Best Dealerships To Work For Canada 2022

President: Steve Chipman

Dealership group: Birchwood

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.