Virtually every dealer executive surveyed in our August State of the Industry report agrees that corporate culture is a living, breathing entity. It requires constant attention and nurturing to continue reflecting the ideals of the dealership. When neglected for a prolonged period, it can devolve and spiral into a pool of discord, apathy, doubt and division.
Granted, COVID-19 and pandemics in general were not factored into anyone’s disaster recovery plan. The psychological harm caused by sending employees home cannot fairly be characterized as neglect; dealers were at the mercy of their state’s governors as to how businesses, essential or not, were allowed to operate on-premise.
Thus, the task for dealers was clear: with most (if not all) of their employees working at home, how could they best ensure that company morale and unity wouldn’t take a substantial hit? With handshakes replaced by hand waves over a Zoom or Teams call, and the inability to hold team-building functions in-person, it proved to be a tall order for our dealer panel. It took a little creativity, but most dealers did the best they could to mitigate the damage to their corporate culture.
The best measure dealers took across the board was communicating with employees to an unusually high degree. That was the case for Applied Imaging of Grand Rapids, Michigan, which sought to incorporate culture into its remote gatherings. President and CEO John Lowery relied on end-of-day remote meetings, during which employees enjoyed cocktails from the comforts of their homes and shared stories.
Welcome Back
One of the most impactful decisions was to use a local minor league baseball facility last October to host its quarterly meeting, which had been on hiatus due to the pandemic. With the expanse of the field, employees were able to maintain six-foot distancing while enjoying the presentations broadcast over the stadium’s large video board. Following the meeting, bratwurst, hog dogs and refreshments were served, and odd though it may have felt, many employees expressed to Lowery how great it felt to be together again, even from a distance.
“We’re always looking for ways to do things we normally would do while staying within the rules,” Lowery noted. “We spent a lot of time in the video thanking people.”
Lowery also showed his appreciation by not laying off a single employee despite losing 10% in revenue. Acquiring five companies during the pandemic also went a long way toward replacing that hit to aftermarket revenue.
“The purpose of that was to keep all the jobs, all the people we had,” he said. “A ton of folks said they appreciated it. These people would go through a brick wall for the company.”
It’s been extremely tough for Premium Digital Office Solutions, which operates in Parsippany, New Jersey, in the back yard of the highly competitive metro New York market, and in one of the states with the most draconian of shutdown measures. Partner Van Seretis, who loves hosting activities in which employees get to kick back and be themselves, held weekly virtual happy hours every Friday during the pandemic.
As the pandemic fog lifted on the east coast, he scheduled a “Down the Shore” meeting this month (in New Jersey-speak, that means a day at the beach at one of the popular shore haunts, such as Long Branch, Point Pleasant or Belmar). Company business was addressed early enough to have all the employees hit the beach before noon.
“We try to keep things as fun as possible,” he said.
Lasting Impression
James Loffler, president of Bloomington, Minnesota-based Loffler Companies, notes that while Zoom and Teams conference meetings helped a great deal, the pandemic did leave an impression on team unity and culture. “We weren’t the same as an organization, a team, or as individuals when we moved to a work-from-home environment during the pandemic, so we had to adapt,” he said.
Making communication a top priority, James and his father, CEO Jim Loffler, consistently met with team leaders and wrote company-wide newsletters each week to provide updates and highlight many of the great accomplishments still happening amid the pandemic. Executive leadership also communicated regularly with business units, and managers reached out daily or in weekly L10 meetings to keep their teams informed about what was going on. The organization thanked its employees in a number of ways, such as distributing complimentary DoorDash codes and holding smaller company events like BBQs and happy hours to keep morale high.
“During challenging or good times, it’s necessary for our core values to be lived by everyone in our organization,” James Loffler added.
With some employees working on-premise and others at home, XMC Inc. of Bartlett, Tennessee, chose to emphasize its Likeable core value, which observes that “attitude is a choice and we choose positive.” The company dipped into its creative tool bag and came up with several unique initiatives to foster togetherness.
Marketing director Holly Dale created a daily news show, “Wake Up XMC,” with rotating news anchors who shared positive reports on a frequent basis. The company’s VidYard videos became a huge part of how the company remained connected. And one of the more hilarious efforts saw the dealer host two virtual game shows—the Match Game and Family Feud—that were impactful and well-received by employees.
to hold in-person company meetings
For some dealers, the messaging was as simple as reassuring that the company values its employees—and doesn’t intend to let them go. Ray Belanger, president of Rockland, Massachusetts-based Bay Copy, set the tone at the onset of the pandemic by notifying employees they would be kept on the payroll, even if there wasn’t enough work volume to support the decision. That went a long way toward alleviating the fear and doubt they may have harbored regarding their future.
“In many ways, this was easier for a company like ours with a long history of employees working together,” Belanger said. “As the pandemic seemed to get more under control and vaccinations became more widespread, we received a lot of positive feedback from employees that we had stood by them through a difficult time.”
Different Energy
During the early portion of the pandemic, Woodhull LLC of Springboro, Ohio, held regular all-company Zoom calls, with CEO Susie Woodhull providing inspirational talks and status updates to quell concerns among the workforce. The dealership also benefitted from good timing, with the completion of its 12,000-square-foot warehouse enabling the company to hold in-person meetings while still adhering to the six-foot distancing guidance. Using projectors and massive wall screens, these meetings proved to be an instant hit, according to Robert Woodhull, marketing manager.
“It allowed us to promote the camaraderie that we were lacking during COVID,” he said. “People could see each other, chat and find out what’s going on and see how their fellow team members were dealing with the pandemic. Being able to see each other in the same space brought a whole different energy.”
Datamax of Little Rock, Arkansas, made the decision to bring back its people this past April. The dealer had been gradually moving back to the office with teams alternating in-office days (Monday-Wednesday-Friday and Tuesday-Thursday). It helped having high office cubicles, and Datamax brought in misting machines to disinfect the offices in addition to installing temperature-taking kiosks.
“As the vaccinations increased, we said we would come back,” Datamax President Barry Simon said, noting that with the exception of a few IT employees, everyone has returned. “We didn’t do it in a way that sounded like ‘we want you back or we’re letting you go.’ That’s not how you do culture right. I think everyone’s happy to be back.”
