Recently here at FenderBender, we’ve experienced the effects of The Great Resignation (like many of you, surely) and, as a result, it forced me to do something that, frankly, I haven’t done in years now: write stories for the magazine. When I first started working for FenderBender as a staff writer, my entire job consisted of writing magazine stories. But as I continued growing in my role, that part of my role decreased more and more, until I finally just wrote my editor’s letter.
I’m sure many of you can relate to this: You may have started out as a technician, working on vehicles every day—something that, in all likelihood, you now haven’t done in years.
It was an interesting exercise for me to go back to the basics and write a few of the stories that make up this month’s issue of FenderBender. It reminded me of those early years in my career, trying to master the job and learn the industry. It made me feel more connected to our staff and the work they do every day. And it also reinforced the reasons for many of our processes and our dedication to making sure our team follows them. Because, man, looking at 45 minutes’ worth of unorganized interview notes really isn’t fun.
It’s almost ironic, then, that the main story in this month’s issue (“Where Are All the Technicians?”, p. XX) is all about how various stakeholders in the collision repair industry are trying to combat both the Great Resignation and the pre-existing technician shortage.
Although it felt good to get back on the ground floor, as I’ve heard some of you have had to do, too, it’s not something I—or you—should be doing with any regularity. Sometimes that’s a bitter pill to swallow; I love reporting and writing. Doing that over the past month felt so familiar.
But it’s simply not my role anymore, just as working on the day-to-day of your business isn’t either anymore. If you are experiencing hiring or recruiting struggles, I highly encourage you to read the story because the sources in that story so plainly lay out not only the realities of the situation, but the active strategies they’ve undertaken to hopefully create a more fruitful pipeline of talent.
