Pub. 1 Issue 2

9 The need to diversify the hiring process is being supported by the changes that continue to mark the automotive industry. Organiza- tions such as the Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation and the Car Care Council Women’s Board are among those who have been working hard to create this shift. What is the best way to attract talent? It isn’t by emphasizing the money that can be made, unless companies want to find employ- ees who only care about money. The important thing is to hire people who want to provide excellent customer service. For exam- ple, ads for technicians should include the following: • Pay that is based on a flat-rate system. • Fair work distribution with daily production goals. • Fair schedules that allow employees to have plenty of time for their lives away from work. • The promise of more customer-pay repairs than less-profit- able warranty work. If 60 percent of the work to be done is customer-pay, that’s attractive. • The average mileage on the cars that receive service. • A well-stocked parts inventory. It should be possible to main- tain a fill rate off-the-shelf of 80 percent. • A positive work environment in the service department. Technicians want to be managed by people with positive communication skills who are willing to listen and be influ- enced by what they hear. Some of the work that needs to be done to attract more people to the profession will have to take place outside dealerships and service centers. Although car dealers are trying to minimize the gender gap, for example, they don’t always know how to attract more female employees. Many women have never considered working at an auto dealership. Some think the dealerships won’t hire them, and others worry that the work environment might be hostile toward them. Part of the work that needs to be done is teaching them otherwise. Some companies, including car manufacturers such as General Motors, have started offering scholarships to encourage women to learn skills that can be applied in the automotive industry. Other companies recognize the need for more women in the industry and want to do what they can to create a more balanced work force. After all, everyone benefits from a positive, pleasant environment in the service shop. Places like that are better able to keep all of their employees happy and productive. Although there is great room for growth, it has become clear that a more diverse workforce can excel in these industries. The potential and opportunity for growth are there. As more people get involved, it will be easier and easier for other people to see the very real advantages that careers in the automobile indus- tries can provide. Let’s look at two examples: Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, and a dealership in Charlottesville, Virginia: Carter Myers Automotive. Mary Barra Mary Barra was appointed CEO of General Motors in 2014. Her appointment made history, because it was the first time that a woman has ever been in charge of a major automotive company. Her appointment came at a time when women held less than 25 percent of the jobs in the automobile industry, and less than 2 percent of those jobs were for non-clerical work in service depart- ments. Since then, however, more women than ever before have been hired in the automotive industry. What has she done since she became CEO? • She’s made heavy investments in the future of electric cars, autonomous cars, and ride-sharing services. • She made headlines by restructuring the company in No- vember 2018. Although many people were (understandably) unhappy about the loss of 14,000 jobs, Wall Street approved the changes and sent stock prices up five percent in response. Liza Borches Mary Barra