Kevin Krupp
Management Services Committee Member
York Repair, Inc.
During our last Management Services Committee meeting, a comment was made by one of the members that it was getting harder to get technicians to work overtime in a post-Covid world. That comment and the ensuing conversation served as the basis for this survey.
The committee was curious to know if this was a trend that our greater EASA membership was experiencing. We asked six questions and the responses can be seen in the accompanying charts.
Question 1 posed the question of how many hours per week technicians work. Fifty-seven percent work 40 – 44 hours per week, with 21% at 45-49 hours, 12% at 50-55 hours and 5% over 55 hours. The assembly/disassembly mechanics worked the most overtime at 45%, followed by winding at 31% and machining at 14%.According to our 97 respondents, most (72%) say that getting employees to work overtime is about the same as prior to Covid. However, 19% said it was more difficult and an additional 6% said it was significantly more difficult. Together, this represents 25% of the companies recognizing that it is more difficult to find technicians to work overtime. One of the comments from a member reads, “There is also a shift away from work being a huge priority in life. I’m not sure how the young generation is going to be able to afford to buy a house with this attitude.”
Many other respondents noted that they don’t have any issues with getting employees to work overtime. One noted, “We have gone to a second shift which has lowered our overtime drastically.” Another noted, “We pay quite comfortable overtime payments and try to announce the overtime two days prior, so there is in most cases no problem to find volunteers.”
Another question addressed how overtime is assigned. Seventy-four percent allow employees to volunteer by department or function and 26% make it mandatory. Although a few comments noted that they have a blend where they first take volunteers, and they make it mandatory as a last resort. A follow-up question addressed what happens if you are unable to find employees to work overtime. Answers are detailed in the chart. In general, lead times are extended, and the burden tends to fall on a small group of employees and the supervisory staff.
A final question addressed whether companies have a stand-by team for emergency breakdowns. This was split fairly evenly with 53% saying “Yes” they have a team ready and 47% saying “No.”
So, what does this all mean? We will leave that up to you to decide. We had one comment that read, “Not sure what you are trying to accomplish with this data.” I think the exercise was to validate the feelings of some members that it is getting more difficult to get people to work the extra hours that are often needed in the service industry. We appreciate your input and would be happy to continue the conversation at the Peer-to-Peer Open Management Forum during the 2023 Convention. The session is scheduled for 9:45 -10:45 AM, Monday, June 26th.
Related Reference and Training Materials
Print