Garage Owner Solves Staff Shortage with Four-Day Week

• JP D’Arcy says a business course and new website helped solve staff shortage 

JP D’Arcy Car Care and Performance, an independent Mercedes and BMW specialist in County Cork, is successfully tackling staff shortages after changing the structure of the business’ working week.

The garage, which has been through a complete restructure in the last 18 months, offers its six employees a 40-hour week, but across four days. Co-owner, JP D’Arcy says it’s proven to benefit both the business and its employees. Its two most recent hires were drawn to the garage because of the flexibility and work-life balance on offer.

None of it would have come to light he explains, had he not attended an Andy Savva business course, which was also pivotal in him changing from a generalist garage to a German specialist. And that in turn wouldn’t have been as successful as quickly, if it were not for a chance meeting with Jim Lang from website specialist, Garage Services Online.

JP said: “Going on Andy’s training course changed my business focus and we decided to transition to a Mercedes and BMW specialist. However, you can’t just do that overnight and expect a whole new profile of customer to start walking through the door.

“I met Jim around the same time and got Garage Services Online to do a new website. My old one was dead in the water and didn’t bring any work in at all. To be honest, it was so bad, I wouldn’t even have visited my own garage if I’d seen it!

“Over the course of 12 months, the website pulled in more and more of the work we wanted, until it got to the point six months ago where we were confidently deferring anything other than Mercedes and BMW work to another garage.

“We knew with absolute certainty the website was responsible for all the new customers. We got a new telephone number at the same time, and nobody could get that without finding us online.”

The garage now receives around 12 out-of-hours online enquiries per week, in addition to busy phonelines during the day. Quiet summer months are a thing of the past.

Administration time has been halved as the profile of customer JP D’Arcy now attracts, is looking for quality service, and not the cheapest price. Time previously spent pricing jobs for customers looking to haggle, is now used more productively.

JP continued: “The increase in productivity and profitability gave me the security and confidence to think differently about staffing issues. We put the four-day week into place and it’s been another game-changer. Staff either work Monday to Thursday, or Tuesday to Friday.

“Not only do employees love the longer day and shorter week, it’s also facilitated an increase in opening hours. We open at 7am which works better for customers dropping their vehicle before work. For vehicles dropped the night before, we can work on them bang on 7am. Productivity has increased massively.

“I don’t know of any other independent garage working this way.

“The business would be very different had I not met Jim and got the website. He’s very honest, straight-forward, and has a lot of integrity. These attributes clearly flow through to his team.

“I’d love other garages to know just what’s possible with the right people behind you.”