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Why Employees Underperform Joe Marconi - Featured in Ratchet and Wrench Magazine Four reasons why you may not be getting the best out of your team and what to do about it. When auto repair shop owners get together, it’s common to hear them discuss their employees. But how often do you hear shop owners talking about their best employees? Not very often, right? Shop owners are usually obsessed with underperforming employees. Let’s explore the reasons why. Potential Many shop owners and managers assume that potential, or the desire to excel, will eventually turn into positive outcomes. Unfortunately, having potential or desire doesn’t always lead to high performance. It’s important to note that no matter what someone’s potential is, they may only attain a certain level of performance, which is largely based on their natural talent. Motivation Motivation is another factor we need to consider. As a business coach, clients often tell me their employees are money motivated. I challenge this thinking. The technician who is planning to get married, buy a house and have kids knows their future involves money—and a lot of it. But what is the true motive behind the money? Sit down with your employees. Find out why they come to work each day. What really motivates them? Preferential Treatment Another reason people may shut down is when they perceive certain employees are held to a different standard. For example, your shop’s starting time is 8:00 a.m., but every day the same two employees arrive late. If you allow some employees to set their own rules, you are sure to have morale problems. Your best employees will eventually question your leadership if you don’t hold everyone accountable to the same standards. Personal Challenges Have you ever had a star employee who has performed at high levels, but suddenly seemed indifferent to his job and his coworkers? This employee may be going through personal or health issues. Maybe she is burned out between obligations at work and home. It’s best not to assume anything. Again, sit down with this person. Find out what’s going on. Think about this: are you approachable enough that your employees feel comfortable about telling you what is going on in their lives? While it’s hard to ignore employees who are underperforming, not recognizing those who are performing at consistently high levels daily can damage overall morale. Failing to recognize your best people will eventually demotivate them, leading to a reduction in their performance. Creating a shop environment with high performers takes a team concept with strong leadership. If you have employees not performing up to expectations, you need to ask yourself a few things: Are you doing all you can to establish those expectations that everyone must follow? Are you providing the right training for everyone? Are you having one-on-one employee meetings where you learn about your employee’s career goals? It’s also important to realize that no two people are alike. Everyone has different needs and wants, and no strategy works for everyone. Going the extra mile to know your employees will send the strongest message of all by communicating that you recognize them as individuals, not just workers. One thing worth mentioning: There will come a time when no matter what you do, there will be an employee who will not perform at the level you need. In this case, you’ll have to decide whether to tolerate or terminate. From my experience, to terminate for the sake of the team, and for the individual, may be the best choice. Let me leave you with this: Expecting high performance from others starts with you. Are you reaching your potential? Are you striving to improve and set high expectations for yourself? What you expect from others you should expect from yourself … and more. View full article

“Leave your problems at home” is a common expression. The thinking behind it is that if you are having a problem at home, it will affect your performance at work. So, change gears when you get to work and put the problem out of your mind. However, can people just shut it off? Can they leave their problems at home? Consider this example; your technician and his wife have a very sick child who is getting worse. Their doctor is concerned and wants to refer the child to a specialist, fearing that something is seriously wrong. In this situation, do you truly expect your technician to shut it off, and simply put it out of his mind? Problems at home are part of life. As a shop owner, you need to be more understanding and have empathy. You also need to build a solid relationship with your employees that allows them to approach you in times of need or crisis. This is a key component to building the right culture with high morale. Here’s another scenario to think about: Let’s say your service advisor is overwhelmed at work. She is having a hard time keeping up with all the work and reaching the point of burnout. In addition, she works with a problem technician that is always complaining about something. Do you think this service advisor can shut off her work problems and not bring them home? The bottom line is this; as shop owners, you need to reach your employees on an emotional level. Yes, you are running a business and you have your own set of issues and problems. I get that. But your success is directly related to the success of the people around you. That means that everyone must feel that they are people first, employees second. The next time you see something off with one of your employees, don’t assume the worst. Pull them aside, show them you care, and ask if there is anything they need and if there is something that you can do to help.

This topic has been discussed before, but I think it's more relative today than ever. Smart auto shop owners understand they need to constantly recruit, but what about keeping the employees we have now? Let's revisit this topic and discuss your retention strategies and other comments on keeping your valued employees.

Yesterday, I spoke to a fellow shop owner, who wants to remain anonymous, but wants to share this story. In the past few months, he lost two top techs to a local dealership. This shop owner runs a EURO shop, and these two techs are highly trained and well-known for their expertise. The dealer was willing to pay them each $10.00 more per hour than they were earning, around $40.00 per hour. NOW, there are many factors with why employees leave, and it's not only for money. HOWEVER, we need to be very careful and stay engaged with our employees now more than ever. It's hard enough finding good people these days, we don't want to lose the ones we have! Thoughts? Comments?

Maybe it’s the 40 years I have spent in this business, but these days I have little tolerance for certain things. One of those things: Catching a once-trusted employee lying to me. To be fair, the years have also taught me to be more patient, more positive and help bring out the best in others. I find myself going the extra mile, spending time helping others and teaching others what I have learned through the years. In order to be successful in your life, you need to help others around you succeed in their lives. So, perhaps it’s the fact that because I do spend so much time mentoring, I felt betrayed when this young tech did not tell me the truth. After all, look at the opportunity I am giving him? The circumstances are not important. His actions are. When confronted, he openly admitted that he lied. The manager sent him home for a day to think about his actions. He is back at work and “appears” to have gone through an epiphany. But, we shall see. Another thing the last 40 years have taught me: Above all maintain your integrity and core values. Oh, and learn to forgive.

Source: What do you do when a catch an employee in a lie?

A customer wanted to speak to me the other day to let me know of a situation he had on the road. He said that there was a car that was tailgating him, and it turns out that the driver of the car was one of my techs. The customer was driving to my shop to pick up his other car and saw my tech pull into the shop. The customer was upset and said he was surprised that one of my employees would drive like this. I thanked him for bringing this to my attention, and said I would look into it. BUT, the customer said one thing that did not sit well with me. At one point he said, “Maybe he thought I cut him off?” In the meantime, my tech went up to one of my advisors to let him know what happen. We sat down with the tech and I could sense he was upset. I asked what happened and he said, “I was road testing a car, and a car pulls out in front of me. I nearly locked up the brakes and then I backed off. It happened real quickly.” After listening to both sides, it was clear in my mind that what happened was a mistake on both sides. This tech has never shown me anything but respect and is a soft-spoken guy. I believe him. The truth? Well, I have learned that each side will state his position and the truth is usually found somewhere in the middle. Equally important: Don’t be too quick to judge the employee, listen to all sides, ask question and focus on what happened. Correct the performance. People make mistakes. If you have the right people, look to improve and move on. Lastly,when the employee knows you have their back and looking out for their best interest, this will go a long way with morale.

10 Ways to Lose Employees One of the things that I have learned over the years is how much influence the boss has in regard to morale and employee retention. And looking back, I have made mistakes in that department, too many mistakes. The past few years I had to take a long hard look at myself and realize that in order to maintain a healthy work atmosphere, I have to set the tone and the mood for the shop. My actions, my mood, whether happy or sad, will spread through the shop like a virus. Now, that virus can be bad or it can be a good. So, I put together a few things to consider and the impact on your employees. Oh, and by the way, we have reasons why we dont walk around each day with a big fat smile on our faces: bounced checks, comebacks, taxes, rent increases, workers comp increases, family issues, on and on. But, the reality is we put ourselves in the position of leadership and we have an obligation to our employees for not only their greater good, but the greater good of our families and for ourselves too. 10 Ways to Lose Employees: 1. Never say good morning or good night to an employee or ask how he or she is doing 2. Never ask an employee about their family or what they did over the weekend 3. Only address an employee when he or she has a comeback or made a mistake 4. Never ask an employee their opinion on any matter 5. Never smile 6. Speak constantly in a negative tone 7. Never give praise 8. Never recognize the accomplishments of anyone 9. Never sit down with your employees and have an open discussion 10. Walk around like you are a cast member from the "Walking Dead" Well, there you have it. I am sure there are more. Feel free to add your own Ways to Lose Employees. We can all learn. Oh, by the way, have I asked you lately, "How's the family doing?"

Get rid of the bad apple and improve morale I am a firm believer that the head of any organization is responsible for the culture of the company. And that culture will determine the morale of the organization. It’s no different for shop owners. If we walk around miserable, the whole shop will be miserable. If we convey an attitude of enthusiasm and maintain a positive attitude, morale improves and production goes up. Yes, that responsibility starts at the top. I am also a firm believer that employing the wrong person can undo any good the boss or manager does and can kill morale. It’s that old saying, “one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.” You know the type; we’ve all had them at our shops. The employee that’s always in a bad mood, who complains about each and every job you give them, never wants to help his fellow employees, talks about everyone behind their back and thinks that boss does everything all wrong and that if he were in charge, things would run much better. Sound familiar? You have one those? Do yourself a favor, get rid of him or her. I recently had to make that choice, and I am kicking myself for not doing it sooner.