Any service managers or ex service mangers?
Here is a kicker. I don't like being called a "technician". Maybe your employees are techs but I consider myself to be a Mechanic. Ya, we are a fickle bunch.
About 2yrs before I walked out of My last wrenchin' gig at the dealership, the then-new "pre-owned" car Mgr was talking in the office, stating how today's Techs are "APC's"....Authorized Parts Changers. I looked Him right in the eyes and said; " Dude, You need to get Your head out of Your ***!"
It has all been summed up pretty much above. Flat-rate turns greedy, lazy techs into thieves, the quality goes in the tank & comebacks thru' the roof. They also learn quickly, like a child, if You give them a task they don't want to do....take forever to do it & F-it up as badly as possible. Oh, the writers will whine & complain, but the pain-modified behavior will kick in & they'll stop giving them the **** jobs. We had a yearly bonus, based on "productivity", the dumbest laziest guys would not only haul in the hours all year...but reaped the reward for being that way as the final insult to the rest of Us who solved problems & knocked out the warranty work
and their comebacks. Some heads finally rolled, but when experienced guys roll home with 4.5-6hrs, & the numbnut in the next bay goes home with 17hrs, after hiding the lower b-joint in His box that He flagged 2hrs for...which only pays 1.5, & gets away with it.....morale is going to be a serious issue.
That's the tip of the iceberg, lol!! Profit sharing is actually a better idea, but even then, the writers & parts personel got paid commision on the shops productivity...and seemed to fight it at every turn sometimes...mind boggling....