Dealer principals and general managers wishing to put their dealerships on the map have less than one week to register for AM's Best UK Dealerships To Work For programme. The deadline for entries is 17.30 today, June 1.
The programme's main objectives are to recognise and encourage higher standards among the UK motor retail industry’s employers. Best UK Dealerships To Work For 2018 enables car dealers to benchmark their performance and identify any shortcomings in their employee policies so they can make improvements to increase their attractiveness to existing staff and potential recruits.
Previous recipients of AM Best UK Dealership To Work For status attest to its usefulness in hiring.
Stacey Turner, HR and legal director at Chorley Group, said: “We pride ourselves on the way we treat our staff and the engagement we have with them, so the award is significant as external recognition and a means of attracting those we want to work for Chorley Group.”
Robin Luscombe, managing director of Luscombe Motors, said: “We know we do things pretty well in terms of looking after our staff, but it still gave me a great sense of pride, a validation that what I’m doing around people is working and that people do enjoy coming to work. This award also supports recruitment. It’s a great initiative.”
Supporting the 2018 programme are the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) and Ben, the motor industry charity.
Steve Nash, the chief executive of the IMI, said the AM Best UK Dealerships To Work For programme "empowers staff and managers, enabling them to work together to achieve the best results for their company, those that work in it and, of course, their customers".
Sue Robinson, director, NFDA, said: "Having motivated and passionate people working for you is crucial, especially in a period when the industry is evolving at a fast pace and there is an increasing need for new ideas and solutions.
"Franchised dealer groups work hard to provide their employees with a supportive environment and to build a positive working culture and AM’s Best UK Dealerships To Work For initiative will highlight the efforts that are being made."
Zara Ross, the chief executive of Ben, said: “This fantastic initiative is well aligned to our work in providing life-changing health and well-being support to the people working in the automotive industry.
“We’re very excited to be working with AM and look forward to hearing about the best dealerships to work for in 2018. Good luck to this year’s entrants.”
The AM Best UK Dealerships To Work For is free to enter. Qualifying employers are later offered the opportunity to buy a report that details their strengths and weaknesses.
The 2017 AM Best UK Dealerships to Work For: Peter Vardy Vauxhall Edinburgh; Peter Vardy BMW/Mini Edinburgh; Peter Vardy CarStore Glasgow; Peter Vardy Vauxhall Aberdeen; Peter Vardy Vauxhall Kirkcaldy – Luscombe Motors – Clive Brook Volvo Bradford – Premier Ford – Chorley Nissan – Crewe Audi; Crewe Volkswagen; Volkswagen Van Centre Liverpool – Drayton Motors Kia Boston – Roadside Garages (Kia) – Southend Audi
Retailers can register their dealerships’ interest now at: www.bestukdealerships.com
>> How the AM Best UK Dealerships programme works
AM Best UK Dealerships To Work For is a two-part process designed to gather information about each participating dealership.
Part one: the employer completes the employer questionnaire, which details company policies, practices, benefits and demographics. This can be completed at group level for all the participating dealerships where applicable.
Part two: employees complete the employee engagement and satisfaction survey, an in-depth set of 76 statements based on a 1-5 scale of ‘disagree strongly’ to ‘agree strongly’. The survey also includes two open-ended questions and seven demographic questions.
Both surveys are completed online, although a paper option is available if email and internet technology are not available for use by employees.
Best Companies Group will combine the results of the two surveys to determine which companies make the list of the Best UK Dealerships To Work For.
Participating is free, and dealerships will have the opportunity of purchasing an employee feedback report from Best Companies Group, which will provide comprehensive details of the surveys, including employee comments and benchmarking against peers.
>> What are the benefits?
There are a number of benefits to the companies that choose to take part in AM’s Best UK Dealerships To Work For programme. They include:
1. Recognition as a top employer, including use of the AM Best UK Dealerships To Work For logo
2. A promotional aid for recruitment and staff retention
3. Promotion to potential customers; raising your profile in your local area
4. The ability to benchmark performance against peers
5. Understanding of employees’ views and areas to improve
>> Are you eligible?
To be eligible for consideration, companies must:
– Have a minimum of 15 employees working in the UK
– Be a franchised dealership
– Be a publicly or privately held business
– Have been in business for a minimum of one year
A 40% employee response rate is required (80% for dealerships with 15-24 employees). Temporary or seasonal workers, contractors, consultants, interns and volunteers are not counted as employees or included in the survey.
>> The AM Best Dealerships to Work For timetable
June 1: Registration deadline. Verification within 24 hours. Companies that pre-ordered reports will then receive an invoice within seven days
June 8: A web link for the employer questionnaire will be sent to the contact at each registered company
June 22: Completed employer questionnaires are due
June 29: Employee engagement and satisfaction surveys are emailed to dealerships
July 13: Deadline for all-online version of the employee survey
August 21: Notification letters sent to participating dealerships
September 4: Employee feedback reports are sent to dealerships that ordered them
November 8: AM Best UK Dealerships To Work For winners announced at Automotive Management Live, NEC, Birmingham
Register now at: www.bestukdealerships.com
As editor, Tim is responsible for the media content, planning and production of AM's multiple channels (AM print and digital magazines, website, social media and contributing to our events planning). He interviews and writes about as many franchised dealer groups and UK divisions of motor manufacturers as possible, to explore the issues facing UK motor retail and understand what solutions dealers and suppliers are using to overcome these.
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