Shop Owner Roundtable Recap: Don’t Fear Gen Z

Hey there, Fullbay friends and family! We’re celebrating the height of summer by posting this recap of June’s Shop Owner Roundtable. It was another sizzler—really, the Roundtable series is consistently awesome, and we’re not just saying that because we’re biased—as Patrick and Chris sat down with Jay Goninen, Co-Founder and President of WrenchWay, to discuss a subject near and dear to us all:

Hiring technicians.

Our regular readers know that WrenchWay is wholly dedicated to connecting technicians with shops, and generally making life better for diesel (and automotive!) specialists in general. So Jay is the perfect person to talk about what’s going on in this area of the industry—as well as where it’s headed.

As usual, we encourage you to watch or listen to the entire webinar, but if you’re in the middle of a repair or just haven’t had your coffee yet, we’ll recap some of the most interesting takeaways below. 

First, let us set the scene. 

STIFF COMPETITION

We’ve written enough about the technician shortage to fill a small ebook (okay, maybe a medium ebook—don’t get any ideas, Aaron), so we’ll stop short of giving yet another rundown. Just know that the current batch of techs are getting older, and many are retiring without passing on their skills to the next generation. And then there’s the fact that there aren’t enough young people coming into the industry to make up for the exodus—the cherry on top of this troublesome sundae.

But not all the techs who are leaving are retiring to a hammock and a pina colada (or internet Solitaire). “People are leaving the industry altogether,” Jay says, noting that technician skills translate very well to other roles. “We’re not just competing against that shop down the road anymore. We’re competing against a greater population—the other skilled trades are desperately in need of good talent as well. We’ve seen more and more [techs] be electricians and plumbers and contractors.”

Oof. So yeah, that’s what shops are up against. 

4 TIPS FOR HIRING AND RETAINING TECHNICIANS

Jay and the guys talked a lot about what makes for a good pipeline and retention plan. We couldn’t cover it all, but here are four of our favorite tips: 

• Set a monthly staffing-related meeting—and stick to it. Many repair shops still make the mistake of not hiring someone until a person quits. Friends, be not that shop. Jay encourages owners to gather shop leadership together and discuss where they are with staffing: Is anyone set to retire? Is anyone possibly a risk for leaving? Where are you as a shop—do you want to start hiring to facilitate additional growth?
  
  Put this monthly meeting on the calendar and keep it there. And each month, put down some action items related to hiring: “Are you gonna go talk to a school?” Jay asks. “ Are you going to keep your ads out?” 
• Add a “Careers” tab to your website. Post on your website that you’re looking for techs! Make it prominent, so anyone landing on your site can see it. Jay says some folks even use their WrenchWay page as their careers tab, so they don’t have to go through a web developer.
  
  Seriously. If you’re hiring, or thinking about hiring, make sure it’s on the website. Let people know you’re looking! And also, make sure people can reach out to you. Like…make sure the email attached to that page is active, and someone is checking it. (Yeah, that happens.) 
• Provide career development. Jay pointed to the 2023 Voice of Technician Survey to discuss something techs really, really want: more training!
  
  “They want training,” he says, “and if you don’t have the ability to get them in good training … [they] could go to some of the competition.”
  
  Yes, it’s an investment. That’s how you need to see it: an investment.
  
  Here, if you need a financial incentive, understand that the more skilled and knowledgeable your techs are, the more money they can make for you. Training may ultimately pay for itself. 

1. Happy techs are your biggest recruiting squad. Jay has pointed out in prior conversations that techs talk to each other. Like, a lot. They know who’s paying what, who gets the good coffee, and who’s a terrifying tyrant.
   
   So treat them well, pay them well, and keep them busy—and they’ll spread the word for you. Easiest marketing hack ever. 

THREE TIPS FOR CREATING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SCHOOLS

Shops are starting to embrace the idea of teaming up with a school—whether it’s a tech/trade school or a high school—to create a sort of hiring pipeline. (The Iron Buffalo guys talk about their experience with school partnerships at length in a previous Shop Owner Roundtable—watch it here!)

Here’s what Jay had to say: 

• Understand it will take time. We live in an era where a speedy ROI is everything. Unfortunately, “working with schools doesn’t give you that,” Jay says.
  
  For real: there’s stories of shop owners who show up at school graduations and just expect instructors to hand over their prize students. Guys. It doesn’t work that way. A relationship with a school takes time to nurture and build. Go into any partnership efforts with that in mind.
  
  What’s the old saying? Wise guys plant trees even though they’ll never enjoy the shade? Now, you won’t have to wait 20 years before a partnership with a school becomes a tech pipeline, but yeah—it’s another investment in the future.
  
  “It’s definitely the long game,” one webinar attendee wrote in the chat.
• Find out what the school needs. You don’t have to show up at the school every day (although Jay advises that donuts are almost always welcome). Get to know the instructors and the students. Find out if there’s stuff you can help out with.
  
  If you’re working with high schools, offer shop tours and Q&As. Maybe you’ve got an old engine you were going to return as a core, or just dump at the scrapyard. Hey, why not send it over to the high school (along with a technician) to do some component ID and tear it apart?
  
  3. Start a job shadow program. Let those high school students see exactly what the job is like. “If you find a student that you really like, maybe you can convert them into an apprentice,” Jay says.
  
  He does caution owners to look into state and regional laws to see what the legalities are around hiring younger people. 

DON’T FEAR GEN-Z

We know very well that the bulk of millennials were steered away from trades and encouraged into four-year universities—that’s a big component of the tech shortage. The question that follows, of course, is whether the next generation—the lovable Gen-Z—will go the same route. 

Happily, they don’t seem to be. Gen-Z is eyeing the trades for a variety of reasons; Jay thinks schools and guidance counselors are finally talking to them in a different way, and acknowledging that four-year universities may not be the ideal plan for everyone.

(Heck, considering how the cost of school has skyrocketed, some Gen-Z kids just flat out can’t afford it or opt not to take on crushing debt to get through it.) 

Hence they’ve looked at the trades with more interest. This, says Jay, is an opportunity for the industry (and for trades in general!). 

“I think there are still some negative perceptions of what our industry is all about,” Jay says. “And I think that’s where us being involved in schools and talking to parents and shifting the narrative that’s coming from schools [is important].” 

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? CHECK OUT THE WEBINAR!

While we’d love to cover the entire webinar in more detail, the reality is we don’t have enough coffee to do that—and really, you should just go watch it (it’s free!). It’s packed with further advice and discussion about hiring, retention, and the challenges the industry still faces—things we’re going to have to get on top of in the coming years. 

Once you’re done with the webinar, we encourage you to check out WrenchWay’s 2023 Voice of Technician survey, where techs shared the things that matter most to them when it comes to hiring and retention. You know—in case you’re a shop owner looking for retention ideas.