A Repair Shop’s Guide to Teambuilding

Teamwork makes the dream work, right?

Only if you can get to the teamwork bit. That’s kind of a prerequisite for the dream work. Or anything else, really. 

Teambuilding has turned into something of a buzzword in recent years, often used around activities that include sharing feelings and, heaven help us, trust falls. 

Wait, come back! Was it the trust falls? We promise, there are none in this article.

This is, instead, about teambuilding in a diesel repair shop—which is important no matter how you look at it. Unless you’re a one-man shop, you’re running a team of very different people who need to work together and get along if they want to keep the ship afloat.

There isn’t some magical alchemy involved in teambuilding, although life would probably be a lot easier if we could just wave a wand over warring personalities. At its most basic level, it helps people get along. At its most elaborate, well, you’re all in a forest together singing “Kumbaya” and sharing your darkest secrets.

We’re kidding. Mostly.

There’s a lot of ways to teambuild—some formal, some informal. We wanted to see what tactics worked for repair shops, so we reached out to some of our favorite customers to see how they handled this loaded word.

WHY TEAMBUILD AT ALL?

Okay, there’s no disguising it: a better team usually leads to a better product or service. That’s true for jobs of all sorts—white- and blue-collar alike. Teambuilding leans heavily on building trust among colleagues and improving communication. There’s other elements that factor into it, but really, those two are the big ones.

That’s it, really. It does not require trust falls or the code to your safety deposit box.

The team that stays together, slays together, as the youths are saying on TikTok.

(Editor’s Note: I’m assuming the youths aren’t actually saying that, but I’m not on TikTok and I have no idea.)

There’s also some evidence that teambuilding can improve retention. Hey, if you’re happy with your coworkers and your workspace, why look for another job? 

ON COMMUNICATION AND TRUST

The team at Iron Buffalo Truck & Trailer Repair has an all-hands meeting every six weeks. They’ve got two shifts, so that breaks down to a lunch and dinner meeting—and yes, before you ask, it’s catered. “We have a presentation and talk about the state of the business,” co-owner Mike Schwarz tells us. “We introduce each person, and the introduction is often fun,” he adds, noting that sometimes the questions asked can be, well, questionable. These all-hands meetings are also where bonus recipients are announced and congratulated. 

Pretty straightforward, right? Iron Buffalo is hitting both the Communication and Trust cylinders with this approach: staff can get to know each other (and congratulate each other), chat over a meal, and then see how the business is going. They have a stake in things. They see their role in how the business runs.

Ashley Sowell of Integrity Fleet Services in Texas has incorporated teambuilding into the bonus incentive structure of the shop’s leadership. Leaders receive an additional reward for every teambuilding event they put together. 

“We try to gamify a lot,” Ashley tells us. “We have little notes we pass around—I have notepads that say ‘Thank You’ or ‘Awesome Award’ or ‘Awesome Citation’ that people can give each other just for the daily stuff. We’re really trying to promote the small wins—not just the big ones.” 

ON RECOGNITION

Remember The Dundies from The Office?

(Go ahead and watch this clip. We’ll wait.)

Okay. Ashley, inspired by Michael Scott’s epic awards show, came up with the Wrenchies. She makes the awards herself—yes, we’re talking glue guns and glitter sticks—and hands them out. Some are serious, some are just plain fun (“Most Likely To Be On Time”), but everyone likes receiving them.

Now, we’re not saying you should start issuing Wrenchies in your shop…but we’re not not saying it. 

FUN AND GAMES

Both of our interviewees had all kinds of ideas for company outings and teambuilding adventures. Some they’ve tried, some are possibly on the way. 

Check these out:

• Sports (playing or attending) 
• Arcade visit (“FINISH HIM!!!!”)
• Family-friendly party w/bouncy castle at a park
• BBQ (friendly or competitive)
• Opening a tab at a bar
• Going axe-throwing
• Going shooting/hunting
• Curling
• 1:1 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner?!) once a year
• Crawfish bowls
• Company bowling team!
• Deep-sea fishing

DOES CLOTHING COUNT?

Clothes don’t necessarily build the team, but things like company T-shirts or hoodies or hats can make people feel more like a team (and hey, everyone likes cool gear!). Mike finds that his employees want additional stuff for their friends and family, too—if he orders 400 shirts, half of them are gone within two weeks. 

YOUR DECOR MATTERS

No, Fullbay is not making an abrupt pivot to interior design. We cannot advise you on layout or feng shui or what kind of logo you should have (beyond the obligatory “Make sure it’s cool). But giving your people a cool place to work—and to relax—can make them feel at home and, yes, proud of the space they occupy. 

This might look like your logo emblazoned across the wall of the break room. Or maybe you’ve got a bunch of plants, or some genuine arcade games, or maybe you’ve gone full Viking longhouse and have shields lining the walls. The point is, your employees have an interesting, thoughtful workplace. 

SHOULD YOU FORCE PEOPLE TO ATTEND TEAMBUILDING STUFF?

Alas, we cannot answer that question for you. It’s going to come down to your staff and their personalities. 

Mike does have anecdotal evidence that people enjoy teambuilding outings even if they grumble about it: “We skipped [a teambuilding event] in July and didn’t think they would care, but they really cared,” he says. “They reluctantly [participate] and act like they’re not into it, but then when you don’t do it, they ask, ‘Hey, why didn’t we do that? We want to do that!’” 

Anecdotally, Ashley has found that those who aren’t big on the various activities IFS puts together tend to not last as long. A big part of their shop culture is spending time together; if someone’s not into that, they tend to move on of their own accord.

One word of warning to those who want to give friendly competitions a shot—whether that’s pursuing a quarterly bonus or playing some kind of sport—you may have the same people winning each time. Again, we have no real solutions for you other than to change things up so the same superstars aren’t always victorious. 

TEAMBUILDING FOR COMPANY CULTURE

“I never want anyone to feel like they’re just a number,” Ashley says.

Both IFS and Iron Buffalo are growing shops—and with growth comes change. Both strive to hang on to that friendly family shop feel while eschewing the corporatization that can take over in many growing businesses. That’s why seemingly small things like meals, notes, and just going out to the bar after work can go a long way. You’re reinforcing connections as people—not as company and employees.

But Fullbay, you might be saying, is all this really teambuilding? It just sounds like company culture-building. And where is that hyphen supposed to go, anyway?

Um, we’ll get back to you on the hyphen.

But if the word “teambuilding” still gives you the skeevies, then think of it as just another aspect of your shop culture. You’re giving your people time and a space to be together, to get to know each other, to learn from each other—and maybe even laugh together, too. Heck, you’ve probably done some form of teambuilding already, even if you’ve referred to it as the “company barbecue” or “employee appreciation.” 

If something contributes to the team as a whole, then it’s teambuilding.

So take the gang bowling. Or throw a potluck. Tell your people how much you appreciate them. 

Boom. You’re a teambuilder.