Top Canadian dealers make everyone feel valued

Michael Norris knows that the workplace culture that put him on this year’s list of Automotive News Canada’s Best Dealerships To Work For took years to create and can be lost in a heartbeat.

“I know that we are one or two decisions away from losing that culture,” the Volvo of Edmonton dealer principal said. “If I do anything selfish or shortsighted, the staff will see right through that.”

• View all 25 Best Dealerships to Work For here.

Strong corporate leadership is needed to put, and keep, dealerships on the right path, Norris said.

According to Best Companies Group, which surveyed employees to arrive at the list of 25 best dealerships, the key to success is building a corporate culture that reflects employees’ values, needs and wants.

Employees want store leadership to be visible and caring, the group found.

Creating a strong corporate culture begins with having a core leadership group that shares the same workplace expectations. That filters down throughout the workforce, especially as lower-tier managers then recruit and train their staffs to further that culture, Norris said.

At Audi Kitchener-Waterloo, about 100 kilometres southwest of Toronto, management decided to “double down” on corporate culture, making it a part of staff training, retention and recruitment.

“It’s always said work is not just about the compensation at the end of the day, but who you work for, the team that you work with and the fulfillment you feel in your position,” said dealer principal Michael Crosby.

“We’re trying to encourage that type of environment and show appreciation to our team for their efforts.

“We want to see them succeed and thrive and enjoy their time with us.”

‘HOW ARE YOU DOING’

Communication has been key at another winning dealership, Bruce Hyundai in New Minas, N.S., 100 kilometres north of Halifax.

“For us,” said General Manager Brittany Deveau, “the one-on-ones are the biggest thing. Every week, we sit down with each employee; and it’s not big, it’s five to 10 minutes. And it’s not about, ‘Hey, where are your sales?’ It’s about, ‘How are you doing?’” It took time for staff to trust that the twoway communication was a positive, she said. But once that trust kicked in, the weekly consultations paid off.

In the Best Dealerships evaluation, Bruce Hyundai employees praised the communication, giving top marks for honesty, listening and openness. The process has shown that customer satisfaction and dealership performance follow directly from tracking staff satisfaction, Deveau said.

Employees weren’t open immediately to sharing concerns, she said, but that changed as the process went on.

“It has definitely taken time in building that trust, that it’s not held against them.”

HOW EVERYONE PROFITS

For Volvo of Edmonton’s Norris, a big part of creating that culture has been reworking compensation so the staff is involved in the profits of the entire dealership rather than their individual departments.

“We decided we were going to pool the gross [revenue] from used, new, parts and service, and finance,” he said. “It has worked out fantastic. Instead of having these silos, we found everybody started to work together. It made no sense to lose a new-car sale because the used-car manager wouldn’t put an extra $200 into a trade.”

Aside from compensation, Norris also finds ways to reward staff that go beyond monetary, such as treat days, staff lunches and encouragements to balance work and life. Employees also are mentored in ways to progress in their careers.

Most importantly, the dealership provides support for staff facing personal issues, including providing both performance psychologists and a chaplain. Volvo of Edmonton now has a team of psychologists on standby and pays $200 per hour for psychological counselling.

If those issues, such as substance abuse, become serious, help is also provided.

“We don’t fire someone,” Norris said. “We get to the root of the problem, get them into a program and get them the help they need.”

The result is little staff turnover, which has another benefit.

“We are not just profitable, we are incredibly profitable,” Norris said.

WORK-LIFE REBALANCE

Wellness has also become a key part of Birchwood Hyundai’s human resources program. The pandemic spurred a renewed emphasis on worklife balance, said Mike Dobush, general manager of the Winnipeg dealership.

The store provides extra consideration for staff to help with family health care needs. It also partnered with a local company, Pure Lifestyle, to offer staff the opportunity for one-on-one consultations to develop a personal wellness plan. Birchwood covers the cost of the initial consultation and coordinates other services — such as physiotherapy, nutrition and massage therapy — with its benefits provider, Dobush said.

The dealership has modified several of its compensation plans, specifically for commissioned staff, to help manage the reduction in vehicle sales, Dobush said.

It also pays higher amounts for other key performance indicators in customer service, training, inventory acquisition, repairs done correctly the first time and productivity.

At South Trail Chrysler in Calgary, part of its culture is built through regular “dealership walks” by the dealer principal and general manager, said Helena Byrne, human resources manager for the 19-store McManes Group.

“When a dealer principal or general manager walks the dealership to say hello to staff and inquire on how they are, how their families are,” Byrne said, “it displays a great sense of value and shows our employees that no matter our roles, everyone is appreciated and valued.”