On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, we get a little off topic with various developmental psychology articles. We’ve all heard the question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” and we’re not sure how many people came right out and said, “mechanic!” Turns out even asking this question is actually not the best thing in the world, because it can put undue burden on developing brains that think that they have to live up to this expectation. Answering with “mechanic” might be a growing trend though, as Gen Z has started to turn the corner and get into the trades at a higher percentage than X-ers and Millennials. We’ve told them not to, but in typical fashion of a younger generation questioning an older one - they keep coming! We also delve into the concept of some people only being your friend when their stuff is broken, which is something everyone listening to this has experienced at one point or another and hit on the cyclical nature of “getting killed on the warranty at the dealership” to “making tons of money on the same job at an Indy once it’s out of warranty”. Uncle Jimmy rewrites the law of the hammer to his Snap-On guy, and talks about head injuries!

Also Uncle Jimmy lives up to generational expectations and tells you exactly what’s on his mind!

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy goes full boomer and talks about some statistics involving cell phone use in the workplace. We get into just how much time we’re wasting, how we’re wasting it, and the incredible stats involving how likely we are to mess up after using our phones at work. There are some major streamlined processes in the automotive industry that have gotten incredibly advanced when it comes to workflows that directly involve the phone but Uncle Jimmy just wishes that he didn't have to keep it on his personal phone. Is the phone leading to the downfall of humanity? Maybe, but rest assured it is definitely a wiretap with a monthly payment to keep it running!

Also Uncle Jimmy goes on one of the best rants about U-Haul since they “rented that mofo for $19.95!”

On this episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy dissects the most shortchanged part of the entire automotive industry - Human Resources! Hiring anyone who has tools and can fog a mirror is one way to fill your shop with bodies, but not paying attention to the shop chemistry can be extremely detrimental to the bottom line. When you hire the right people, the right things happen. Productivity increases, friendly competition can cause even more profit, and the shop is overall a loud but harmonious place. The inverse is also 100% true. When you hire the wrong people, work doesn’t get done, techs snipe at one another, and your customers are going to suffer. The bottom line for this episode, which really is a must-listen for service managers whose teams need some finessing, you get out what you put into the hiring process - and another opinion with some technical skills is a valuable tool in the interview.

Also Uncle Jimmy pitches the “Tech Combine” and outlines the HR Paradox: “The employees you wish would stay always leave, and the employees you wish would leave always stay (seemingly forever)”