Automotive News Canada - October 2022 - 39

* OCTOBER 2022
39
Best Dealerships To Work For
HGrégoire
Mitsubishi Laval
Laval, Que.
l CEO: John Hairabedian
l Dealership group: HGrégoire
l Number of employees: 31
General Manager Philippe Lamarre on
how the current inventory shortages
have affected staff scheduling and
workload: It has had a tremendous
impact. Right now, we have no cars,
so work schedules are adapted for all.
Even a four-day work week is offered.
Lamarre on lessons
learned about being a better
employer from managing
the dealership through
the pandemic and inventory
shortages: That
employees are the biggest
asset a dealer has.
Lamarre on steps taken to
improve employee retention:
We did a deep dive to
find the root cause. From
that we modified sales
staff pay plans, so they
are quite competitive, and
at the same time, offer a
regular weekly flow of
money to them.
The biggest lesson learned from all the upheaval is that employees are a dealer's biggest asset,
said HGrégoire Mitsubishi Laval General Manager Philippe Lamarre. SUPPLIED PHOTO
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
Birchwood Hyundai's entry
into the Birchwood Car Rally
for United Way Winnipeg.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
DECEMBER 1 * DEARBORN
Birchwood Hyundai
Winnipeg, Man.
l President: Steve Chipman
l Dealership group: Birchwood
l Number of employees: 42
Human Resources Manager
Sarah Giesbrecht on the impact
of pandemic and inventory
shortages on employment
and hiring: We recruit through
virtual platforms such as
Zoom. Our centralized recruitment
team began implementing
video interviews for sales
roles, allowing the dealership's
managers to be more efficient
with who they meet for second
round of interviews. That
also shows how the applicant
performs in front of a camera,
which is becoming a more and
more important mode of communication
with customers,
[such as] virtual walkarounds.
General Manager Mike Dobush
on steps taken to improve
employee retention: We have
modified several compensation
plans, specifically for commissioned
staff, to provide a larger
base to help them manage
the reduction in vehicle sales.
We have also started paying
increased amounts on other
key performance indicators
across the dealership (training
completion, inventory acquisition,
fixed right first time and
productivity etc.)
Dobush on the pros and cons
of allowing staff to work from
home: There has been an
increase in team member
morale for the flexibility to
work from home (no commute,
attention to family care, etc.)
but also a lack of face to face
and camaraderie with their
team.
LEADING WITH PURPOSE AND IMPACT
TOPICS
* DEI initiatives and cultures
* Managing multiple generations
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Automotive News Canada - October 2022

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