We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Car website. However, if you would like to, you can change your cookies at any time
The start point for the best source of fleet information |
For as long as I can remember, in whatever job I've had, and to make your life easier at work - you try and befriend the Boss! I know, I've done it myself in the past. It happens in a variety of places, such as by the water cooler. We can't do that at our place, as we don't have water coolers. In our case, the staff know when the boss goes outside for a quick lunchtime tipple.
My issue is our clever company car drivers then take full advantage of this situation. By buying the boss a pint, then casually mentioning the fact they're not happy with their company car. They go on to say, how outraged they are that the fleet manager has been unfairly sending out car parking charges, speeding tickets, or invoices for damage to vehicles, too!
I usually realise one of these conversations has taken place early on Monday morning, when I get a call from the boss asking me to pop into his office for a quick chat. I then have a couple of minutes to try and guess who collared him on Friday night.
He starts off by saying: "You know John's car, well I've been thinking, he's doing a really good job for us. I think it's time we got him into something a bit better than his current car. Can you call John and see what he'd like, and then, pass his car onto the new starter who's here in three weeks. Oh, and did you have a nice weekend?"
What's really happened is, John has been thinking that he'd like a new car, he's had a good Friday night, and the boss has agreed to sort a new car for him. I call John and can almost hear him sniggering at the other end, sticking two fingers up to my robust system of fairness.
This behaviour not only undermines my job as fleet manager, but completely throws our company car policy into disarray. It also leads to other company car drivers feeling hard done by, too. With one rule for one, and another rule for everyone else - which isn't healthy and makes my job doubly hard.
I'm all for social interaction between all members of staff, but discussing fleet business on a night out, really shouldn't be happening.
Recently I seem to have been getting phone calls or emails from one of our service garages, telling me that a vehicle is due a service, MOT, or oil change - which they don't need! The same garage did the work in the past couple of weeks, and they have obviously not updated their systems, which is very annoying.
Talking of oil services, we have had a few instances where a vehicle has gone in for an oil change, we have paid the invoice, but then found out subsequently that it has just been a simple top up. One of our drivers drained some oil out of his van the same day he got it back from the garage, and he brought it in to show me. It was filthy, no way was it new, clean oil - I'm going to have to have words with that garage.
Supported by:
BusinessCar magazine ©2019
Business Car Magazine © 2020 | Business Car is part of NS Media Group.
