Mechanics Blog Provides Insight and Help Regarding Working Conditions

This article covers Russell Wickham and how his blog is helping bring change to the fixed ops community - lets dive in!

Russell Wickham traversed the automotive wilderness for nearly a decade, working for nine dealerships in search of a fantastic spot to do his profession. Along the way, he faced a variety of problems, including low compensation, insufficient flat-rate hours, excessive warranty work, inattentive leadership, bad working environments, and politically charged workspaces, to name a few.

Wickham is now working as a lead technician for Country II, a Buick-Chevrolet-GMC-Toyota dealership in Pampa, Texas, roughly 60 miles northeast of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle. Country Auto Group owns two new-car dealerships in the area.

Wickham is far from the only technician who has had a difficult time in the field. But he's special in that he documented his experiences in a series of LinkedIn posts. His forthright comments highlights the difficulties that technicians confront — and it may cause fixed ops managers to pause and ponder, given the scarcity of qualified technicians.

Wickham began writing about a year ago, inspired by a post on LinkedIn by a service manager at a Georgia dealership about how tough it is to attract qualified technicians since so many of them had soured on the profession.

"I replied to his post," Wickham adds. "After that, someone else commented and challenged me to write something explaining what needs to change." That pushed me back in my seat and made me consider what I could do to improve the issue — to be a part of the solution rather than just complain about it. So I started blogging about what I saw going on in different places and proposed solutions."

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Wickham's major purpose, he adds, was to persuade technicians and fixed ops leaders to collaborate to enhance working conditions. According to him, there is a "true cycle of negativity" in service departments, which he attributes to inadequate communication and interaction between service managers and technicians.

"I understand service managers are busy and have a lot on their plates," Wickham says. "But maintaining your people is critical... As a result, they must leave their offices and meet with their employees.

"By the same token," he says, "I encourage technicians to reach out to leadership." "Don't just trash them at the shop.

Job-hopping begins

Wickham served as an infantryman in the United States Army from 2006 to 2013, eventually rising to the rank of sergeant. Then he began a nine-year career as a technician, working at six dealerships in Tennessee, two in Arkansas, and one in Texas, as well as one independent shop in Tennessee and another in Texas. He cites various causes for his job-hopping.

"When I left the Army, I promised myself I'd never work for another toxic leader," Wickham says. "As a result, I developed a horrible habit of leaving positions to look for the type of work and company that I now have."

Wickham also claims to have soon discovered that hopping from one business to the next was an effective method to get wage hikes.

"I also had no idea how to choose a department that was a good cultural match, how giant corporate stores ran, how big-city shops operated, or how to tell a good shop from a bad shop," he continues.

"When you're trying to make ends meet because you've demonstrated your ability to tackle difficult challenges, it's always in the back of your mind that you're just a job move away from greater money and more balanced jobs — until the new place discovers your capabilities," Wickham says. "A bad attitude and that information do not go together."

Wickham's first work at a Tennessee dealership was a fantastic opportunity in general. However, he claims he let one persistent complainer in a neighboring bay get to him. As a result, he departed, which he admits was a mistake. The journey then began.

He describes the journey as "long and difficult." But everything changed when he was approached by Steve Gustafson, Country II's service manager. Gustafson discovered Wickham through WrenchWay, a technician and dealership recruiting service.

Wickham figured his blogging would scare off people.

"However, they expressed great interest and invited me to come out and meet with them," he recalls. "That visit was documented on my blog. And I knew I was going to go after visiting the store, talking with Steve and [group Fixed Ops Director] Rich Bebout, and witnessing their operation."

According to Bebout, the blogs raised no red flags.

"I can understand Russell's difficulties because I used to work as a technician," he explains. "Everyone has the right to an opinion... I understand what techs go through, so we make every effort to be tech-friendly here."

Worth the wait

Wickham began working at Country II in January and says the position is exactly what he has been looking for for many years.

He told Fixed Ops Journal, "This is the best dealership I've ever worked at." "As former mechanics, Rich and Steve understand what it's like to work in the shop and deal with issues like warranty work and difficult repair difficulties."

"As long as I do my share to take care of those challenging repairs," he continues, "they make sure I get my hours in each week." "They've also done an excellent job of obtaining enough customer-pay jobs for me." In comparison to many dealerships, only around 20 to 30 percent of my job is warranty work." Furthermore, Wickham claims to work with wonderful individuals, particularly younger mechanics eager to learn.

"Everyone here is focused on customer service, which I really admire since that's what I want to do," he adds.

Wickham, according to Bebout, fits in well with the service team.

Bebout describes him as "extremely meticulous." "He actually solves problems when he digs into them. Instead of just throwing parts at a problem, he takes the time to figure it out."

Learning experiences

Wickham is unaware of the influence of his LinkedIn posts on the industry.

"I've had several folks contact me and tell how much they enjoy my blogs," he says. "However, most service technicians dislike having their pessimistic worldview shaken."

Wickham claims that working at Country II has changed his pessimistic worldview. Given a result, he no longer has much to write about, as his dissatisfaction with the industry motivated him to post on LinkedIn in the first place.

"You learn from your mistakes," he says. "You may either let them tear you down or let them help you build yourself up." It was a difficult road, but I learnt a lot. And my mentality has shifted 180 degrees from before. " I feel valued and significant as a member of the team where I am, and that, along with a positive mindset, makes a great difference."

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Sources:

Wysocky, K., 2022. Mechanic's blog offers ways to improve working conditions. [online] Automotive News. Available at: <https://www.autonews.com/fixed-ops-journal/mechanics-blog-offers-ways-improve-working-conditions> [Accessed 2 August 2022].