Historically, you have probably operated quite casually:you may have only employed people that you already knew so that they were a safe bet, you didn’t document a lot of things because it didn’t seem necessary,everyone got on and were kind of their own boss, and if you had any troubles, then you could typically sort them out by having a quiet word which, usually, meant that the problem went away.
From our experience, this way of operating has a short shelf life. You run out of mates to employ, you start to feel like your staff aren’t working hard enough or are taking advantage, there may be troubles brewing, and now, you’re not sure where to go. Or, maybe you are getting busier, and you have started to see that you need some help.
This is when people usually contact us. They reach out on Facebook to their friends and peers, and we get recommended (Thank you!), or they hear a podcast with us on it or see us talk at a networking event such as The Blendand like what we say. Luckily, we come highly recommended, and we work hard to keep it that way.
With this in mind, let us share a few tips to help you enter the world of being the best version of yourself…
Every boss is different, and no boss gets it right 100% of the time.
But there are a few things that we recommend every employer tries:

1) Do one thing
Do not get overwhelmed with how much employee-related “HR stuff” you haven’t done; that isn’t going to help anyone. Instead, whenever you are overwhelmed or extremely busy, just do one thing.
Whether it is giving an employee some positive feedback, booking that tech onto training, asking Front of House if they need a new chair, checking if everyone has booked their annual leave, checking if anyone needs a new contract, looking at how you calculate pay rises, or reaching out to us and asking “How can you help me?”.
Just doing one thing will feel good and make a positive impact, and you will usually find that a small step is all it takes to get the momentum going.

2) Reflect on your own performance
Regularly ask yourself what went well, what could be improved, if you are on track for your business goals, what’s the next hurdle to jump, and what you need to learn.
Some people like to do this when sat in traffic or having a coffee as a bit of “as and when”, whilst others like an end-of-month review of themselves. One day, you may even be doing both!

3) Be fair
If you notice that you are giving an employee less favourable treatment because they have annoyed you or you are always giving the good jobs to your favourite, it’s time to address this.
Also, be fair to yourself. Noone wins if you are beating yourself up. As we said earlier, noone is perfect.
Let us know if you would like more help on determining “What is fair?”.

4) No gossiping
If one employee knows what you think of another employee, stop this. It is really bad for morale and can make employees paranoid, which will then leave you with the opposite of teamwork.
It is also a catalyst for “us and them” cultures, workshop versus front of house. If you and your team are spending an average of one hour a week moaning about someone else, that is an expensive problem. Imagine how your business (and stress levels) would improve if that time was spent talking about how to be a better team instead.

5) Communicate and document
One way to keep you and your team on the same path is to have regular communication in an appropriate way, which is backed up with policies and procedures outlining company standards that you can check your team understand and agree with.
We find some people feel like they are constantly repeating themselves and not getting results. In this situation, you may need to change your communication style.

6) Be the most educated person in your business
“Knowledge is power”, as they say, but we prefer to look at it as “information = confidence”, and confident employers tend to be calm and in control. This is excellent for business.

7) Remember: you are an aftermarket automotive business
What works for your friend working in finance may not work for you! You need a filter for what information is good for you and what is damaging.
8) Don’t isolate yourself
Running a business can be a lonely way of life, even if you have a spouse/partner supporting you. It is hard work, and it can wear you down. Make sure that you join at least one community. Perhaps one with a good garage management system, one with a good consultant, one that is private away from the automotive industry, and one with excellent HR support . This level of support is a game-changer.

How can we help?
Come and trial being a Vital Subscriber. For £149 per month, you get weekly tips and advice from us to keep you at the top of your game, as well as a monthly webinar with us and other automotive business owners to:
- discuss current affairs,
- troubleshoot, and
- specialise in a relevant topic each month.
You will also get admin support and access to our online learning hub with free courses and extra information, AND bank an hour of priority support per month, which means that if you want our help, we already have that time set aside for you.
We also LOVE working on goals, so if you have some goals in mind, then we will meet with you every quarter to help you achieve them. And if you want more from us, then you get a large discount on our other services because you are a subscriber.
Limited spaces are available as we are a small team, and we do currently have a small waiting list. So if you are interested, please email jennifer@hrvitals.co.ukASAPso that we do not disappoint.
Remember: We do not lock you into a contract, so there is no harm in trying

Finally, what happens to those growing pains?
Well, they fade away and get replaced with going on holiday and being able to switch off, feeling confident and excited about your team, mastering the recruitment process, and getting that feel-good factor about your business.
But as they say, don’t take our word for it. Here are a few reviews for our beloved clients:
Our 2025 Webinars
- January – Profit, Power and…? Goal setting and employee engagement for 2025
- February – Looking after the owner & Garage Efficiency
- March – Recruitment & Getting the right person in the door
- April – Employee engagement grows success
- May – Learning and Development & Take back the power
- June – Q&A session
- July – The true value in mental health
- August – Webinar social & Talking about learning from one another
- September – Back to basics & Focusing on absence procedure in preparation for winter
- October – Onboarding
- November – Q&A session
- December – NLP focus & Powerful communication tools