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The Mercedes-Benz Academy

Recruit, retain, reward, results.

Mercedes-Benz UK Limited, Tongwell, Milton Keynes MK15 8BA.

The Mercedes-Benz Academy


Recruiting and retaining top quality personnel has always been crucial for the success of any business and in an increasingly competitive environment its more important than ever.
As well as the financial implications, losing staff will mean a loss of experience, skills, talents and knowledge along with probable loss or disruption to customer relationships.

Business Succe ss

The aim of the Mercedes-Benz Academy is to deliver a consistent and robust approach to all aspects of recruitment, induction and ongoing development. This will bring about: an increase in the skills and knowledge of all personnel a better understanding of our Brand and our values an increase in satisfaction levels amongst customers a more robust foundation for continued business success

S S & RESULT REWARD


Com Professionalispetency m & Retention

EL O P M E N V INING & DE TRA


Quality Personne l

Phase One Objectives


The concept of the Mercedes-Benz Academy is simple. Our mutual business goals will be achieved if we combine excellence in recruitment with relevant and meaningful training, delivered in an environment where success is recognised and rewarded. The Mercedes-Benz Academy will develop over time to incorporate all areas of training, development, reward and recognition. However, in the first phase the objectives are to: establish a consistent recruitment process throughout the business provide assessment and qualification criteria for all roles ensure all qualifications have a recognised accreditation make certain each new member of staff receives the benefit of a role-specific Induction Programme highlight development opportunities for all individuals and address them in a structured manner reduce costs and disruption associated with staff turnover

E SS M E N T SS TMENT & A RECRUI

The Key Elements


The Mercedes-Benz Academy will impact positively on all areas of recruitment, induction, training and development.
Recruitment Process Our approach to recruitment is currently inconsistent across the Network. The Mercedes-Benz Academy will provide individual managers with access to standard job descriptions, required competencies and interview questions. In addition, the C-Management programme will now include specific training on recruitment procedures and best practice. Assessment All key job roles will have a form of assessment available through the recruitment process which will assist managers to select the best possible person for the role. Induction Ultimately, all new employees will attend a role-specific Induction Programme, providing them with the skills they need for the role and the opportunity to experience the Mercedes-Benz Brand, its values, behaviours and processes. Initially this will be available to newly recruited Sales Executives, Service Team Managers, Parts Process Specialists and management positions. The Induction will cover two elements. The first of these will be a one day module focussing on the Mercedes-Benz brand and will be held at either Mercedes-Benz World for employees joining a Mercedes-Benz Car business or at Wentworth Park for employees joining a Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicle business. The second element will be role specific training held at the Mercedes-Benz UK Training Centre in Milton Keynes. Once again this will be tailored to the specific needs of both the Mercedes-Benz Cars and Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicle personnel. For frontline staff this will be a one day course relating to the individuals role within the business i.e Sales or After Sales, Cars or Commercial Vehicles. Line Managers joining the business will be required to attend their role-specific day and a further day covering brand related management topics. Senior Managers are required to attend all elements of the Induction Programme relating to their brand, covering the Sales, After Sales and Management days. On completion of the Induction all employees will automatically be registered for the relevant Mercedes-Benz Reward and Recognition programme. Training Needs Analysis All network personnel should take part in a Training Needs Analysis on an annual basis to identify key areas for future training and development. Standardised TNA documents are available for this purpose on the Mercedes-Benz UK Infonet. In 2009 our team of Mercedes-Benz Training Consultants will be visiting sites where operational performance is identified as bottom quartile. Their objectives are to work with the management team to produce meaningful TNAs aimed at improving performance. They are also available on request to assist better performing businesses with their TNA plans. The team can be contacted on training.consultancy@daimler.com. This service will be free of charge to the Mercedes-Benz Cars and Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicle networks. Whether businesses produce TNAs on their own, or in conjunction with our team of Training Consultants, the content of the plans must be time bound and carried out within twelve months of the individuals review. This is now a Mercedes-Benz Block Exemption Regulation requirement. Qualifications The long term aim of the Mercedes-Benz Academy is to ensure that all network personnel attain a recognised qualification for their job function, above and beyond the Block Exemption Regulation minimum requirements. In phase one The Mercedes-Benz Academy will engage frontline personnel in working towards the Mercedes-Benz Management certification programmes, i.e C-Sales, C-Service and C-Management.

The Recruitment Process Flow


With the introduction of the Mercedes-Benz Academy our recommendation is that Line Managers should follow the recruitment process identified in the chart below. To assist Managers in following this process the Recruitment section of the Infonet now has standardised Job Descriptions for each of the key roles in the business. Also included are the competencies required for the role, sample interview questions to ask and the assessment tools available to ensure the best possible candidates are recruited. The Mercedes-Benz UK Search and Selection Service and the relevant Regional Field Team members will be working with the networks to ensure that the new tools and processes are understood and utilised. Please remember that for certain roles within the business, specific assessment criteria are now mandatory parts of the recruitment process.

Utilisation of specific job descriptions in the advertising and recruitment process Review of the required competencies with appropriate questioning as part of the interview process Discussion/interview of the shortlisted candidates with the relevant Regional Field Team member Pre-assessment/assessment of the candidates to gain formal Mercedes-Benz UK approval using the identified tools Notification to Mercedes-Benz UK training of a job offer to the successful candidate Induction Training to be completed within the first month of employment TNA created for the individual taking into account the outputs from the Assessment and requirements of the specific job role qualification route

The Development Process Flow


Within the Mercedes-Benz Academy section of the Infonet we have identified a structured development path for each key role which leads to a recognised qualification and also shows the potential next steps for each individual. Shown below is an example of how the process works for a Line Management position. Recruitment Process Proposal of an internal candidate, utilisation of Mercedes-Benz UK Search and Selection Service, or MA partner external candidate. Candidates would need to be approved by the relevant Regional Field Team member before assessment. Approved candidates need to pass the Line Manager Assessment Centre prior to appointment. Pre-assessment online testing is the gateway to the Line Manager Assessment Centre successful candidates must then pass the Line Manager Assessment Centre to gain formal Mercedes-Benz UK approval. 3 day Mercedes-Benz UK Induction Programme plus any modules identified as areas for development from the Line Manager Assessment. C-Management certified - timescale up to 18 months. (Further development route through the Management Assessment and Development Centre once C-Manager certified).
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Assessment Format

Development Programme Resulting Qualifications

What Are the Costs and Benefits?


Although there will be some costs associated with the Mercedes-Benz Academy, we believe they are significantly outweighed by the savings you will make in reduced staff turnover and the improvement in business performance. This will be as a result of recruiting the best possible personnel and developing the talent you already have within your sites. To support the Mercedes-Benz Academy we are also supplying a number of the elements on a free of charge basis. The following calculation demonstrates the savings we believe the Mercedes-Benz Academy can deliver. Average Recruitment Costs Per Person:
Job Role Frontline Positions Line Managerial Positions Senior Management Positions Average Costs 3,000 3,000 6,000

How to Access the Mercedes-Benz Academy Elements

The average Market Area employs 200 general staff and four senior managers. If the level of staff turnover is 30% per year then the average cost of recruitment would be in excess of 180,000. By reducing staff turnover to 20%, this would create a saving of at least 60,000 per annum. These figures do not to take account of other costs such as redundancy payments, general on-site training of new employees and disruptions to customer service. Recruitment Tools The Job Descriptions, competency lists, interview questions, annual review documents and TNA templates are all available to you free of charge in the Recruitment Section of the Mercedes-Benz UK Infonet.
Job Function Sales Executive Assessment Tool CCSQ Profiling C-Sales Assessment Parts Process Executive Trimetrix C-Service Assessment Service Team Manager/ Trimetrix Service Receptionist Line Manager C-Service Assessment Pre-assessment Line Manager Assessment C-Management Assessment Senior Manager Pre-assessment Senior Management Assessment Cost 50 Free of charge 100 Free of charge 100 Free of charge Free of charge 980 Free of charge Free of charge 1,350

Recruitment & Assessment Tools To access the recruitment tools and documents simply log onto the Mercedes-Benz UK Infonet site and go to the Recruitment section, or contact Helen Hobday using the telephone number or email address shown below. The assessment tools available are:
Assessment Type Senior Management Assessment & Development Centre Available now Contact Helen Hobday, Search & Selection

MB Cars Sales Line Managers

Available now

Training Administration Team, Training and Development Centre

Assessment Tools Various Assessment tools are at your disposal during the recruitment and development processes. The table to the left, shows those we would envisage being the most frequently utilised.

MB Cars After Sales Line Managers

Available now

Training Administration Team, Training and Development Centre

MB CV Line Managers

Currently under development launch to be advised Q2 2009

Training Administration Team, Training and Development Centre

Frontline Personnel Assessment

Available now

Helen Hobday, Search & Selection

Training Needs Analysis To get advice on the use of Training Needs Analysis, or to request on-site assistance in developing TNAs for your business, please email training.consultancy@daimler.com, or contact the Training Centre using the contact details displayed at the bottom of this page. Induction Programme The enhanced Induction Programme will be available from 1st April 2009. Bookings should be made through the Mercedes-Benz UK Training and Development Centre online booking tool (SABA). Contacts:

Induction Programme Costs FRee FoR 2009* We are so confident that the Mercedes-Benz Academy will bring significant benefits to your business that Mercedes-Benz UK will fund the cost of the Induction training days for employees who join your business during 2009 as outlined below. Any additional costs such as travel and accommodation will be the responsibility of the business putting the delegate forward for the Induction.
Frontline Staff Brand Day Role Specific Day (Sales/After Sales) 150 150 Line Management Brand Day Role Specific Day (Sales/After Sales) Management Day Total Cost 300 Total Cost 150 150 450 150 Senior Management Brand Day Sales Day After Sales Day Management Day Total Cost 150 150 150 150 600

General Academy queries:

General Training & Development queries: David Joyce Head of Training david.joyce@daimler.com Tel. 01908 245131

Specific Training & Development queries: Training Administration Team

Recruitment & Assessment queries: Helen Hobday Search & Selection Recruitment Specialist helen.hobday@daimler.com Tel. 01908 301119 or 07747 111178

Jes Abbott Retail Operations Manager jeremy.abbott@daimler.com Tel. 01908 301945 or 07775 907430

mbuktraining.development@daimler.com Tel. 01908 245150

*By utilising the new tools, processes and inductions we anticipate a significant reduction in employees leaving within their three month probationary period. In the unlikely event that one of your new employees does leave within this period, Mercedes-Benz UK will charge the relevant site the cost associated with the individuals Induction training as per the table above.

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