Manager's Desk: Time to awaken the shop

Much of 2016 and 2017 has been a stressful roller coaster ride for our shop and me and my family as we have fought through a difficult economy—the worst in 30 years. Challenges remain, and business isn’t completely wonderful again, but we have more optimism than a year ago.

While our shop’s owners carried a tremendous mental burden, with stressful evening conversations and restless nights, employees undoubtedly carried their own share of concern and stress. Whenever the potential for further layoffs or reduced income hangs over your company, your staff, understandably, isn’t always exactly a smiling ray of sunshine.

While I’m generally optimistic, many days I found myself down and worn out, and it showed. It didn’t help when I walked into the front office in the mornings and saw several dark, empty offices. It was just too quiet. Previously, people occupied every office, phones rang, conversations abounded, coffee brewed, and the receptionist welcomed visitors.

As a result, I had two main concerns: inadvertently creating both a potentially depressing working atmosphere for employees and a negative image for guests. After personally visiting several customers and suppliers, I realized their silent, uninviting facilities didn’t give me confidence they were handling the downturn well. In our situation, we weren’t going out of business, but we certainly didn’t need a customer or supplier to leave with that impression. Unfortunately, that was the impression I got after visiting other companies. It was subtle but made me concerned about their future.

After starting a few workdays with a similarly bleak outlook, I realized that it was time to do whatever possible to change the vibe for the better and add energy to the place. 

These small actions didn’t automatically improve business conditions or guarantee that employees wouldn’t be let go, but they improved the workspace environment and positively impacted those who remained. The changes started with the front office.

I don’t work well in utter silence, so repurposing an unused computer to stream background music offered welcome noise. Simply opening window blinds provided some much-needed sunshine. Using the downtime to declutter and reorganize files and workspaces also helped. Really, just coming to work with energy, reawakening the place and getting rid of the gloomy atmosphere supplied a necessary boost to everyone.

When it came to the shop floor, similar changes were in order, but background music wasn’t possible. Nonetheless, reorganization, cleaning and hosting more customers and suppliers on-site gave hope. We eventually climbed out of our funk and are feeling rejuvenated.

A positive attitude from shop owners and managers can’t magically fix a tanking economy or make customers buy more parts, but it can provide enthusiasm and optimism when they’re needed most. Your demeanor in challenging situations speaks volumes. Use it to your advantage.