Jim Warman Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 First thing this AM, our "beloved" shop foreman once again announced his intention to leave the employ of our dealership.... He's done this, in the past, in order to try and extort a little more blood from the service department... I spend a lot of personal time perusing this and other forums to gain more knowledge and insight in my chosen craft... I spend a lot of time at work trying to extract that little extra bit of customer satisfaction... I spend a lot of time helping other techs when the shop foreman proved inexperienced or ineffectual... I spend a lot of time helping the shop foreman when he's in over his head... Long story short.... May 1st, I am the new shop foreman... wage is under negotiation... I'm not going to rape my service department... I know what I made last year, I know what I made year before and I have an idea of what I could make this year with no interruptions I don't expect a raise... but I wont take a cut, either... What I do expect... no flat rate... I get the gnarly ones... "overtime" pay... and the paid opportunity to improve my knowledge of our product and our service techniques... I approach this opportunity with no small amount of trepidation... I am no longer a "soldier"... I am now a "diplomat"... (translation... I can no longer sya "WTF you thinking of, moron???". I must now say "There is a better way of....". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 ]Congrats on the demotion. I am going to assume that you are a "working Foreman" meaning that much is not going to change other than having to deal with customers more and getting deeper into problem vehicles. Will your duties include dispatching work? My job does. I worked out a fair but substantial hourly rate and an hourly guarantee that protected me from a pay cut. I am expected to do what is necessary to fix the trucks and not have to worry about my pay. I am fortunate to have such an employer. Since I also dispatch work I have a productivity bonus based on total team hours as an incentive to keep productivity up. This method has proven beneficial to both myself and my employer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted April 27, 2006 Author Share Posted April 27, 2006 Initially, the DP felt I would stop getting dirty and start PDIing holiday trailers (quite a profitable side business). I explained that it seems counterproductive to take me away from what I know best and even more counterproductive to take me away from the people that I am supposed to help... Almost like a light went on when I mentioned that.. Yes, little will change in my daily routine since I was already being taken away from my work to help with a gnarly problem or offer a lift... or to show the old shop foreman how to do the things he should be showing us how to do... Wages are still under negotiation... I'm pushing for a base hourly wage plus a personal performance bonus. I'm not expecting any great wage increases but I want to be sure that my current earning potential is maintained.. in other words, I don't want to suffer the losses in time that I was having due to uscheduled "duties". I pointed out that this would be good overall since he would now have someone with Master qualifications to work on the tough ones that kill flat rate performance and turn good flat rate techs into uncaring hacks. It doesn't hurt to mention that over 30 years in this business has left me so that I have to struggle to keep up with the young'uns. But, I do get to keep my alignment rack and all my government inspections.... Luckily, I wont be dispatching work... there's just too many chances to be accused of favouritism - even though we are far too busy to even consider "saving" a gravy train for one particular bay... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J R Forman Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Jim, I did the job you are about to under take for 7 years in a very large Ford store. I enjoyed it very much for the first 5 years then I noticed a change. I was being given more and more "management" duties without compensation. In the last year it seemed the whole dealership was placed on my shoulders. I blame my self for this change, as I am a guy who has a hard time saying no. I was allowing them to shift their duties to me, this made me very valueable to them but also very stressed. Somehow in all this I missed the monetary reward. The morale of this story is, enjoy the position, feel good about the fact you have alot of knowlege to share and the ability to really make a difference both with your employees and customers. But...dont get lost like I did helping too much. Let us know how it works out!! JR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted May 4, 2006 Author Share Posted May 4, 2006 Welcome to the house that Keith built, JR (now I don't have to do it in the "intro forum" A lot of it is stuff that I've been doing for quite some time while it has been taking me away from my "flat rape" stuff.... The rest of it is a cake walk. I'm a "results" guy... If I figure the DP needs to spend 50 bucks, he's going to spend it... my justification is in the reward (unlike those that balk at spending the 50 bucks in the first place). Working in an "employees" market helps. I was making damned good wages on FR and all I asked for is that the extra MT duties don't change my standard of living... Next payday is the 15th, this will be a good precursor... Stay tuned.. will our hero go into melt-down? Will he have to return his newly acquired framing nailer toy? Will there be joy in Mudville? All in our next episode of "As the Stomach Turns"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LR Mike Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Congratulations on the promo ... errr.. demotion I stepped into a similar situation 3 years ago, and so far it's working pretty well. You'll have to structure your work to work best for you, though. I did dispatch for a time, but with 13 guys it was impossible to keep up with that and the problems! Now I'm out in the shop again where I should be and much better. I worked out a base weekly pay plus monthly commission based on overall shop. It works pretty good. Doesn't quite manage the wage I had before everyone figured out I could take on the problems, but at least my pay doesn't suffer because of them now. I've always said that in this business it doesn't pay to know too much (hope that made sense!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 been there twice (two diferent dealers) took a while to get back out of the position was I was in it but I'm finally just a plain old stay in my bay, mind my own business, tell everybody to use the shop manual or call the hotline, tech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastendpowerstroke Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Well I'm new to the forum but I am the working Forman in my shop. I'm still flat rate BUT I have a good rate per hr and nobody harps about me not turning hours,so I can devote the time necessary to increase productive and reduce comebacks to offset the hours lost I get a commission on profits from the shop. working out ok for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted August 4, 2006 Author Share Posted August 4, 2006 David, even after this much time, my payscale is still in a state of flux.... Our DP 'was' a victim of my predecessor - I 'am' a victim of my predecessor. Bonus plans are usually based on the shops net profits. WIth 7 new bays under construction, new hoists and equipment to purchase, some equipment neglected by my predecessor to the point where replacement is the logical choice (not to mention 2 IDS and 2 PDS purchases), it's going to be quite some time before my department shows a net profit. In this light, I know it is going to be an uphill battle and I might fall a tad short of my target earnings for the year..... I'm not a young man any more and I am building what is left of my future (FWIW, target earnings were in the 6 figure range - I know you Yanks don't get what you deserve - the good guys, anyway - but a 9 bubble Master can make $38/frh in our house). The big thing, for me, is the "WORKING" part. Where many shop foreman positions fail is when technology gets past the foreman. Our old one spent far too much time having me show him how things work. This saga is far from over in my little world... if I find something that works, I'll let everyone know. In the meantime.... happy customers make busy shops. With the way SLTS are going, we need to keep them long past 3/36 to do well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastendpowerstroke Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 Jim I feel your pain about the bonus but It's nice to hear about a shop expanding in these times when a lot are going under, laying off or "restructuring" to cut expenses. I feel the key is to negotiate the duty's of your position to allow you the time to keep up on technology and keep a watchful eye on the playground. 7 new bays, must be a big shop communication is very important make it clear to the techs that your there to help them with anything they need because it makes things go smoothly that in-turn increases productivity and makes everyone more money.It's better to pay you and a stumped tech 1.0 each to figure something out than let them spend hours firing the parts cannon at it driving your 126 off the scale and having a customer upset because they didn't get there car/truck back in a timely manor. I've never heard of a DP complaining about making money and not having to deal with drama from the customers. I'm sure we'll have more to say on this topic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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