According to hiring and talent management platform Hireology, dealers terminated or furloughed about 300,000 employees during the initial months of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, and about half of dealership jobs were reduced or altered in some way. Owner of Miller Buick-GMC, Shari Sandidge, says her dealership was no exception. She joins anchor Jim Fitzpatrick to talk about her staffing strategy during this period of recovery.
Dealer groups across the country made the decision to temporarily furlough their employees due to low sales volume. However, many have found that their dealerships run just as efficiently with a trimmed down staff. When Miller Buick-GMC started online selling in April, their staff was limited to internet and phone sales positions. Once they secured a PPP loan, they brought back almost all of her employees to meet the consumer demand, but Shari ended up eliminating some positions altogether in the process.
Shari explains, “I think whenever you hit the reset button as we did when the crisis hit, you look at what you really need to serve your customers and get your business done well. I think we’re running more lean right now and we will stay that way. You never know what your business is going to be like in the future; there’s no crystal ball and we always want to be poised for growth.
To hear more insight and advice from New Jersey dealer Shari Sandidge, be sure to watch our full interview above.
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