Rethinking recruitment

Dec. 1, 2015
Recently ABRN spoke with its 2015 Top Shops winners to discuss where and how they're sourcing their next great employee. As usually happens with industry employment issues, the discussion turned to a central question: Why is there a shortage of body shop workers?

Recently ABRN spoke with its 2015 Top Shops winners to discuss where and how they're sourcing their next great employee. As usually happens with industry employment issues, the discussion turned to a central question: Why is there a shortage of body shop workers?

Theories abound, but there's no one explanation or single sufficient answer. Owners point to the sometimes challenging, physical nature of collision work. Others say many potential workers have no real idea of what goes on in shops and thus dismiss them as employers. Some repairers point to the negative experiences employees suffer at shops that don't focus on worker satisfaction. This, in particular, they say has helped create a population of "gypsy" workers who move from one shop to another only to wrestle again with the same issues. Some simply abandon the industry. Most undoubtedly share their stories of frustration with family and friends, painting an unfriendly portrait of the industry workplace.

Repairers bump into these disparate issues as they try to form hiring plans. While challenging, some shops have put together recruitment programs that are working. Some of the most successful programs have been created by members of this year's Top Shops class. Their experiences can form the framework of a larger response accessible to the entire industry and appropriate for most any shop.

The art of the apprenticeship

Chantilly Auto Body, the 2015 Top Shops winner, has a long history of sponsorship and support of local schools. They're on the verge of taking these relationships one step further when they institute an apprenticeship program. Business Development Manager Rob Ellison is currently working with three vocational schools to determine how his business will model this program.

On paper, this would seem to be easy. Many vocational schools graduate an average 15-20 collision repair students each year. Chantilly should be looking at a minimum of 45 potentially interested graduates, correct? Actually, the real number is much smaller.

Ellison explains that many, sometimes most, graduates leave these program with no interest in a collision repair career. Some discover they just don't like the work. Others find engine repair more interesting and move over to mechanical service. For others, time in a body repair program was simply a way of padding out their time in school.

Ellison says the key is finding those students who are talented and would consider becoming a repairer and giving them a path into the industry. Since many of these students have little if any idea what actually goes on in a modern repair shop, Ellison is arranging a field trip for students to visit a Chantilly location to witness how a high-production shop operates. He's looking at setting up stations where students can get up close and personal with technology that they don't see in the classroom.

"A lot of these kids are interested in high tech, but their schools can't afford to buy high-end equipment," he explains. "I'd like to let them have a hand seeing how a laser measuring device works."

Beyond shop visits, Ellison is eying a program that fully engages apprentices, one that allows them to contribute and get a real taste of the work-a-day collision repair world. Dave Callister, general manager of Mentor, Ohio-based D&S Automotive Collision and Restyling, says that's significant since shops sometimes stumble at this stage.

They don't formulate an effective program that benefits the apprentice and the shop."Some have kids washing cars for months and little else," he explains. Schools can balk at support if they see little value for their students. "You need referrals from the teacher, so you don't want to lose their confidence," Callister says.

(Photo courtesy of D&S Automotive) Looking for a great future tech, painter of estimator? Detailers have skills and talents that can be molded into other shop careers.

Callister's business runs a successful apprenticeship program that already has placed two new employees. A D&S apprenticeship covers roughly 20 weeks and provides students with in-depth, hands-on instructions on each stage of its lean operations.

During the first four weeks, students learn damage analysis and perform tear downs. The next four weeks are dedicated to light structure repair with students learning how to use filler and install parts while meeting all the recommended gaps. Students then spend a month concentrating on heavy structures. They work on a frame rack, practice MIG and resistance welding and study vehicle structures.

The final six weeks are dedicated to paint work. Students identify a proper repair, learn the value of a clean booth, spray primers and apply base coats and clear finishes. D&S also instructs them on applying waterborne finishes.

Callister says the program provides a low-cost gateway for young people wanting a good-paying career. "By the time they're 30 they could be making $70,000 a year," he says. "And they're not saddled with thousands of dollars of student loan debt [from a post secondary institution]."
 

Outsider invasion

The success of apprenticeship programs demonstrates how shops can develop employees with basic or no automotive background. Indeed, some Top Shops have built their businesses around processes so they can develop their own employees.

Classic Accident Repair Center in Mentor, Ohio invites workers from all backgrounds to apply. Much of their training is conducted in-house, allowing them to continuously develop their own employees. Classic also pays for any external training through I-CAR, vendors and OEMS and stocks their own tools.

G&C Auto Body in Santa Rosa, Calif. does much the same. They train their own estimators, techs and painters and pay for tools. "That's a big savings of $30,000 in schooling and tools for anyone looking to start work in this industry," says Chief Operations Officer Shawn Crozat.

Both shops have had steady success with these setups. Classic has few problems bringing in new workers. Crozat says some of his best employees arrive with no previous automotive background.

"One of our best writers was working in a sporting goods store two years ago," he says. "Today he's making $90,000 a year."

Crozat also touts his system for training technicians and other workers better than they could anywhere else. This hiring/training process is a core part of G&C's long-term survival strategy. "We're always looking for a competitive advantage," says Crozat. "Where there isn't one, we'll create it for ourselves."

That advantage lies in building an available labor pool instead of dipping into the small, possibly shrinking, one that most of the industry competes over. Taking the latter route can prove dangerously costly, says Crozat. Needy shops can find themselves in expensive bidding wars to pry techs away from their current employer. They risk raising labor costs beyond what insurers are willing to cover, a risky proposition for shops and employees alike.

"We don't want to over-or underpay anyone," Crozat says. "We always want to pay employees what they're worth and take care of the business."

(Photo courtesy of  D&S Automotive) During the first stage of D&S's apprenticeship program, students learn to perform damage analysis and vehicle tear downs. (Photo courtesy of Chantilly Auto Body) Effective apprenticeship and mentoring programs can have new hires performing repairs even on high performance vehicles in little time.

Traditional recruiting routes

Certainly, not every experienced hire is looking for a substantial pay hike. Many want a change of scenery or a better opportunity. Top Shops reach these recruits by many conventional means, such as job ads in newspapers, Craigslist and other online employment sites, and their own Web pages. Classic visits tech schools and invites students to apply.

Trey Perdue, general manager of CSI Collision Specialist in Houston, reaches out to current employees and vendors for referrals. He also tries to promote from within. Looking throughout an organization for employees interested in new careers paths can pay off.

Callister raves about the success his company has had developing employees from entry level positions. "We've had more promotions from the washing bay than anywhere else." he says.

G&C draws painters from its prep workers who complete the transition by hitting 12 successive goals:

1. Mask vehicle for refinish and sand panels.

2. Take EPA 6H training.

3. Prime and block repair work.

4. Polish.

5. Spray all jambed parts and interior parts of car (for example, rear body panel and radiator

support).

6. Spray sealer on exterior panels.

7. Spray clear on exterior panels.

8. Spray base on exterior panels.

9. Attend paint vendor school for color matching.

10. Mix clear and sealer for Lead Refinish Technician

11. Mix base for Lead Refinish Technician.

12. Tint color.

Each task must be mastered before the prepper can train on the next. G&C manages the career transition by mandating that the shop's schedule not be interrupted. Preppers must perform all regular duties and clean their work stalls before receiving additional training.

Constant qualities

Before an employee can be considered for such a promotion, or an outside worker brought in, shops need to take steps to determine they've identified the right person for the opportunity. In the case of the latter, Top Shops like Classic run thorough background checks. They also look for a stable work history and a willingness to buy into a new system, adapt and commit to long-range employment.

When evaluating current employees, some shops place a premium on attitude over experience. They'd rather hitch their wagon to employees with mechanical or other aptitude and an interest in learning versus a 25-year industry veteran who is unwilling to grow. D&S Vice President CJ Paterniti prizes a strong work ethic coupled with enthusiasm: "That person who finds a way to stay busy, who will empty waste baskets and do whatever it takes to help," he says.

Other Top Shops search for skills that can be utilized in shop areas outside of repairs and painting. For example, organizational skills can be put to use in a parts department. Ellison notes that focusing on these under-appreciated skill sets also opens the door to valuable outside work pools shops could be ignoring.

For example, former military members often have organizational and leadership abilities that can be molded into a number of shop positions. Ellison's business already has discussed ways to bring in these workers. (ABRN's May 2015 edition features a full list of resources to help shops hire members of the armed forces.) 

(Photo courtesy of Chantilly Auto Body) Estimating and administrative duties offer career paths for new outside hires not interested in repair work. (Photo courtesy of G&C Auto Body) Comfortable, clean break rooms and work spaces demonstrate a shop's desire to create an employee-friendly environment. Retention efforts like these are also a component of recruitment programs.

Chantilly also has taken note of technology skills possessed by many entry level employees that can be put to work. Ellison says during the summer a senior employee began bringing in his son, a recent high school graduate, to help at the shop. To further his understanding of the work, the young man sat with his father and studied I-CAR courses online. The father reported that, not only was his son able to more easily navigate the course, he also outperformed him.

"If this young guy is interested in pursuing a career, we'd be interested in investing in him," says Ellison. "We'd love to have him be our expert on something like our high tech measuring systems."

 Retention: The final piece of the hiring puzzle

The one downside of bringing on new employees and developing current ones is the risk shops take if these same folks decide to take their now-honed talents and experience elsewhere. Any organization is going to see some attrition. Repairers wince at the prospect of losing personnel investments.

Interestingly, Top Shops don't share these concerns—at least not to the same degree. Some say employee turnover is rare or practically nonexistent. The reason: These shops continue actively making the case for workers to stay long after a hire or promotion. They provide great working conditions and the opportunity for further advancement.

"Someone else might pay more, but there are other important things that employees value," explains Paterniti. "The culture is important, as is letting them pursue their personal goals."

"If we give them multiple areas to grow, they won't go anywhere else," he adds. The same proactive policies that bring employees into a business can convince them to remain. Developing long-term employees is a cornerstone of any successful recruitment plan.

Doing so helps eliminate the need for rash hiring decisions. It also puts in place veteran workers who can enlist and mold the next generation of employees. With that done, shops no longer need to bemoan the state of hiring in the industry. They've done their part in repairing it.

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