With the end of the furlough program the Government in sight, the moment is rapidly getting closer for 35% of dealerships to come to an informed decision about what to do with their remaining employees.
Who has been furloughed and for those fortunate enough to have a job that they can return to, what is the best way to get them back into work after a prolonged absence.
It is crucial to develop the proper return to work plan for all employees returning.
A few people are likely to return to work after an extended absence, but others may be less enthusiastic about Covid19 being around. Overall, dealers have reacted well to the problems of creating a socially remote environment that is secure for employees and customers.
However, a CIPD study has revealed that two of five employees in Britain are concerned about returning to work, not only because of the risk of contracting the virus.
Reason Behind Anxiety
In these turbulent times, numerous auto sales dealers have been operating in a survival mode, implementing redundant employees and utilizing the furlough system to cut expenses. By adopting advanced auto sales training skills, you can earn more.
Since dealers work on only a few employees, they rely on their remaining employees to compensate for the gap.
Therefore, the working conditions in certain dealerships are pretty different from those the furloughed employees left before lockdown. This is why there is a lot of uncertainty about:
The Modifications In The Role
The effect on people returning to work is the shift of roles and obligations of colleagues who returned to work earlier or were not granted leave.
The long-term and near-term sustainability of the dealership’s business and job security.
Also, let’s consider those who were not taken off or returned earlier.
The added responsibilities imposed on those who fill in the gaps created by furloughed or redundancies tend to be accompanied by no additional pay.
I’ve heard of a case where a dealer reduced the headcount of sales executives by 50 percent. The sales team is in charge of significantly increasing inquiries and is spending much more hours in the office, yet making 50% less commission than before the lockdown. Management claims that this is because the current team has significant sales opportunities.
This belief that people are supposed to be content to be employed has created an intense sense of injustice and anger. While these individuals will remain in their current job, they will not show any loyalty when normality returns to the job market.
People Can Be Your Best Asset
Feeling undervalued and unjustly pushed around are less likely to provide the level of service you’ll need to be able to capture your part of the market. Returning to work calls for re-engaging your employees to create clarity for them regarding the short and long-term goals.
Have a one-on- One conversation with everyone in the employees, updating your car sales training skills and describing the changes you believe are required in your new normal.
