he expectations of the employees in the auto care sector have changed significantly. How should companies meet them to ensure their future? A new episode of the Automotive Industries Association of Canada’s (AIA Canada) Curbside Chat vodcast explores this issue.
Each generation brings its share of changes. This is particularly true in the auto care sector, which has undergone profound transformations over the past 20 years, particularly since the pandemic. However, this redefinition of work, but also of recruitment and retention, can take many companies by surprise.
In order to equip them and to help them tackle this major challenge for the years to come, Lorraine Sommerfeld, host of Curbside Chat, AIA Canada’s vodcast, invited Chris Muir, professor at Centennial College, and Marie Artim, vice-president of talent acquisition at Enterprise Mobility, to discuss the expectations of the new generation of automotive service and repair professionals.
Some new profiles of workers
The new generation of talent in the automotive sector is very different from the previous one. “Before, we were all about cars. We just wanted to get our hands dirty with machines” says Chris Muir. But now, at school, we meet young people who are passionate about cars, as well as people who are changing their careers or who come from abroad to study in this sector. They all have different backgrounds and ambitions.”
Another notable fact is that new talents don’t see their careers in the same way. As the two guests confirm it, the students are better trained than their predecessors, particularly in new technologies, and they are looking for more recognition. They want to grow in their industry… and flourish personally at the same time.
“They are very much in the mindset: “What am I going to do next?” They want to try new things, to learn, to get different functions, to change their department for another one. This has nothing to do with the career paths where you gradually climbed the ladder” confides Marie Artim.
Finally, and most importantly, the new generation of professionals has a new perspective on work in general. “They want to work to live, not live to work,” confirms Ms. Artim. “It is absolutely essential to take this new expectation into account if you want to recruit and retain your staff.”
Flexibility and openness are essential
After extensive reflection during the pandemic, Enterprise Mobility put forward values that resonate with young workers. These include inclusion, a factor that affects the company’s brand image, as well as the recruitment and retention of new talent.
“This is a long-term project that we have been doing for years. Changing the very masculine image of the industry doesn’t happen overnight. But I like to believe that we are increasingly successful, with female role models in our ranks who are synonymous with success, like our CEO,Chrissy Taylor, who clearly proves that women can reach the top of an automotive company” says Marie Artim.
The expert adds that employers no longer have the choice but to be more flexible with their staff. “In an industry where presence is required, she says, we can’t offer the same conditions as in telework. But it is possible to find a balance between the two. ” This balance is not about limiting yourself to the weekend off model. You have to adapt yourself to each employee, ensuring that they are productive at work, while having the feeling of fulfilling themselves on a personal and family level. “We have to accept that workers arrive later in the morning, leave earlier in the evening, go to appointments and take flexible days off” she says.
The inestimable value of mentoring
Chris Muir, who manages several continuing education programs in the automotive industry, is convinced that mentoring is one of the main keys to recruiting and retaining employees, whether they are beginners or experienced.
“A mentor will greatly help an apprentice to integrate into his new company and to acquire the techniques needed to be productive, he explains. But in return, this young person brings in new perspectives to this same mentor, who he can train in new processes, and to his company in terms of work. This reciprocal mentoring is very useful to companies and foreshadows a solid relationship of trust between its employees.”
Encouraging internal recruitment
According to Marie Artim, the fact that the new generation of workers wants to evolve within their industry in a different way should not be viewed negatively. On the contrary, she sees opportunities in it, by encouraging continuous learning to help these people evolve internally, rather than looking for talent externally.
“External recruitment takes a lot of time, energy and money, she says. So why not develop skills internally and appointing people to a higher or a different position if they have the potential?”
This potential is not only based exclusively on technical skills, but also on what the expert calls life skills. Communication, empathy, integrity, trust, concern for quality, team spirit; all these characteristics count to build a strong and united team. “And they are the ones what will differentiate two candidates of the same technical caliber, in the end” she concludes.