DEFINING ACCOUNTABILITY
Blame game or recipe for betterment? By ALLISON ROGERS What is accountability? I recently ran into a statistic online that suggested a startling 80 percent of people understand accountability in the workplace to be synonymous with punishment. Accountability, when you look up the definition of the word, is “the obligation or willingness to accept responsibility […]
INTER-INDUSTRY INTERACTIONS
The value of face-to-face communication By ALLISON ROGERS I could start with a thousand analogies about the pace of change in the collision industry, but we all know how quickly things move around here. It’s no secret collision centres have faced unprecedented challenges in the last few years. Parts shortages, labour woes, increased operating costs […]
TREND IN THE TRADES
General enrolment is increasing in the States—so what’s the story in Canada? By ALLISON ROGERS On April 1st—like a laughable April Fools’ joke to some members of the general public—an article called “How Gen Z Is Becoming the Toolbelt Generation” was published to the Wall Street Journal. The author, Te-Ping Chen, writes that “rising pay […]
SPRING INTO ACTION
Plant the seed and watch your business sprout By ALLISON ROGERS The cliche most associated with spring— cleaning. Getting all the dust out; starting anew. Refreshing old ways of operating to try something new and fresh—who knows, maybe it’ll breathe new life into your profits. Busting out the duster to rid your production floor of […]
REINVENTING THE WHEEL
It may not be that drastic, but it’s time to talk By ALLISON ROGERS Anyone who has spent more than a day working in the collision repair industry knows how complex it can be. Heck, less than a day in a shop could have a newcomer’s head spinning. Some bystanders probably get stressed just hearing […]
YOU’VE GOT THIS
Support is the cure for imposter syndrome At the time of writing this, my last industry event was my annual trip to Las Vegas for industry week, where most of my time is spent on the SEMA Show floor. My feet are still numb. It’s been almost a month. This year marked my second in-person […]
DO THE HOKEY POKEY
All of this narrows down to one question: are you in, or are you out? have you taken steps to adapt your facility, your operations, work culture, et cetera, to the year 2023? Plan your future and turn it all around By ALLISON ROGERS Collision Repair magazine recently launched our own EV Repair Tour, with […]
Editor’s Note: An ode to industry events
Don Teevens (CCS), Brian Busby (BASF), Gloria Mann (Media Matters) and Chris Chinn (CCS) pose for a selfie at the recent BASF Golf Tournament. By Allison Rogers This industry is always busy—but these last two months have been particularly jam-packed. Between the end of May and now, nearly the end of July, our team at […]
RELATIONSHIPS 101
Maintaining healthy partnerships is the ballet of bodywork By ALLISON ROGERS The overarching theme of this issue is relations; I’ll kick off my column with a cliche: if you’ve ever had any sort of relationship with another human being, you’ll know any relationship is a dance. The bonds in the collision repair space, however, present […]
IN ONE, OUT THE OTHER
Anyone who knows me is very aware that I struggle to pass up an industry event. When the dates for the Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers (SAAR) Spring Forum were announced, I couldn’t resist the chance to visit Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, for the first time, even if it meant facing early-February prairie temperatures. I have […]
