& the ongoing recruitment ads despite the buyout say plenty about how things are tracking internallyThe good thingsWhere to start…
Working under a manager with no real understanding of a panel shop environment has been, at best, frustrating and at worst completely counterproductive. When the person making decisions can’t identify basic paint defects, doesn’t understand repair processes, and has no grasp of finish standards, it becomes nearly impossible to maintain any level of consistency or pride in the work.
There’s a constant disconnect between what’s being directed and what’s actually required on the floor. Being told how to carry out technical work by someone who clearly doesn’t understand what they’re looking at — whether it’s colour matching, surface preparation, or identifying obvious imperfections — creates more problems than it solves.
It often feels like the role is being approached without any real-world trade exposure. The level of understanding reflects someone who hasn’t spent time in a workshop environment and is unfamiliar with even the most basic expectations of the job.
The challengesThat lack of knowledge flows into decision-making, staffing, and overall shop direction. The pattern of letting people go just before completing probation only reinforces the sense that there’s no real structure, foresight, or understanding of what the role actually requires.
Ultimately, it highlights how critical hands-on experience is in this industry — and what happens when it’s completely absent at management level.
Hard not to appreciate how dynamic things were there, monthly rotating shop managers, blurred role boundaries, and expectations shifting overnight Interesting approach trying to roll a previously paid standalone role into existing workloads without structure letting people go when they refuse