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September/October Issue 63 - Flipbook - Page 9


RECRUITING (AND RETAINING) STAFF
Young people are not attracted
to our line of work, preferring to
work with computers or choosing
to become tradesmen. What they
do have in common though is an
expectation to earn top money yet
still maintain a healthy work/life
balance.
rates of pay for Class 2 drivers and
encourage people into this great
industry of ours, we are all going
to be left with recovery vehicles
parked up in our yards with no one
to drive them, thus resulting in lots
of motorists left stranded for hours
on end at the roadside.
The recovery industry was built on
the work ethic and graft of those
many of us would recognise as
“the old school” but who have since
long retired or left the industry.
Either that, or we
‘unemployables’ and
place our business
greater risk – I don’t
is worse.
Unfortunately, we have never
been able to replace them. We are
currently paying, including bonus,
£11.26/hr for a Class 2 driver
which is still not enough and, to be
honest, I can’t blame them.
One thing is for sure, the problem
of being unable to staff our
business is going to provide a
barrier to trade in the not-toodistant future – we just will not
have the manpower to be able to
service our customers.
Unless our work providers start
to offer vastly improved rates
allowing us to offer competitive
employ the
in doing so
under even
know which
The trouble is we not only need
people with the correct driving
licence with an aptitude for
recovery but inter-personal skills
too, able to converse and deal
with people in an often stressful
and dangerous situation - and they
need plenty of common sense
which, as we know, is notoriously
difficult to find in people these
days!
In short, we need skilled people
with a bit of savvy and yet all we
can pay them is little more than
the minimum wage.
I worry for the future of this
industry; something needs to
change and quickly.
Once again, I implore our work
providers to recognise and
acknowledge a problem that is,
and I’m not being over-dramatic
here, fast reaching crisis point.
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