3 ways to retain your best HGV drivers

A HGV driver’s pay packet is not always the most important factor in a decision to leave your employment. We must of course add “within reason” during this era of large signing on bonuses and higher wages offered by sectors that can afford to do so. A driver on ￡25,000 may not move for a ￡30,000 offer but a figure like ￡50,000 would turn anybody’s head in that scenario.

Hence we see our local bus and waste collection services losing drivers to high-paying trucking organisations.

However, the best way to counter high pay rates that you simply cannot match is to become a great employer. It’s a truism that employees who feel part of a family have almost boundless loyalty to that group.

Appreciation and Recognition are major factors in the best employers

Genuine appreciation for a job well done can be just as important as good pay. Companies that have adopted a practice of regular feedback to employees enjoy better staff engagement and benefits such as:

·????????Lower attrition - companies that practice appreciation and recognition have 23% lower employee churn rates

·????????Better productivity and customer service - estimated at 14%

·????????Profit earnings roughly 44% better than those with poor employee engagement

·????????Over 80% of employees want feedback on their performance, whether it’s good or bad

(Stats courtesy of Terryberry.com)

It may appear obvious but it's really important to recognise and appreciate the hard work of your HGV drivers. Doing so makes them feel valued and engaged. It makes them care more about your company and how they perform their duties.

There are many ways to achieve a satisfied workforce and not all of them apply to drivers because they are remote workers with few links to the main workforce or head office. Here three that do apply:

#1 Talk to your drivers

The nature of their work means they are rarely available for face to face conversations, unlike most other types of workers. While every company is different, larger organisations especially easily become impersonal and lose individual contact with the workforce. The effect is frequently seen when an employee hands in his notice out of the blue. Communication is the key to preventing this, or at least giving you an opportunity to head off a major issue.

A 5 minute phone call once a week can make a big difference. If that can be with a relatively senior manager, not just the dispatcher, all the better. Issues should be noted and acted on when possible. At the very least, the driver should feel that someone is genuinely listening.

#2 Include drivers in the decision making process of your business

Asking for their opinion on matters related to their role gives any employee a feeling of being valued. Feeling valued is a very significant element of employee satisfaction.

Relevant issues on which you might consult your drivers could be anything from the fleet maintenance process to preferences for a particular truck model. Requesting their feedback on routes, clients or the dispatch process – all these count, especially in the mind of a driver who will be sitting behind the wheel for many hours every day.

#3 Share your objectives and values with your drivers

Drivers are frontline staff and represent your company out there in the marketplace. To be effective, they need to at least understand your values and what you believe is special or different about the services you offer.

All too often, drivers are a forgotten cohort and they feel it too. Out of sight is out of mind of management. By reversing this situation, and bringing them inside and onside, you can build a new level of company representative with a positive and proactive mindset regarding the organisation they work for. That can pay off in many ways to improve your company’s image.

Finally - be aware how difficult organisational change can be

There is a caveat to all this. A company that has been in business for a number of years may find it difficult to institute the ethos, culture and attitude adjustments that are required. Not only that, but entrenched practices that cause employee dissatisfaction may also lead to cynicism and mistrust of management attempts to steer the ship in a different direction.

However, if achieving the changes required means the difference between a business surviving or going under, then doing nothing is not an option.

Here is a worthwhile article relating to change in the public sector but is equally applicable to every business. Change management is a discipline of its own and engaging a professional practitioner may be a key action in achieving successful changes.