In today's competitive business landscape, finding and retaining skilled employees in the automotive repair industry can be challenging – to say the least! This is probably the number one pain of most of my clients. Additionally, the priorities and work-life balance preferences of different generations are evolving. Together, it’s adding up to a very different hiring landscape. To address these challenges and attract top talent, I believe it’s worth considering the implementation of a four-day work week. This blog post explores the benefits of transitioning to a shorter work week for employees (while the shop expands its days open to six days a week), including the difficulties of talent acquisition, changing attitudes towards work and free time, the advantages of maintaining six-day shop operations, and the communication challenges that may arise during the transition. This work schedule is called the 410.

The Challenge of Finding Skilled Employees:

As we’ve covered in other blogs, and you know well, the automotive repair industry faces a shortage of skilled technicians, making it increasingly difficult to find qualified candidates. Service advisors are equally difficult to find in many markets. Adopting a four-day work week will make your shop stand out as an attractive employer, strongly appealing to potential employees seeking a better work-life balance.

Implementing a shorter work week can give your repair shop a competitive edge over other shops when it comes to recruiting top talent. Most shops are willing to offer similar pay rates, similar pay plans, and additional perks such as insurance policies. A shorter work week, meaning more time off can speak loudly to potential employees who may be on the fence of leaving their current employer. More time off demonstrates your commitment to providing a positive work environment and recognizing the importance of employees' personal lives. More time also means fresher employees, better attitudes, an improved work culture, and better quality workmanship.

Changing Work-Life Balance Preferences:

Generational changes are a major influence in the automotive repair business right now. The younger workforce, particularly millennials and Gen Z, prioritize work-life balance and personal fulfillment over solely focusing on making money. Offering a four-day work week aligns with their desires for more leisure time and flexibility. This group still has talent, they are more of a management challenge because shop owners and managers came from a different place in their past and cannot understand the unwillingness to work late, come in early, and produce as much work as possible during the day to expand their paycheck. A 410 schedule can provide revenue for your business, peace-of-mind for these generations, and set your shop apart as an employer.

Providing employees with an extra day off each week, and in the case of the 410 schedule, five days off every six weeks, can enhance their overall job satisfaction, leading to higher employee morale and productivity. This can positively impact the quality of work, customer service, and employee retention rates. This is also a significant benefit to those with young families or individuals who value out-of-work activities such as hunting, fishing, racing, travel, or other activities that require more than two days off to thoroughly enjoy.

Maintaining Six-Day Shop Operations:

A major benefit of implementing a 410 schedule for employees is the increased customer convenience. While employees work four days a week, maintaining a six-day shop operation allows you to cater to customer needs and accommodate different schedules. Saturdays can become the most profitable day of the week when you can be open a full day and treat it like any other day. This flexibility can result in increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. Most customers find Saturday to be more convenient than any other day of the week to have their vehicle serviced.

Extended service hours during the six days you’re open with the new schedule can further boost your customer’s convenience factor. With longer working hours on the four workdays, your shop can offer extended service hours, providing convenience to customers who may require repairs, pick up, or drop off outside typical business hours. In some cases it can increase fleet business as well.

Implementation Challenges:

The benefits to employees and customers are obvious, yet the reason automotive repair shops are hesitant to install such a beneficial system is the significant change in how employees, and tools, need to be managed. The challenges fall into three areas: the schedule, toolboxes, and number of employees.

The work schedule can be handed to a shop owner, and installed in a calendar such as Google. This allows each team to know exactly when they need to work, and when they are off, and requires no more work on the owners part. The calendar entries will repeat indefinitely, account for holidays, and be able to be shared with employees of each service team (technicians and service advisor).

Let’s address the total number of employees before getting to the less obvious toolbox challenges. To implement a 410 schedule, shops need to double the number of employees (I know, I know….stay with me here). Three teams of technicians/service advisors will need to be created. This can be done with as few as six technicians and three service advisors. The idea is that you’ll always have two teams working at any given time. The result is you’ll have a minimum of four technicians producing work 10 hours each day, six days a week. Having two service advisors write for these technicians increases the efficiency of sales, grows customers satisfaction, and increases shop production.

The last challenge this type of schedule creates is that of toolboxes. When you have a minimum of six technicians, it means, in many shops anyway, technicians will need to share a lift. Toolboxes will need to be stored during the off days, or there will need to be room to have two toolboxes in each bay. Some shops are significantly challenged with this, while other shops have the space already. Today, there are shops who decide to purchase tools for technicians and they all work out of the same tool box. The argument for this is that it reduces the entry barrier for young technicians, provides a financial benefit for experienced technicians and reduces the barriers to implementing a 410 schedule.

Communication Challenges:

Implementing a four-day work week requires careful planning and scheduling to ensure adequate coverage and maintain productivity – this we’ve covered by suggesting the use of a calendar system that repeats and can be shared with employee teams. It really can be as simple as that.

The real communication challenge lies in the fact that there will be carry over work that technicians will need to complete for each other. This requires solid communication and work practices. Generally, shops that implement this schedule will pair technicians up and ask that they check in with the person who’s work they will be completing. This is usually done before closing on the day before a technician returns to work. As onerous as this sounds, it works out really well in the real world and actually improves the culture of most shops.

Service advisors are also required to check in with each other the day before they return to work so that they understand what’s in process, which parts have been ordered, or what customers challenges are currently being worked on. The bottom line is that although this may be a different way of running your business, if you utilize tools and technology to streamline scheduling and ensure efficient communication among team members the system works, and helps attract and retain the best employees.

Benefits for Employees:

Improved Work-Life Balance: Offering a four-day work week allows employees to enjoy a better work-life balance, with an additional day off each week, and five days off every six weeks, to pursue personal interests, spend time with family, or pursue other passions.

In some markets, longer workdays over four days can result in reduced commuting time and expenses, as employees can avoid rush hour traffic for an extra day each week. In other cases the work schedule makes it worth an extended commute time for an employee to join your shop.

The reality in the automotive industry is that many technicians work nine, or ten, hour days already. Being paid off for working these hours with time off can feel like a win for technicians who have been doing this for a while. Fewer workdays can lead to reduced distractions, less stress build up, less tiredness during hot summer months, and more concentrated effort on completing tasks efficiently.

Benefits for the Business:

In an ever-competitive business environment, where many shops are hoping to become acquisition targets, implementing a four-day work week can be the factor that sets a shop far apart from others. Doing so can contribute to attracting quality employees, higher employee retention rates, improved work culture and communication, and increased customer satisfaction. Employees are more likely to join, and stay with, a company that values their work-life balance and provides flexibility. The improvement in culture and attitude will show with customers and result in loyalty and higher customer spend.

In Conclusion:

Transitioning to a four-day work week for your automotive repair shop brings a range of benefits to both employees and the business as a whole. By recognizing the difficulties of finding skilled employees and adapting to changing work-life balance preferences, implementing a shorter work week can become a valuable strategy for attracting and retaining top talent in the industry. The advantages of maintaining six-day shop operations while employees work four days each week provide increased customer convenience and the ability to extend service hours. However, it's important to acknowledge the challenges of communication during this transition and to implement effective scheduling and communication practices.

The benefits for employees are significant, as a four-day work week offers improved work-life balance, reduced commuting time and expenses, and increased productivity and focus during their shifts. This can lead to higher job satisfaction, enhanced morale, and better-quality work. Additionally, the benefits for the business are substantial, including improved employee retention rates, enhanced recruitment opportunities, a positive work culture, and increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Although there are challenges to overcome, such as scheduling, toolbox storage, and effective communication, these can be addressed with proper planning and the utilization of tools and technology to streamline processes. Implementing a calendar system and encouraging open communication among team members can help ensure a smooth transition and successful implementation of the four-day work week.

Ultimately, the benefits of a four-day work week for your automotive repair shop outweigh the initial hurdles. This innovative approach to work scheduling not only attracts and retains skilled employees but also enhances employee satisfaction, productivity, and the overall success of your business. By embracing a four-day work week, you position your shop as a forward-thinking leader in the industry, creating a positive work environment and setting the stage for long-term growth and success.