The technician shortage. A body shop that's pushing its limits after tornado and hail storms. Dealing with an employee's personal problems that affect his work and that of other employees.

These and other issues result in personnel crises for shop owners. How are your peers handling them?

Woe is today's shop owner who needs to hire a competent technician.

The percentage of Americans employed is at its highest since the end of World War II. In the automotive service profession, that number may be even higher.

George E. McCormick Jr., the president of Automotive Careers of Texas and a Certified Personnel Consultant, said, "Nationally, we're seeing a real crunch concerning the technician shortage. There's one species that we have open hunting season on year-round and that's technicians."

Unemployment figures are dipping toward 4 percent, McCormick said. "If we knew what the unemployment rate was for automotive service, the numbers would scare us to death. It's critical. I think it's approaching 3 percent.

"If someone with any experience in this industry isn't working, it's probably because they've decided to take some time off. And, they probably have three job opportunities waiting," McCormick said.

With very few technicians looking for work, shop owners recognize that keeping good employees is critical to their success. Because of this, an owner must weigh the impact - large or small - a decision will have on his or her employees.

Dealing with sensitive issues
An Automotive Service Association (ASA) member who employs a technician with a manic-depressive disorder has been forced to work through a personnel crisis that could easily have had negative results. Instead, it has been resolved to the mutual benefit of both owner and employee.

The technician's depression reached a point where it was affecting his ability to do his job. In fact, the owner said, there were days when he did not know if the person would show up for work and, if he did, what his behavior would be like. This uncertainty impacted not only the employee, but also his fellow technicians.

"This is a personal, sensitive issue," the garage owner said. "One day when the tech didn't show, he called and said he was in the hospital. He was straightforward with me about his depression. I asked him what he wanted me to tell the other employees why he wasn't at work. He said, 'Just tell them I'm sick and in the hospital.'"

The owner gave the employee time off, with benefits, to receive the medical treatment he needed. During his leave, the other technicians worked additional hours to minimize the effect his absence had on the shop's work flow. "Everyone respected his privacy as a matter of common courtesy and worked the extra time during his absence," the owner said. The technician has returned to work and the owner said he has been rewarded with a very loyal employee because of his willingness to allow the technician to receive treatment without having to fear losing his job. Additionally, the owner said he handled the situation differently than he would have five or 10 years ago due to the increased public awareness of mental illnesses. Previously, he said, he might of thought the tech was having a bad day or a succession of bad days.

"As an owner, it's very important to keep track of things like manic-depression that can affect your employees. It's important to accurately recognize the situation so you can handle it in a manner that's beneficial to both the employee and the shop," he said.

Treat employees as well as you treat customers
Anytime you're dealing with personalities, it's a challenge, said Edward Cushman, owner of C & H Foreign Auto in Spokane, Wash. The essential element in resolving or avoiding a personnel crisis, Cushman said, is and always has been communication.

Through regular meetings, Cushman encourages open communication within his shop. "It helps everyone know the goals and keeps us on the same path," he said. "Through the meetings we're able to address all the trivial stuff before a molehill turns into a mountain."

Cushman consistently stresses the importance of customer service to his employees. What he has to remember, though, is that it's important to treat employees as internal customers, he said. "We have to communicate with them as well as we do with our external customers. Our internal customers need to know they're appreciated.

"I take care of these people. They are well paid and they have all the benefits that they would have working for a large corporation," Cushman said.

Since he and his wife opened their shop 21 years ago, Cushman believes his management style hasn't changed drastically. One thing that has changed, however, is that he is more flexible in accommodating the personal needs of his employees.

"If, 10 years ago, you would have told me that I would allow someone to work seven to four so he could pick up his child at day care while his wife took a continuing education class, I would have said you're crazy. But, if we can work it out where we can accommodate the customers' needs and the employees' needs, we'll do it," Cushman said.

Another managerial tool Cushman now employs is a technique called "personalysis" to gain insight into his technicians' personalities, to discern what motivates them and what demotivates them.

When addressing an employee problem, Cushman uses the knowledge he has about the individual's personality traits as a reference point. It helps him see things from the employee's point of view, establishing a basis for providing in-house counseling. Not only does he have a copy of each staff member's personalysis profile, Cushman said he has given his profile to his employees, "So they'll know where I'm coming from."

By keeping open the lines of communication, Cushman said they have successfully avoided any serious personnel crises that resulted in unhappy employees leaving his shop. His "newest" technician has been with the shop five years and the one with the longest tenure has been there 20 years.

Storms stretch body shop resources
"The technician shortage has brought home the fact that our employees are really our most valuable asset. Without them we have no business," said Geralynn Kottschade.

Kottschade and her husband, Jerry, operate a mechanical and collision shop in Mankato, Minn. To attract and keep good employees, they offer benefits such as a 401(k) and profit sharing.

Currently, they are one tech short in both the body shop and the mechanical shop, she said. "But, we're trying to get by at current staffing levels because our workload is high now and we could possibly be in a position of being over-staffed when it drops off."

The Kottschades are experiencing a high workload because the Mankato area has been hit recently by a tornado and two hail storms.

"We're in catastrophe mode right now," Kottschade said. Because of the storms, 50 to 75 cars are coming into the shop daily, approximately half of which they are accepting. Initially, they are getting the cars driveable and back on the road and scheduling repair dates for the customers to bring back their cars. They have repair dates booked more than 10 weeks out.

"The repair work resulting from the storm is the same type of repair from one vehicle to the next and we're never done with it. There's no end in sight," she said.

In addition to the increased volume resulting from storm-damaged autos, Kottschade said they're still trying to fit regular collision work in their body shop. To keep up with the volume, the paint department has gone to 10-hour shifts.

"For some, this impacts their family and home life. To keep them motivated, we just remind them of the fact that this is an opportunity to take home more money," Kottschade said.

The extra hours, coupled with the monotony of the storm work, has increased the overall stress level in the shop, Kottschade said. Sometimes, in a crisis situation, you simply have to make the best of it and accept that not everything is in your power to control.

"Honestly, I don't know how to combat the stress. You just resolve that you can't do it all," she said.

Stopping a crisis before it starts
The best crisis is the crisis that never arises, Rick White believes.

When discussing his Melrose, Mass., shop, White often uses "we" rather than "I." He said that even though he is the owner, the success of the shop depends on the contributions of each and every employee.

"I always try to put myself in their shoes and treat them the way I would want to be treated," White said of managing his employees. "If someone has a problem, such as a family crisis, we try to accommodate them as best we can and try to be as understanding as we can. I want to make sure we're there for them."

Currently, White employs three techs and is looking for a fourth. He said he has a very good group that "works hard and cares about the shop to a great degree." He attributes the dedication and quality of his technicians to extensive hiring practices learned in an Automotive Management Institute (AMI) course.

"I took an AMI course on hiring and firing. It was terrific. Before that, my hiring skills were really bad," he said. The hiring process White uses includes personality testing and a safety test that indicates one's honesty and values.

Before making a final hiring decision, White said he takes time to get to know the prospective employee and he has them meet informally with his current staff "to make sure it's going to work."

Through this process, the job applicant also has an opportunity to get to know White and the shop's current employees. "We want to make sure they fit with us and they have to make sure we fit them. We don't want to mess up what we already have," White said. "There's no politics or behind the scene stuff going on and we don't need any of that."

The current staff gives input on prospects, but White still makes the final hiring decisions.

"I talked to them about their making the decisions, but they did not want that responsibility," he said.

Once a hiring decision is made and the new employee begins working, White said he meets with them at the end of their first day to discuss any questions or concerns they may have. He meets with them again at the end of their first week, and again after their first month. This is followed up by a formal review after 90 days.

To help integrate new employees into the shop, White utilizes a shadowing program that teams a seasoned employee with a new employee. This facilitates the new person's integration into the routines, practices and procedures of the shop.

Like Cushman, the Spokane, Wash., shop owner, White meets with the entire staff to maintain open lines of communication. During these meetings, typically held monthly over lunch, White says they discuss different issues in the shop to make sure everyone and everything is working.

Through his extensive hiring process and by fostering open communication, White said he is able to attract and keep good employees and, as a result, has been able to avoid any real personnel crisis.

"If there are any problems or complaints, we try to address them before they grow. We resolve any problem together."

The shop owners interviewed agree that when handling personnel crises or, preferably, stopping them before they start, one of the most important things they do is ensure their employees are free to discuss their concerns or personal needs without fearing retribution. By establishing and maintaining an atmosphere of mutual respect, these owners have been rewarded with loyal employees they can trust to do their jobs.

Personnel crises are an inevitable aspect of business that cannot likely be foreseen or prevented. Fortunately, you do have the power to handle most situations in a manner that has positive results. With employment as tight as it is, the astute shop owner works to achieve those positive results.

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