22 ( 28 %) call it “ a moderate challenge .”
But we would not argue that these methods and others covered in the survey are not working . Maybe they aren ’ t working as well as marketers hope or expect , but they do have some measure of success , used as part of a mix of methods that complement one another . Also to be considered is the way that these methods are defined and implemented , which brings us back to “ networking with tech schools .” What does the term “ networking ” encompass ? Bringing lunch to students and their instructors and sitting down to break bread with them may not be the first act that the phrase “ networking with tech schools ” brings to mind . But it sounds like a great idea , and based on the last part of that fuel marketer ’ s comment —” instructors now steer the good ones our way ”— it seems to be working . That marketer took a longstanding method and went a little further with it , made an extra effort . Ham and cheese , anyone ? For the question , “ What steps have you taken or considered to retain employees ?” respondents were asked to check all answers that applied .
Sixty-five of 72 , a bit more than 90 %, say they offer health insurance . Sixtyfour of 70 , a bit more than 91 %, say they offer increased pay . Thirty of 51 ( nearly 60 %) say they offer quarterly or some kind of timed bonuses . Only three of 24 ( 12 %) say they offer employee stock options or “ partial ownership ” in the company , though 21 say they have considered doing so .
The survey was conducted in the weeks before an April 17 Fuel Oil News webinar on the same subject . To hear the edited webinar , go to www . fueloilnews . com . Hold your cursor over “ Webinars ” and choose “ Hiring and Retaining Drivers and Service Techs in Today ’ s Market ” from the dropdown menu . The featured speakers in the webinar were : Mike Estes , owner of Estes Oil & Propane in York , Maine ; Steven H . Kitchin , vice president , corporate education and training for the New England Institute of Technology in East Greenwich , R . I .; and Jesse Lord of A . R . M . Solutions , a co-founder of Vets2Techs , an organization that connects veterans with potential employers in the fuel marketing industry . l FON
HOW DO YOU FIND NEW DRIVERS AND SERVICE TECHS ?
WHAT STEPS HAVE YOU TAKEN OR CONSIDERED TO RETAIN EMPLOYEES ?
www . fueloilnews . com | FUEL OIL NEWS | JUNE 2019 27