Hendrick Automotive, specifically Hendrick Lexus Northlake (Huntersville, NC) -- 1 star because you can't give 0
Pros
It COULD be a good place to work if they treated people with respect, but they don't. Preferential treatment and inconsistencies in procedures and deal handling result in inconsistent performance in sales, which is then blamed on the sales staff. There is minimal marketing of the brand and store. Managers treat customers like their time is not valuable and often treat the deals like a game. Customers get pissed off and realize that they can almost always get more value at other area Lexus dealerships, but then it's the sales associate who is blamed for not making the sale. Managers are not held accountable for their failure in making the deals that are attractive to buyers.
Cons
Taken straight from their "Meet the staff" webpage: "A Culture Of Caring. Our working environment nurtures individual support and positive reinforcement, making us unique in the automotive industry. By fostering interpersonal synergy, we enable our team members to take care of Hendrick Lexus guests in world-class fashion and demonstrate how truly different we are. We live our values of respect, integrity, teamwork, honesty and trust every day with every guest, treating each one as a valued member of our extended family. Meet the staff members who have created the culture of caring that sets us apart." Sadly this is nothing but a sales pitch and huge LIE! There is no nurturing of anyone or anything. There is NO individual support. There is NO positive reinforcement. Management is constantly power-tripping and openly said in meetings that if you don't like it,there's the door. Management needs retraining. One on ones are not the place to compare staff to one another, especially by name. Associate reviews and related documentation should not be left out in the open on manager's desks for others to see; regardless of it being positive or negative, it's private and should be treated as such. Management, rather than coaching and providing positive feedback and constructive guidance, prefers to threaten and bully people. Sales associates are treated like scum, unless you're the top performer. Management does NOT encourage a team environment, in fact, they isolate lower performers and ostracize them. They reprimand others who talk to them or engage them. It's an extremely demeaning and unprofessional atmosphere. Management is not on the same page with one another or sales associates. One manager will tell someone to do something, another manager will tell that same associate to do something completely opposite -- then no matter what, the associate is wrong. These and other matters have been brought up to managers in meetings but very little has changed. They still treat people in an unprofessional and demeaning manner. They do not respect people's time. Sales associates may come in early and stay late, but then if you need to take time off it's a problem. The dealership is closed on Sundays, but in the past, with MINIMAL notice (as in 1 day) management will state that the dealership will be open on a Sunday and it is required that everyone be there. This is a commission based position but NO ADDITIONAL compensation is given for working unscheduled, unplanned days like this. There is NO work life balance, unless of course you're a manager or the top sales person. Management has instructed sales people to tell customers lies about other dealerships. If you have worked at another dealership that a customer mentions they are also shopping, management has instructed sales staff to tell customers negative things about the other dealerships and their products. Management does not support the Hendrick core values. There's no integrity, there's no teamwork, there's nothing positive about Hendrick Lexus Northlake. Go to Johnson or Flow for better treatment and a more positive experience regardless if you're a customer or an employee. Management does not distribute extreme deals, ups or appointments consistently. There are some sales associates who are favored so they receive the most deals. Others who are not favored or who are being ostracized rarely receive any deals. There is no fairness in distribution, it's all based on favor. Additionally, managers regularly retaliate against people.
