Giving Driver Positive Feedback Improves Company Performance
9 Mar 2015GPS fleet tracking is revolutionizing the way managers are controlling costs and monitoring vehicles. And drivers.
Surveillance can be a dirty word to an employee. Though only less than 10% of companies used GPS fleet management software to track company vehiclese, according to the “2007 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey,” conducted by the American Management Association (AMA) and The ePolicy Institute, the rates is increasing quickly. This means complaints about invasion of privacy and lack of trust are also increasing among drivers.
Building Trust
Positive feedback for your drivers is the way to help them accept GPS tracking equipment. If presented as a change for the good, both for the company’s bottom line and for convenience and a safety net for the driver, the system will be accepted much more easily.
And if ongoing approving comments are part of the process, workers will come on board with the new system much more quickly.
The Process of Change
Humans always have a problem with change. Getting your drivers to embrace GPS starts the minute you order it. Here are four tips to help you ease the transition for everyone.
1) Tell them the benefits. Drivers hate paperwork as much as you do. With GPS, there is no need for time-stamped documentation to prove a delivery was made. No more log book entries done by hand. Since the system provides directions, there will be more on-time deliveries, which increases the chances for bonuses.
2) Let drivers keep a share of the savings. Companies that use fleet software save money. Money is a great motivator. Share a percentage with drivers, based on metrics they all understand.
3) Explain everything. Problems arise when assumptions are made. Spell out how drivers are being monitored. This is information everyone needs. Pretending that surveillance isn’t part of the process is childish. But emphasize the positive aspects, like increased safety, not getting lost and saving money.
4) Ask for their suggestions and implement as many as possible. Invite comments all through the process. This is extremely helpful for managers, as well as a way to show drivers you recognize their importance . The workers are dealing with these devices in field conditions, giving them a perspective that you need to know about.
Positive Feedback
Tell them when they are doing things right. This will encourage your drivers to become more efficient and safer. It also helps make the company’s agenda, their agenda.
Give workers feedback on a regular basis. Make it sincere. Phony compliments come across loud and clear. Make it specific by referring exactly what they did right. A very general “Well done!” doesn’t have impact.
Give the feedback as soon as possible after their action. Make it focused by centering the conversation on the one item he did right. If you need to bring up something negative, do it in another conversation.
To learn more about how GPS fleet tracking can help you provide positive driver feedback to your employees, call us at LiveView GPS at 1.888.502.3636 today.
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