We feature an interesting story today from dealers Tallis Amos Group on a theme that we've touched on before in our pages and have featured at a previous edition of our Conference. Hearing about it being successfully implemented in a real-world scenario out in the network though, is particularly pleasing.
This week the dealership signed a Military Covenant at a special event held at Silverstone Circuit. What this means is that TAG have now confirmed their ongoing commitment to supporting veterans from the armed forces as they make the change in their lives from service into civilian employment.
Their md, Ben Tallis, talks of how they are "proud to support our Armed Forces and veterans." Significantly though, he explains how he knows their association with ex-military people is of actual, tangible benefit to their business. He says they " . . have consistently proven themselves to be some of our most dedicated and talented team members. Their commitment and professionalism are demonstrated time and time again."
We all know the real struggles that dealerships everywhere are facing in their efforts to find enthusiastic fresh blood to join their companies. Tapping into this particular cohort could be a great move for many dealerships.
A few years back at the Service Dealer Conference we had Jeremy Gibbs from Forces Farming, address our dealer delegates on this subject. Jeremy spoke of why military leavers have the potential to be a great fit for dealership employment, saying, "They tend to have heightened aptitude for teamwork, leadership, forward-thinking, planning and time management, transferable skills invaluable in situations from a farm to a machinery workshop.”
Unfortunately Forces Farming itself closed down last summer, but the principal of what Jeremy told us that day remains the same. As TAG will no doubt attest, dealers recruiting from this sector will find they are gaining employees with a wealth of skills, a strong work ethic, and a practical, problem-solving mindset.
And it won't just be military leavers either that dealers might want to think about looking towards for recruitment purposes. With the hardships that we're hearing dealers are facing when looking to bolster staff, looking beyond the areas where teammates have been traditionally sought will be imperative.
Broadening your recruitment efforts, widening that net, appears to be necessary in today's market. Traditionally, it seems fair to say that agricultural and groundscare dealers might have relied upon people with farming or engineering backgrounds, or from fellow dealerships - but these sources alone may no longer be sufficient to meet demand. Looking beyond the usual candidate pools could hopefully be a solution to help you secure the help that you need.
One supposes different but relatively tangential sectors to ours where dealers might attempt to draw from could, for example, be areas like the automotive sector; construction; manufacturing; or logistics and transport. I know dealers will often site the wages that these other fields can offer as an unsurmountable hurdle when looking to poach this talent - but when we've had recruitment experts speak at our conferences they do say that dealers can be talking up the other, non-monetary elements to a career in our sector.
Offering training for example, can make your business more attractive to these candidates. I've heard experts say that dealers can attract staff by offering strong benefits, such as career progression opportunities, flexible working arrangements, performance-related bonuses, and employer-supported education. Also, unlike some industries that require long hours or extensive travel, dealership roles can offer greater stability and work-life balance - an appealing factor for many candidates considering a career change.
But what have you, our dealer readers, found to be effective when looking to recruit? Have you targeted, with success, workers from areas that you may not have considered in the past?
Please share with our community your experiences in the comments below.
