​It’s oil change day and as I rolled into Wilde Honda in Sarasota, bright and early—I had a smile on my face.   Why?  Well, one reason is that I am and always will be a Wilde Fan.  Additionally, I knew I was going to see some people that I care about and that made me smile.   Also, I knew I was probably going to get a few hugs—and hugs always make my heart happy.  (Yes, I hug people—yes, I’m HR—I like to keep the “Human” in Human Resources.)
 
As I pulled in, Melissa, my advisor approached me.   While I know a lot of employees at Wilde Honda, Melissa is a new face.  She greeted me with a warm and welcoming smile, iPad in hand and asked for my name so she could look up my appointment.  I liked her immediately.  Her manner was pleasant and she treated me as if she cared.  Her smile was genuine—you know, one of those smiles that reaches the eyes.  She created instant rapport with me, joking and laughing, while efficiently taking care of my service needs.  
 
Getting vehicle serviced can be an annoying task—but necessary.  These days I’m so busy that it sometimes feels challenging to have to stop and take care of these mundane life tasks.  Having someone like Melissa in the drive can make all the difference to my entire experience.  Melissa seems to be a perfect fit for the extraordinary culture at Wilde Honda.

Wilde has very low turnover (around 26% when I was working for them)—that is one of the reason’s I know for sure that IS possible for our industry.  This year we have watched turnover industry wide go UP—after a year of chatter about attracting, selecting, and hiring the “right” people.  I’ve believed for a long time that simply focusing on hiring the right people is just the beginning of a solution.  It’s just bandage on a wound when it’s not followed by strategies that move toward a real retention solution.
 
I’m convinced that there is no one answer to our turnover issues.  I believe that every dealer is unique and as such, their particular turnover problems will be unique and therefore the solutions for each dealer will be a little different.  I do believe however, that employee retention issues revolves around the much bandied about word—Culture. 
 
When I was finishing my Bachelors I had this awesome Professor--Professor Dudley.  I loved him because he was not only intelligent and fun—but he also served as VP of HR for a large insurance company for many years and I appreciated his real world experience.  He gave a very simple definition of “culture” that has stayed with me.  Culture = What it’s like to work around here.   

​The employees at Wilde Honda know that they are actually cared about.  How do they know?  That starts with the General Manager, Skip Strasburger.  Skip is one of the most genuine and maybe the nicest person I’ve ever met in my life.  I'm not exaggerating.  If you know him, you know what I mean.  He takes the time to let his people know that he cares.  When a Wilde Honda employee has a birthday or work anniversary, they can be assured that Skip is coming around with his hand written balloon.  It’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference.  I know from experience.  I get the balloon too—even now, that I’m no longer an employee with Wilde—I know that in a week or so, I’m going to see a balloon message on my Facebook feed from Skip, wishing me Happy Birthday.  I know I’m cared about.  So do his employees.  Anyone who has worked with or for Skip, knows that when receiving a card or note from Skip, it is signed “Thank you for all you do!”  Across the board, at every level of the dealership—employees know they are appreciated. 

​Customer experience is ultra-important is it not?  It’s generally accepted that truly amazing customer experience comes from genuine caring from the company, delivered through employees solving problems and exceeding client needs.  How do we create an environment where employees develop genuine caring?  I think one of the first places to start is to have genuine caring for them—for their experience within the company.
 
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE—Aren’t employees our internal customers?  I’ve always held this to be true:  I have three customers when working for a dealer:  The dealer/company first and foremost, department heads—helping them achieve their goals and creating learning relationships, and employees.  It’s logical that if we apply the same principals of caring customer service to our internal customers/stakeholders that we will begin to see positive changes in the organization.  My experience—and the experience at Wilde Honda shows that the first dividend will be evident in lowered turnover. 

FCRA--I know, it's a shock to realize that FCRA must be followed when conducting pre-employment background checks.  Dealers should check that their process is compliant.  I advise NOT relying on your background check company.  They won't be paying your fines for your internal processes.  

There is a recently published and updated Summary of Rights--See the video and get the new form.  Don't have a needless and frankly silly lawsuit because of not following process. 

​ 
Talk to anyone in any position in the car business and I bet they can tell you a story of a terrible First Day on the job.  If you are reading this, you are probably in the car business and have your own story to tell. 
 
So often, new employees arrive for their first day—excited and a bit nervous—and their reception that is anything but a “Welcome” and often more like an afterthought—and a bothersome afterthought at that. 
 
My bad First Day went a little like this:  I wasn’t greeted by my boss and wasn’t introduced to anyone in the office where I was working.  I found my way to the HR offices and was handed some paperwork, and log in information so I could complete the housekeeping like W4, I9, harassment training etc.  I was shown where my empty desk was—devoid a desk blotter or even a calendar—and told the name of the accounting clerk (there were maybe 35 employees in accounting) from whom I could order office supplies.  Then I was basically left to my own devices.   Because I’m pretty outgoing, I wandered in to accounting, took a deep breath, and started introducing myself.  I remember thinking:  “Oh my God, what have I done?” 

This video from Joe Webb at DealerKnows cracks me up every time I see it—The best humor always shows the ridiculousness of reality.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnAQVU66S5M
​I have a feeling you can relate! 

​There are some really simple ways that dealers can turn this around.  A welcoming onboarding for new employees isn’t that hard to do!  It’s a process, just like everything else in our wild and wonderful business.  There are so many reasons to do this but one of the most important reasons in my opinion is this:  New hires today are making a “stay go” decision very quickly—and how they are treated on their First Day will weigh heavily in that decision.  Your new hire could be on their Indeed App applying for their next gig, before you even get their hire paperwork in their file! 
 
In the employment environment we are in today—dealers can’t afford to keep focusing on acquiring top talent and ignoring the first steps to RETAIN them.  A recent article from SHRM points out, “Most experts agree that retention efforts should start on day one, and this makes the onboarding process crucial to retention success—and, sometimes, a predictor as to whether the employee will be short-term or long-term.”
 

​What will you do today to either improve your onboarding program or start one?  If the prospect seems daunting—remember—It’s really not rocket science—take a breath and make a start.   

​At 11 years old, I began my working life—cashiering for my family’s grocery store.  I was not aware of it then, but I was learning about customer service.  At the time, I was just excited to receive a pay check so I could go to the mall on Saturdays.  I became the smiling face who greeted our customers as they walked in the door.  I came to know about their lives and families—I even still remember some of the regular customers’ lottery numbers!  I learned to say thank you and mean it as I counted back their change (the old-fashioned way as my dad taught me).  I learned that customer service is based in relationship building and genuine caring for others, coupled with a sincere desire to fill their needs.  Of course, I was learning from my father’s example as he joked with our customers, asked about their children or parents, sometimes offering delicacies at almost cost—items that were normally unaffordable in our blue-collar neighborhood—building loyalty and thanking them for their patronage that kept our family’s business going.
 
In The Simple Truths of Service by Ken Blanchard and Barbara Glanz, the authors state, “Great customer service has to come from the inside out.  You cannot mandate it.  You can’t threaten, reward, or coerce people to care.  You can only awaken the desire and then give them the permission and encouragement to make it come alive in their work” (p 71).  Today as a Human Resources Professional I consciously make the effort to take the spirit of service with me into my work.  This innate desire to fill the needs of all my stakeholders has helped me create lasting and loyal relationships. 
 
My customers are all internal—the company, managers, and employees.  As HR Manager, I’ve often been the smiling face that greets new employees, communicating the company culture, policies and benefits—a representative and profit protection for the organization first and foremost.  As HR Manager I’ve created learning relationships with department managers—always with the goal in mind of finding out what they need and how I can help them achieve their goals for their department through hiring and retaining the right people.  As HR Manager, I’ve been able to help employees with their requests—from benefit enrollments to FMLA and more.  I’ve discovered that when I approach the balance of company, managers, and employees from a customer service orientation I can create win/win outcomes.  Thanks Dad!   

I come from a family of small business owners, however, it wasn’t until March of last year that I decided to jump head first into the entrepreneurial waters—and I’m having a BALL!  Stretching myself, reaching out to find mentors, learning about sales, learning marketing, building relationships.  As a lifelong learner and inherent extrovert these activities fill me with energy.  One of the things I have committed to doing is surround myself with people who I can learn from.  So, I regularly reach out to, talk with, connect with, read from, or listen to someone who knows more than me.  I often listen to Dave Anderson’s “The Game Changer” podcasts.  Mr. Anderson always makes me laugh and more importantly, takes me to a place of introspection and action.  You can find his podcasts here  http://thegamechangerlife.libsyn.com/  
 
One of these podcasts last summer (June I think) moved me to begin to clarify—in writing—my personal philosophy.  It is a work in progress and as I continue to work on this, I am incorporating these beliefs in IAHR’s core values statement and these will govern how I do business.  The full statement is also a work in progress however, the values are: Focused dedication, Integrity, Service, & Enthusiasm. 
 
Recently I was able to attend Digital Dealer 24 and while at the pre-conference event by Women in Automotive answered a pretty important question about discovering one’s why.  The question was asked by Lisa Copeland.  I’m paraphrasing but the gist was:  If money was not an issue, what you do with your life?   My answer was that I would help.  That’s what I do.  I’m a helper.  I’m a solution finder.   Nothing brings me greater satisfaction than a solution well found!  
 
This is really what I love to do…I love the idea of creating win/win/win solutions.  Why win/win/win?  Because in human resources I discovered that I can create three pronged successes and not just two—The employer, the department managers, and employees all win.  Just the thought of it makes me smile! 
 
I opened my business with the knowledge that every dealer is unique, with different HR pain points, sales and service processes, organizational culture,  and particularly technology (none of which integrates).  As I’m moving forward into my second year of business (wow, did I just say that!?) I’m keeping in mind my commitment to learning and growing, my why, and my core values—so I can create win/win/win outcomes with Focused Dedication, Integrity, Service & Enthusiasm! 
Sandy Zannino
​IAHR

You know it.  I know it.  We all know it.  Turnover in retail car dealerships is and historically has been high.  It seems as if the struggle never ends.  NADA’s 2016 Workforce Study recently came out and my reading of it kind of went like this:  Read a sentence, sigh—Read—Sigh—head shake…You get the picture. 
 
When I read that average tenure at dealerships has steadily gone DOWN (sitting at 2.4 years for 2015) I decided to write this article.  Why?  Because I believe that there are simple and easy to implement ways to reducing turnover at dealerships.  I believe this because I have experienced it.  I’ve experienced working for a dealer as head of HR with an impressive 26% turnover rate across three stores. 
 
When looking at turnover departmentally, sales has the highest turnover.  NADA states that overall sales turnover is 67%!!!  (Luxury lines at 47% and non-luxury at a whopping 72%) We’ve all read the statistics about the thousands of dollars turnover costs an organization.  While these are all true there is another soft cost not as often talked about.  Loyalty.  Customer Loyalty is built upon relationships…if sales staff is turning over before they have the chance to reach maximum productivity (3 years if NADA is to be believed)…how are they building strong customer relationships for the dealership?  Why are they turning over?  Is it because they aren’t loyal to you, their employer?  Employee loyalty leads to customer loyalty.  Loyal employees lead to lower turnover.  Lower turnover leads to higher bottom line.
 
So, how can dealers effectively tackle turnover and begin making headway?  It can be done.
 

1. Make the decision.  Sounds simple, right?  But all action begins with a decision, followed by the commitment to follow through.  So, make the decision to act for your organization.  Make the commitment to your decision.  That’s the easy part. 
2. Measure your turnover.  It’s a simple calculation and easy to analyze and annualize.  These numbers can be drilled down by department, position, voluntary termination, and involuntary termination with simple excel calculations.  I also like to add a calculation for length of service.  The patterns will emerge and tell the story of where your dealership needs to focus its program.  
3. Training for managers to slow down in the hiring process—hire for fit, aptitude, and past performance.  In our industry, often managers make a hiring decision based on the first interview and they seem to want that warm body on the floor or in the bay.  It’s been my experience that providing tools and training to assist managers in the interview process not only slows the process down, but allows them to delve deeper into the candidate’s past performance.  I’m a firm believer that past performane is the best indicator of future performance—teach your managers how to dig down with behavioral interviewing questions.  Hiring managers should also be well versed in your company’s culture, benefit offerings, and policies.  The interview is the first impression for a new candidate and the really good ones want to know these things and they want to know what to expect.  New employees are making a decision in the first few days after they are hired—Should I stay or should I go?  If they decide to go, they will be looking for the next gig immediately and be gone within 30-60 days.  What does your turnover report tell you? 
4. Create and implement a fantastic first day orientation for your new hires.  I like to call it the “day before the first day” because while it is their date of hire, a good orientation should take at least most of the new hire’s first day.  Be creative!  Be welcoming!  Heck, give them a company pen!  There is a lot that can and should be included in a new hire’s first day.  Get the some of the boring stuff out of the way—I9’s & W4’s for example.  Throw in a PowerPoint presentation that explains the company history, culture, core values, awards etc.  Does your dealership have a fabulous holiday party?  Talk about it or other fun events.  Talk about community involvement.  Talk about why it’s great to work for you!  Don’t forget handbook distribution, specific policy acknowledgements, and explanations.  Some dealers are paper based, some have electronic polices and some even have it all in a 3rd party software.  No matter the method, you can come up with a process that works for your company.  It’s also a great time for new hires to complete any mandatory trainings; for example, techs and lift training or sales and service safe driving training.   Since the implementation of Obamacare, many companies went to a 60 day wait period for benefits—the day before the first day is also a great time to explain the benefit options and enrollment method to new hires.  In the end, your new hire’s day before the first day, should be authentic, welcoming, a little boring, and very informative and given by someone enthusiastic about working for you.  A great first day goes a long way in turning that stay/go decision into YES, I am staying. 
5. Follow up with your new hires.  Don’t send them off after a great introduction to your company with just a good luck wish.   Introduce them to their new team (maybe even have employees lined up who will show them around) and take them to their manager for specifics on the next day.  Check in on them, see how they are acclimating, if they have questions etc.  Make a commitment to follow through with your new hires for at least their first 90 days—it will make a difference.