Let’s face it—dealerships are busy. Between keeping customers happy, managing inventory, and navigating staffing shortages, asking employees how they feel might seem like something that can wait.
But here’s the hard truth: pushing off employee engagement surveys—whether due to time, resources, or fear of what might come back—can quietly damage your culture, retention, and bottom line.
Here’s what’s really at stake.
When you skip engagement surveys, you're flying blind. Employees might be frustrated, confused, or disengaged—and without feedback mechanisms in place, those issues remain buried until they show up as turnover or poor performance.
Dealerships are especially vulnerable because many employees—like service techs and parts counter staff—may not proactively voice concerns. Regular surveys give these team members a way to be heard without confrontation.
We all know how hard it is to find skilled labor, especially technicians. When employees feel like their voices don’t matter, they’re more likely to check out—or check job boards.
By pausing surveys, you miss the early warning signs that could help prevent turnover. Feedback on workloads, management support, and morale are all critical inputs that can inform your retention strategy.
Even if your team seems fine, disengagement can slowly erode trust, collaboration, and motivation. Without regular check-ins, small frustrations can snowball into apathy or resentment.
A healthy culture isn’t just built through birthday cakes and t-shirts. It’s built through communication, follow-through, and consistent efforts to listen and improve.
The reality is, dealership staffing is changing faster than ever. Turnover is up, and average length of stay is down—meaning if you're only surveying every 2–3 years, you’re likely missing feedback from a significant portion of your workforce.
Many employees may come and go before you ever hear from them.
Millennials and Gen Z employees are wired for regular feedback—they grew up with it. They expect communication loops that are ongoing, not once a year.
Skipping surveys or going too long between them signals a lack of responsiveness—and that can impact both engagement and retention among your younger workforce.
If you're not ready for a full-blown engagement program, start small:
Run short, pulse surveys every quarter
Ask 3–5 focused questions tied to key areas like workload, recognition, or leadership
Follow up with one action item to show employees you’re listening
And if your last survey didn’t lead to changes, be honest about that. Transparency builds trust—even when the answers aren’t perfect.
When dealerships delay employee feedback, they risk sending the message: your voice doesn’t matter. In an industry already facing staffing challenges, that’s a message you can’t afford to send.
Creating a great employee experience doesn’t happen all at once—but it does start by listening.
📥 Want a Smarter Way to Hear Your Team?
SATISFYD’s Voice of Employee solution makes it easy to gather, understand, and act on feedback—without overwhelming your team or your calendar.
Ready to take the next step? Book a meeting to explore how SATISFYD’s VoE solution can help your team stay engaged and your dealership ahead.