Learn to keep your employees

You don’t have to look far to see that hiring and employee retention are among the concerns of employers these days. Signs to ask for help are everywhere. District Restaurants and cafes close early because they don’t have the staff to keep normal hours.

Auto dealers are not immune to challenges.

That’s why our annual section The Best Dealers To Work For, published in the Monday issue and 19 months into the COVID-19 era, is perhaps the most valuable yet. It has dozens of tips from dealership bosses who have been asked what the pandemic has taught them to become better managers.

Here is a sample:

“The more satisfied our team is with their workplace, the happier they make our customers.” – Adrian Acosta, DCH Academy Honda in Old Bridge, NJ

“We have recognized that flexible hours have become essential to our success and the happiness of our employees. – Brian Peruggi, Porsche Warwick in Rhode Island

“I have learned that the more I am there for them, the more they feel taken care of.” – Steve Handler, DCH Audi Oxnard in California

“We thought ‘flexibility’ meant working from home. But now we realize what they really meant was the ability to integrate their work into their personal lives.” – Jimmy Magee, Audi Turnersville, New Jersey

“We put the collective good before the business.” – Gilbert Gortarez, Round Rock Toyota in Texas

The pandemic “opened my eyes to the fact that all personal concerns cannot be put aside in this uncertain environment.” – Chris Everitt, Honda of Fayetteville, Arkansas

“We take fun very seriously. We’re more together than with our families, so this has to be an environment that everyone wants to be in.” – Kevin Grant, Keyes Hyundai of Mission Hills in Los Angeles

“Knowing my team and their families by name was the important tool I had.” – Tracy Gurnett, Mini from Austin, Texas

“Last year taught us that operational practices need to be less rigid. – Kevin Connolly, Delray Buick-GMC in Delray Beach, Florida.

“I’ve learned that just because we’ve done one particular thing in a certain way doesn’t mean that it can’t be changed for the better.” – Stephen Aylward, Lexus from Warwick to Rhode Island

“I have learned to be more empathetic to each individual’s unique situation.” – Mark Clifton, DCH Kay Honda in Eatontown, NJ

They’re all part of the 64-page section marking our 10th competition for the best dealers to work for.

It includes top 100 rankings, winner profiles, and a story about a special group – the three dealers who made the list in each 10 years of the program.

At one of those stores, Capitol Toyota in Salem, Oregon, a small Zen management trash can apparently goes a long way to allay concerns about the industry’s latest agonizing challenge, the shortage of new cars.

Dealer manager Matthew Casebeer says, “We tell employees, ‘We have cars coming. Everyone calm down. Everything will be alright. “”

– Dave versical