Automotive News Canada - October 2024 - 34

34
* OCTOBER 2024
Best Dealerships To Work For
THE PLAYBOOK FOR A HIGH-PERFORMANCE
DEALERSHIP DREAM TEAM
Magic happens when staff
feel as though they're part
of 'something bigger'
By KELLY TAYLOR
WINNIPEG CORRESPONDENT
ZEROING IN ON HIRING THE RIGHT
employees, and keeping them engaged,
is key to retention and dealership performance,
say retailers with low turnover.
" When you take care of your people,
they take care of you, " said Jenna
Gillis, human resources coordinator at
Bruce Automotive Group, which owns 10
dealerships in rural
Nova Scotia. Bruce
Chevrolet-Buick-GMC
reports a low two per
cent annual turnover
while Bruce Honda
and Bruce Hyundai
have three per cent
turnover.
Bhalla:
Customers
appreciate
seeing familiar
faces, which is
a bonus of low
staff turnover.
PHOTO: LINKEDIN
" When people come
to work and feel ... part
of something bigger ...
they just perform better, "
she said.
Engaged staff bring
an enthusiasm to the
job that's missing in
those who are just
going through the
motions.
" At the end of the day, we're selling
the same product as any other dealer or
dealership group, so the difference has to
be our customer service, " Gillis said.
Erin Mills Acura, part of the 37-dealership
Zanchin Automotive Group,
reports two per cent annual staff turnover.
Customers appreciate seeing familLockwood
Kia
Oakville, Ont.
lDealer principal: Jay Lockwood
lNumber of employees: 38
General Manager Michael
DeFreitas on unique benefits
and/or perks offered to employees:
We offer team outings on
a regular basis, which include
dinners or catered lunches at
the dealership.
DeFreitas on offering new hires
and/or existing employees a
long-term career path: Our
first choice is to always hire
from within. We also offer an
in-house career coach who is
available to all dealership staff.
DeFreitas on providing work-life
balance to employees: We offer
reduced work hours during the
week and will limit any overtime
work. We also offer flexible
scheduling and mandatory fourweek
vacation after 10 years of
employment.
DeFreitas on volunteer/charitable
work performed by employees:
We support the Oakville
Team dinners are among the perks enjoyed by
employees at Lockwood Kia. SUPPLIED PHOTO
Dads community fund annually. We contribute
to the Oakville Fairshare foodbank, Oakville
Meals on Wheels and Oakville Dads Scholarship
Fund. We also support the Oakville Hospital and
Christopher Lockwood Foundation, which provides
annual scholarships.
you're probably going to get hired, but
our process is very simple ... we want to
make sure the person feels comfortable. "
COURSE CORRECTION
At Bruce Automotive Group, evaluating
staff every six months improves retention,
Gillis said.
The company aims to find the strengths
of employees and resolve any weaknesses,
and any shortcomings of the company.
The review helps the group chart a career
path for the employee.
PHOTO: GETTY
Promoting from within is favoured, but
the group is careful to first equip staff with
the skills they need for their new roles.
Erin Mills Acura has a similar
approach, also ensuring employees have
the support of the people they'll be leading
before announcing an appointment, Bhalla
said.
iar faces, said General Manager Jagdeep
Bhalla.
" They see Jag was here in 2008 and
he's still here in 2024. When they see that,
doing business with those types of customers
becomes very, very easy. "
The four dealerships made the list
of 2024 Automotive News Canada Best
Dealerships To Work For.
MEETING THE INDIVIDUALS
" When we do that first interview [hiring
from outside], we don't talk about
business, " said Bhalla, who is also general
manager of Mississauga Volkswagen.
" We want to see your attitude. We
want to see your strengths, your weaknesses.
We want to see your ideas. We
want to see you're familiar with the
ethnicity of the customer base of the
region. "
For outside hires, Bruce Automotive
Group is looking for people ready to
grow with the company no matter the job
being filled, Gillis said.
" We've had people move up from the
detail bay to a general manager role, " she
said. " When we hire, we're very forward
about that. We let them know what our
plan is ... and that this is not just a job,
it's a career. "
At Erin Mills Acura, the first interview
might seem like a current-affairs
exam. Questions range from global
warming to politicians to current events.
A panel of five interviewers rates the
applicants and decides which ones move
on in the process, Bhalla said.
The right person with the right attitude
is most important to the dealership.
Skills and experience are explored
during the second interview.
" The third time's the charm, " he said.
" If you make it to the third [interview],
Bruce Nissan
Kentville, N.S.
lDealership group: Bruce
Automotive Group
lPresident: Justin Barker
lNumber of employees: 21
General Manager Jacob
DeBoer on offering new hires
and/or existing employees a
long-term career path: One of
the best things we can offer
at Bruce Auto Group are
the ample opportunities to
advance employees' careers
and try different sides of the
business, especially with us
having double-digit dealerships
and collision centres.
DeBoer on departments/positions
facing the biggest hiring/retention
challenges:
Technicians are the most
challenging position to hire
and retain. The expense that
comes with starting in the role
(education costs, purchasing
tools, etc.) steers people away
from the trade, which in turn
makes it harder to find and
keep technicians. The demand
for them is high, which is forcThe
importance of staff retention was
impressed upon him early in his career by
Zanchin Automotive Group President Joe
Zanchin.
" He said to me, 'Jag, if someone were to
say to me here's $50 million but give me
your key players or some of your employees,
I would not take $50 million, I would
rather keep my people.' I thought if his
success is based on his people, I need to
make sure I stand on his vision, " Bhalla
said.
Gillis, 24, said loyalty is a two-way
street, and businesses can't expect it without
giving it. Her career at Bruce is a
prime example.
" I actually was not great at the
entry-level position I started with, " she
said, referring to her first job out of high
school as a call-centre representative booking
service appointments.
" Luckily, they found a better role for me
and I flourished in that role and kept moving
up from there. " - ANC
Pie an Executive, in support of the IWK
Foundation, is among the charities supported
by the Bruce Nissan team. Left to right: Brianna
Pye, financial services manager; Jacob DeBoer,
general manager; Brittany Oliver, Bruce Hyundai
general manager; and Jason Bitar, sales
manager. PHOTO: BRUCE NISSAN
ing automotive shops to stay competitive with their
wages while techs shop around their options more
than ever.
DeBoer on best practices for improving hiring and
retention: At Bruce Nissan, we've implemented
numerous things to help. For example, we offer
a tool allowance where we help pay up to $1,000
towards tools as apprentices complete their education,
a wage top-up program to supplement up to 85
per cent of their income while on EI during training,
and a referral program where we offer up to
$1,500 in bonuses when a current technician refers
another technician to join our team.
Automotive News Canada - October 2024

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