Employee turnover is costly and disruptive to business. And, in many cases, it is avoidable.
Less than 10% of people leave their jobs for compensation reasons – the vast majority depart for other reasons, some of which require minimal or no investment from their employers.
We asked 450 dealers, managers and industry leaders at the 2024 Women Driving Auto Retail event their perspectives on why women leave their jobs in automotive retail – and what the industry can do to keep them.
The five actions below are some of the key takeaways from their discussions.
- Create a code of conduct. Establish a culture of mutual respect between staff and customers in a formal code and allow employees to walk away from an aggressive customer or uncomfortable situation. Give women a voice in shaping the dealership culture through regular meetings with leadership.
- Formalize mentorship. Assign new employees a mentor within the first 90 days of onboarding. Shape mentorship around skills and abilities, not gender-based assumptions.
- Institute ongoing career development. Visualize career growth in onboarding by showing new employees a path to potential promotions, opportunities and education. Cross-train men and women across departments and conduct manager training to ensure genders are treated equally in opportunities. Ensure women are included in meetings, both formal and informal.
- Invest in women. Conduct a pay equity analysis to ensure men and women are compensated fairly, including in bonuses. Establish a budget for female recruitment and development.
- Offer competitive work-life balance. Long hours are not just a concern for women. Younger generations are increasingly prioritizing work-life balance, and the most successful retention comes from workplaces that get creative in accommodating employees’ schedule needs. [Stay tuned for more on this!]
To retain female talent, they first need to be recruited. Read more about tactics industry leaders recommend to improve recruitment strategies and attract more women.
