BEST DEALERSHIPS TO WORK FOR IN CANADA

Location: Middleton, N.S.

Dealer principal: Justin Barker

Dealership group: Bruce Automotive Group

Number of employees: 32

2017 new-vehicle sales: 291, up 1%

2017 used-vehicle sales: 347, down 5.7%

JP Martel, manager of people and culture, on help- ing employees develop a career path: Our HR team has developed different career maps for key posi- tions and can work with individuals to set a specific action plan to reach their career goals, much like a career counselor would. Employees also have access to training programs, learning opportunities, and even financial aid to gain the skills required to move up the ladder.

Martel on whether the image of working at a dealer- ship has change in the last five years: Unfortunately, the general belief is that car salespersons are manip- ulative, dishonest and pushy. We've worked hard to debunk this belief among customers and staff by changing our pay plans to non-commission based. This shifted the salesperson focus from their own pay cheque to the needs of the customer. This had a huge impact on our staff who now understand our commit- ment to customer service, trust and honesty.

Martel on making work schedules more balanced or flexible than the bell-to-bell schedule dealerships are known for: All candidates are made aware that working at a dealership can mean long hours. Still, since the extension of our business hours in service, including opening Saturdays, we've introduced com- pressed work week schedules and rotations that give employees a greater work-life balance.

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