I am a firm believer in employee appreciation and taking care of your employees. When I first started in the automotive industry 40 years ago, I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I tried to do it all myself. It didn’t take long at all for me to realize that it is not possible — it takes a team!
Many of my employees have been with me for many years. In fact, one particular staff member just celebrated 12 years with us. Because I truly rely on my staff, I make an effort to hire individuals who share the same attitude toward the business and customers as I do. I’d consider myself pretty picky when it comes to deciding who I hire. I relish someone who is trustworthy, reliable, honest, self-motivated, and goal-oriented. I look for them to understand that there is a right and a wrong way of doing things.
As the business owner, I feel directly responsible for the actions of my staff. When something doesn’t go the way it should, it falls back on me, even if it was the job of my employee. We are all human, and I trust that my employees are good people and act in good faith. I operate each day with an open-door policy — I encourage my employees to put trust in me and feel comfortable discussing anything with me.
As a consumer, at every business that I visit, I focus my attention on the employees. When a business is operated by pleasant, genuine people, I feel comfortable and confident in the service I receive. At Quality Plus Automotive, we all need to be on the same page. From the receptionist to the parts manager, everyone must collaborate to deliver the most optimal service to our customers.
The happiness of my staff is paramount, and I have a large variety of people that work together with me to continue to improve Quality Plus Automotive every day. We all differ in age, background, culture, and personality, but we are one big family. Between the two locations, we have two group text chats, which is how we stay in touch on a personal level. We share jokes, personal events, and more. I occasionally host a company picnic — it’s something we can never do often enough. We get a large food truck and everyone brings their families out for a grand time. Engaging in activities as a team builds our company culture and that’s something we can always work on. Not only does employee retention rely on the well being of my employees, but ensuring that every single person is comfortable and content within our work environment is the key to optimal performance.
The ultimate success of any business is through the employees, and It takes a great group of people to make a great business. I truly love who I have working with me to make Quality Plus Automotive possible.
--Randy Bunn