue, what would you do?
(Drive-on alignment lift -OR- 2 post lift with alignment stands?)
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By xrac
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By J.P. GLENN
Anyone using alignment stands on a 2 post lift? How are they for daily use?
I have a smaller shop with 2 techs and 3 bays, We have 2 lifts and 1 small "flat" bay. We are Japanese specialty shop that is growing and we were planning to add a new lift to the flat bay. The bay is not deep enough for a true 4 post alignment lift, so I was planning to purchase a new 2 post lift and add stands with an alignment machine in the near future. In searching for the right lift to be used with stands, I was just offered a used 2 post Hunter alignment rack that would fit in the bay for the same price as the 2 post with stands... and that really got me thinking...
Knowing that we will be doing alignments out of necessity in the near future, I am leaning towards having a dedicated alignment lift. We do an average of 25 cars a week on 2 makes and we are adding 3 more early this year (thus the need for another lift). We just started doing tires this past year and only sublet alignments when they are absolutely necessary. Our situation is pushing us towards needing an alignment machine in house, but we could use another lift for "over flow" just a much. Here are my questions:
1. Does anyone regret purchasing their stands over an actual alignment lift?
2. Does anyone do "other" work on their alignment lift?
3. And how many alignments should I really expect?
If space were a major issue, what would you do?
(Drive-on alignment lift -OR- 2 post lift with alignment stands?)
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By alfredauto
What do you guys use to push cars into the shop that are dead? Whenever possible I have the tow truck drop the car in a bay, but if it's busy that's not always an option. We currently push them in the old fashioned way - by hand or I use my truck. Risk of damage is high if I use my truck, we've been lucky so far using old tires as a cushion but there has to be a better way.
I was thinking about rigging up a push bar to my farm tractor bucket and using that, I tried using a garden tractor (20hp craftsman mower actually) but that didn't work out so well, it is useless on the ice.
Pictures would be nice, with the cold we have been pushing in 10 cars a week and it's stressful.
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