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WyoTech. " Will things like this help in technician
retention? Without question. "
As an example, Ryder System, Inc. celebrated
this year's Technician Appreciation Week with a
gift and a personal thank you from each location
manager to their technicians, said Lesley Kerr, VP
of human resources, Ryder. This year, the shop
managers gave their technicians a Ryder-branded
Yeti coffee mug.
" Last year, we gave a really high-quality flashlight
to the technicians, " said Bryce Kinsley, VP of
maintenance at Ryder. " These were well-received
two years in a row. "
Technician tokens of appreciation don't need to
be physical gifts or even shop- or fleet-branded.
Goninen's father, who owns a Wisconsin-based
independent shop, once gifted his best technician
a subscription to Scanner Danner, a library
of diagnostic training video resources and case
studies on engine performance, computer controls,
and electrical systems.
" We went out and got him the premium
subscription because that was something that
he really liked, " Goninen recalled. " And he was
tickled pink. "
That subscription cost $11 per month.
" There are ways to hold down the cost, " Barlow
mentioned. " Remember, this is about building
relationships and that means everyone has a
part in it. "
Free food
Of course, we'd be remiss to talk about perks without
bringing up one of the best of all: free food.
At her shop, J.B. Hunt's Celine Young said techs
can earn a free lunch each month for meeting
safety goals.
" For every milestone of one, two, or three years
of being safe with no reported accidents or incidents,
we get a big lunch, " Young said. At their
most recent lunch, " we had steak and baked potatoes,
and we were given two hours to relax, hang
out, and enjoy each other's company. "
Ryder also offered their technicians free food
for Technician Appreciation Week, which was
largely driven by the local shop managers.
" Some of them brought in games during the day
to entertain their techs. There were food trucks,
and some of the managers would barbecue, "
Ryder's Kinsley noted. " It was very unique from
location to location, and being able to hear some
of the stories in our world of what those locations
did for their technicians was pretty impressive. "
Free food can also be used to celebrate a tech for
their years of service, whether it's five years or 45.
For those celebrations, the important part is tailoring
the reward to the technician and what they
would appreciate. This emphasizes the unique
community of each shop location and the individual
role each tech plays in that community,
Kinsley and Kerr explained.
Perks shouldn't replace
strong salaries and benefits
All of these strategies can help increase technician
retention and recruitment, but it's important
to note that they're not replacements for a salary
that supports a technician's family, strong benefits
packages, and trustworthy leadership.
" I mean, it's nice to have four-day workweeks,
and it's nice to have the lunches and feel appreciated, "
Young noted. " But if you don't have everybody
on the same page for what is expected of the
management team, feeling appreciated doesn't
amount to much. "
" Salary is still number one, " Goninen added.
" With that being said, I think you have to appeal
over and above salary. "
These perks can add miles to a technician's job
satisfaction, many of which come down to recognizing
the individuality of a technician as more
than a simple worker drone, but a skilled employee
whose input is valued as much as their work. This
gives them the ability to work in the way that best
suits them, and thus the shop.
" If you don't feel like you've got any control over
what's happening to your life, you don't feel as
confident and you don't feel as happy, " Goninen
concluded. " Even if it's something that's simple,
as long as you're getting some ability to control
schedule or pay, the more flexibility the better. "
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