Marinucci: New techs require coaching

Contrary to what bosses believe, newly hired technicians may require coaching and grooming in order to meet expectations.

Prudent bosses have learned to recognize rather than disregard this possibility: New hires may not meld with their businesses automatically and instinctively.

Savvy bosses anticipate the need to familiarize techs with all aspects of their automotive service facilities, acclimating them to their people, policies and preferred procedures.

Some tire dealers and service shop operators have employee manuals that cover most — if not all — of these key topics. They require newly hired workers to read the manual thoroughly before coming to work.

This basic step eliminates or minimizes needless surprises on the person's first day.

Furthermore, some service managers and shop forepersons personally cover the diagnostic testers, wheel service equipment and specialized tools that new techs are supposed to master. They do not wait for accidents or mistakes to occur before realizing that new techs — regardless of experience — should have been trained on the equipment.

Whereas equipment operating procedures may be intuitive to some new techs, the steps may not necessarily be instinctive to others. Therefore, capable managers allocate adequate instruction and practice time for new techs.

Sometimes an employer does not get a thorough "take" on a job seeker during the hiring process. Think of the old saying: We really don't know someone until we live or work with them. This axiom applies to potential new hires at any auto service facility.

Bosses have described cases in which the screening process seemed to go very well, but they still overlooked applicants' troubling issues.

For instance, a newly hired tech may reveal objectionable personal tics, uncouth mannerisms or unhealthy habits that upset co-workers. Or the tech surprises everyone with ham-handed repair methods and risky troubleshooting shortcuts.

The bottom line, however, is that no one detected shortcomings until the new hire actually began working alongside them. This is why some businesses have established probationary or "try-out" periods for all new hires — techs as well as sales and support staff. I recommend creating and implementing a probation program if you have not done so already.

Owners and managers should explain the probationary period to job seekers instead of assuming they understand the process. Avoid potential misunderstandings by giving an applicant a written copy of the probation details.

A new tech must be cordial, well-mannered and cooperative. Someone may be the fastest wrench in the city, but they are unwelcome if they cannot get along with coworkers for any reason.

What's more, new techs must be flexible and coachable. Regardless of their work experience and credentials, they must embrace ongoing training and be willing to learn new information and methods.

A closed mind – as opposed to an open one – indicates a tech who may not mesh with your people and procedures.

Savvy bosses also anticipate spending much more time grooming green techs than experienced ones. Coaching and cultivating novice techs, they stressed, is the rule rather than the exception.

Mind you, some automotive vocational school graduates may make an immediate, positive impact in your service department. These young techs are capable beyond their years due to extraordinary car smarts and manual dexterity.

But these standouts are a relatively small percentage of the young folks applying at your tire dealership or service shop. The majority of them will need the guidance of a veteran shop foreperson or lead tech to avoid rookie repair mistakes.

The only way novice techs become seasoned workers is by encountering and solving an array of challenges, such as safely removing seized or corroded parts, extracting broken fasteners, repairing stripped threads, realigning components correctly during a reassembly procedure, etc.

(Beware of jaded old wrench- turners who assert that green techs should intuitively overcome these auto repair challenges the same way they did. Typically, old-timers' intuition simply reflects lessons learned when they tackled those problems years ago.)

As I mentioned a moment ago, coaching and grooming green techs requires time. For example, some owners who are former techs personally oversee ("shadow") novice techs as they perform a variety of diagnoses and repairs. Some bosses are not willing to make that time commitment to a promising new hire.

In other service departments, a savvy service manager or shop foreperson shadows new hires during a variety of tests and repairs. Sometimes, senior techs take turns supervising a young tech's work.

For one thing, some bosses insist that personal supervision is an essential — unavoidable — aspect of grooming green techs regardless of who shadows the new employee.

For another, ongoing supervision of some kind helps a service manage or shop foreperson gauge the green tech's strengths and weaknesses in a real-world work environment. For example, it may reveal that the junior tech favors electrical diagnosis and repair over other, less-challenging work.

Unrealistic expectations are a curse upon aspiring young techs. Based on my field experience, the curse has driven — and continues to drive — promising young techs out of the auto repair industry.

Over the years, countless bosses have complained to me about newly hired young techs who supposedly cannot do the work. When I delve deeper into the topic, I learn what they really mean: The novice tech cannot produce the volume that an experienced tech does — period.

Amazingly, these owners and managers are oblivious to unrealistic expectations — not to mention their inability to coach and cultivate promising new techs.

Unreasonable demands and ineffective leadership disappoint and frustrate newly hired techs. The resulting stress may drive them out of the auto repair industry.

The hardier souls may move on until they find savvy tire dealers or service shop operators who value their talent. These bosses then coach these kids into proud professionals.

It's a shame that incompetent bosses force budding prospects out of the auto repair industry at a time when good employees are in demand.

Where necessary, rethink your attitude about these potential new hires who represent the future of your service department.

And remember that you used to be a greenhorn, too.