Keeping drivers requires a personal touch
BANFF, Alta. -- While finding good qualified drivers may be difficult, some days keeping them around may seem just as tough. But if you do not have a retention program in place, you might actually be ahead of the game. "Retention is not a program," says Rael Kalley, president of Strategic Pathways. "There is no program you can put in place, not one. Retention is a culture." Kalley spoke during the Alberta Motor Transport Association annual management conference and attempted to shed light on some human resource issues in trucking. It's no secret there is a shortage of qualified drivers in the workforce and unfortunately the numbers are just getting smaller, while the cost of replacing a driver increases. "Last year was a pivotal year. It was the first time more people retired from the workforce than entered it," Kalley notes. "We're on a downward spiral and the ability to retain people is critical." Driver retention is a critical issue, especially considering the price tag attached to replacing a driver. Kalley estimates the cost of replacing a driver - calculating all direct and indirect costs - at about $9,000. Estimates from around the room ranged from $8,000 to $12,500 per driver, but regardless of the actual cost the consensus was clear: a carrier's inability to retain drivers is bad for the bottom line. Surprisingly however, while money may be a big motivator for fleets, it's not the main reason most employees have for parting ways with a company. Kalley's Calgary-based consulting firm focuses on business improvements through employee efficiency. Part of the company's work is to perform exit interviews after a staff member has left a company and they perform hundreds every month. There are some big myths surrounding employee retention, Kalley says, which include money, divorce is more expensive than marriage and loyalty is dead. The primary reasons for leaving work in Kalley's last 10 exit interviews were: constant poor treatment by supervisor, not being appreciated for effort, burned out by staff shortages, left to start a business and spouse was transferred to a new city. Kalley admits there are some workers who will leave regardless of how workers are treated (new business venture and spousal transfers), while there are others who need to be let go. "Not all turnover is bad," Kalley adds. "For some people, the greatest contribution they will make to a company is handing in their resignation." But for the employees you want to keep - or need to keep, for financial reasons - there are three retention essentials: don't tell staff you value them, show them; make the 'platinum rule' part of your culture, treat others as they would like to be treated; and employees aren't mushrooms, so don't treat them as such.