Retail Forum Dealer Discussions - S7

DEALERS MUST CHAMPION DIVERSITY TO
THRIVE AMID CHALLENGES AND CHANGE
In order to compete in a rapidly changing workplace, it's
imperative that car dealers advance the principles of
diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Dealerships that promote DEI will emerge as leaders in
innovation and problem-solving, improve decision-making,
detect business " blind spots, " relate better to a
larger pool of customers and become employers of
choice, according to industry experts that participated in
a Retail Forum: Dealer Discussions panel.
The latter will be particularly important as the labor pool
continues to shrink and baby boomers
and older Gen Xers in the auto industry
- primarily white males - keep
retiring. As an example, consider that
a technician shortage keeps growing
even as the industry will need 642,000
more between now and 2024, says
Cheryl Thompson, CEO and founder of
the Center for Automotive Diversity,
Inclusion & Advancement.
Because of shifting demographics,
women and minorities represent the
best hope for replenishing their ranks. As
such, it's crucial to make the industry more welcoming
and attractive to them, she says.
Furthermore, job postings should emphasize the hightech
aspects of technician jobs, which would help attract
more women, Dandridge says.
Panelists agreed that both conscious and unconscious
biases pose big obstacles for minorities and women.
For example, a bias exists against hiring and promoting
women because they need time off for children, says
Erikka Wells, sales manager at Volkswagen of Marion in
southern Illinois and co-founder of the Women of Color
Automotive Network.
" Find dealers that
do it right and
mirror yourself
after them. "
Erikka Wells
Volkswagen of
Marion
" We need more minorities and an inclusive
environment in leadership positions
so that we can better understand
their challenges and help those people
move up, " she says. " And as you hire
more (minorities and women) at leadership
levels, then you'll be able to attract
more to the industry. "
Wells also urges dealers who don't know
where to start the DEI journey to find
peers who do it successfully. " Find dealers
that do it right and mirror yourself
after them, " she says.
" The talent pool we've typically pulled from - that would
be white males - is shrinking, " Thompson notes. " So we
have to start looking at talent in a different way. "
Other dynamics are driving the need for DEI. The Gen Z
cohort (anyone born between 1997 and 2021) wants to
work for organizations that prioritize DEI. And the financial
sector, as well as certain customer segments with
great purchasing power, increasingly makes investment
and buying decisions, respectively, based on how companies
handle DEI, Thompson says.
Female workers remain under-represented; just 20% of
service advisors, 7% of service managers and only 1% of
technicians are women, according to a National Automobile
Dealers Association (NADA) study. And just 5% of managers
at dealerships are women, Thompson says.
To create opportunities for women, the industry needs to
offer apprenticeship programs, flexible work programs and
equity and parity in pay, says Myra Dandridge, executive
director of external affairs and public policy at NADA.
7
NADA can help, too. The group is the exclusive provider of
20 Group services for the Minority Dealer Development
20 Groups at General Motors, designed to attract and
retain minority dealers, Dandridge says.
" NADA is committed to finding and training minority
talent through our suite of educational resources and
training programs, " she says. " We have a number of programs
and tools designed to help women and minorities
advance in the automotive-retail industry and enthusiastically
encourage them to utilize the full scope of our
training opportunities. "
Moving the needle on DEI can benefit dealers in many
ways, Wells says.
" When we offer job flexibility, we create happier people, "
she says. " Then that creates a better dealership environment,
which then translates to a better customer experience.
And that pays off.
" If dealerships start to think about the currency of the
people that work for them, the profits will be endless. "
Retail Forum Dealer Discussions

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