People don’t quit jobs. They quit people.
That oft-repeated phrase came to mind for WorkHound CEO Max Farrell in the wake of roughly 40,000 driver survey responses that his company reviewed from 2020.
When it came to feedback on people that drivers regularly interact with, including dispatchers, planners, office staff and mechanics, positive and negative comments were about evenly split, Farrell said.
Why the criticism? There’s a lot of stress to go around and not enough empathy to match which can lead to greater frustration and greater driver turnover rates that can impact a company’s bottom line.
“We’ve all experienced it, but when you have stress in your life you’re going to be more irritable,” said Dr. Kirleen Neely, CEO of the Neely Counseling Center, who participated in WorkHound’s recent webinar on driver retention. “You’re going to be more defensive. You’re going to be quick to what I call, 'pop-off,' not really think about what you say before you say it.”
When it comes to stress, drivers reported being more pressured by dispatchers than any other staff member. Roughly 42% of driver comments concerning personnel were directed at dispatchers. Mechanics garnered nearly 25% of written feedback while office got 17% and planners 16%.
