Automotive News Canada - October 2021 - 36

36
* OCTOBER 2021
Best Dealerships To Work For
There's nothing more important than communication.
It gives everyone the peace of mind that we're doing the
right things and we're making progress, and [it] keeps
everyone on the same page and focused on that.
ADAM LALLY
Lally Auto Group
PHOTO: ISTOCK.COM
WALKING THE WALK
WITH TALK
COVID-19 made it clear
that communication
is crucial for dealerships
By DAVID KENNEDY
T ORONTO BUREAU CHIEF
KEEPING STAFF APPRISED OF THE
latest developments at work is a priority
for many of Automotive News
Canada's 25 Best Dealerships to Work
For. And seldom has an open line of
communication been as valuable as
it has been during the COVID-19 pandemic.
" There's
nothing more important
than communication, " said Adam
Lally, vice-president of Lally Auto
Group. " It gives everyone the peace of
mind that we're doing the right things
and we're making progress, and [it]
keeps everyone on the same page and
focused on that. "
For years, Lally Ford in Tilbury -
near Windsor, Ont. - has distributed
online and print newsletters to staff.
As the pandemic took hold in early
2020, the dealership increased the frequency
to as often as once a week,
using the memos to disseminate information
about both the company and
changes to local health and safety regulations.
Lally Ford also added Zoom
meetings for management and other
teams while stepping up its one-on-one
interactions, Lally said.
" Those types of communications
to everybody, I think, have helped get
everyone through it, " he said.
The results of Automotive News
Canada's 2021 Best Dealerships survey
found that communications played
a role in separating the top dealerships
from the rest, with 93 per cent of
employees at winning dealers saying
the corporate updates they received
were frequent enough, compared with
83 per cent of employees at non-winners.
STAFF
WANT TO BE IN THE LOOP
The division is even greater for
updates on changes that could affect
staff. Ninety per cent of workers at
winning dealerships said they received
adequate communication on topics
that could affect them, compared with
78 per cent of employees at nonwinning
dealerships.
Top dealers also ensure the flow
of information is
going in both directions.
Cowling:
Empathy
toward
staff mattered
even more
during the
pandemic.
FILE PHOTO
Craig Cowling,
general manager of
Roadsport Honda
in Scarborough,
Ont., 30 kilometres
east of downtown
Toronto, said
his dealership has
always actively
sought out input
from staff over the
years.
" During this
pandemic, it
became even more
critical to be even more empathetic, "
Cowling said. The dealership has used
much of the feedback during the pandemic
to boost its on-site safety protocols
for staff and customers.
Chris Gauthier, president of
Roadsport Auto Group, which
also operates Toronto's Roadsport
Chrysler, said that between the company's
human resources department and
its health and safety committees, staff
have been kept up to date on
COVID-19 developments.
At Policaro Acura in
Brampton, Ont., General
Manager Fortune Policaro and
his leadership team had " open
and honest conversations "
with staff about changes to job
roles and consolidating positions.
This
gave employees " a
sense of contribution to this
'new' set-up of the dealership, "
Policaro said in an
Automotive News Canada survey.
Policaro
said he and his
management team also had to
take on new roles and responsibilities.
" In
doing so, it allowed the
employees to see that everyone
was doing what they
A SHOT AND A SHOUTOUT
Communication has also played a
key role in inching Roadsport Auto
back toward normalcy. Since COVID19
vaccines became available, the
dealership has used its direct line to
employees to encourage staff to get the
jab and to celebrate those who have,
Gauthier said.
Early on, Roadsport Auto gave staff
members a $50 gas card for each dose.
" Whether they did that on their
Policaro:
own time or whether they did that on
our time, it didn't matter, " Gauthier
said.
" Open and
honest "
The company also held cross-dealership
drawings every Friday this summer
for $200 Amazon gift
cards, open to employees who
were vaccinated. After each
draw, the winner would be
publicized across the company,
helping push some of the
" fence-sitters " toward getting
the vaccine, Gauthier said.
" I think as the momentum
started to grow... the attitude
toward it kind of became
much more positive, " he
said.
conversations
with employees
about changes
to job roles
helped Policaro
Acura navigate
the pandemic.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
could in order to keep our doors open
and our customers satisfied. "
Though Gauthier could
not measure exactly how
effective the incentives and
ongoing communication
about getting the vaccine
have been, he said vaccination
rates at both Roadsport
Chrysler and Honda exceed
the average across the
Greater Toronto Area.
Lally Ford is also encouraging staff
by offering an additional vacation day
with proof of vaccination. Beyond that,
however, Lally said the company has
aimed to keep communication about
the touchy topic to a minimum.
" We're trying to balance privacy
and everyone's right to a personal
decision, " he said.
As with Gauthier, Lally could not
point to a precise metric for how effective
the vaccine incentive has been but
said more than 90 per cent of staff at
the Tilbury dealership have received
at least one shot. - ANC
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Automotive News Canada - October 2021

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