Matthews Ford Stays Successful
and Compliant in the Face of
“Crazy” Turnover

Eakin recently transitioned out of the dealership’s accounting office, where she worked for approximately 18 years, to take on the role of “payroll lady” after her predecessor’s retirement. Although she had grown used to managing a heavy load of responsibilities—including the new and used car desks, receivables, payables, and the copy and postage machine—nothing could have prepared her for the complexity of her new job.

First, there are the dozens of regulations the dealership has to comply with. Second, there are the realities of automotive industry staffing.

Eakin had witnessed employees coming and going over the years, but it wasn’t until she found herself in payroll that she was able to compreh end the significant burden turnover poses in terms of overhead. As she investigated various HR SaaS tools to help her manage a constantly changing workforce, she quickly recognized that most solutions weren’t built with dealerships in mind. “In this industry the turnover rate is crazy, but that is not going to change anytime soon regardless of how much I pay—or don’t pay—for software.”

Instead, Eakin remarked that what Matthews Ford needed was a “more efficient, paperless way to distribute the employee handbook, plus track time off and stay in compliance with training and regulations.” Compli had come highly recommended from other dealerships, but Eakin and the rest of the Matthews Ford leadership team didn’t want to rely on testimonials alone, nor did they want to assume they had already implemented the best possible solution. So Eakin compared the Compli platform side by side with half a dozen similar applications.

“When I laid it all out, Complí was the best system for our needs with the most competitive price,” she said. “Everything from privacy and disposal to ADA, FMLA, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Red Flags Rule, Form 8300 reporting—and all the other regulations that may lead to fines if not followed—are cov ered in Complí.”

With Complí, Eakin can assign and track workforce compliance activities in real time through executive-level dashboards, so she  knows exactly where each employee and department stands—and what they need to do next. The platform’s automated, role-based approach to compliance makes it easy for Matthews Ford to onboard new hires and get them up to speed.

According to Eakin, Complí has reduced frustration, wasted time, and even clutter around the office.

“I am able to disclose all the ERISA documents and notices to all employees without wasting reams of paper,” she said. “Employees can get their questions about policy, pay, vacation, and so on answered around the clock by logging in to Complí and using the search feature. I even uploaded our employee newsletter and announced Flu Shots Day to all employees at one time.”

She added that everyone at all levels of the dealership has ben efited from greater visibility: “I love that a manager can see their whole team’s vacation, training, unpaid time off all at the same time. Just as it should be!”

Equally important to Eakin are the resources Complí offers to it s users. As a subscriber to the company’s Smart Compliance Blog, she trusts Complí to keep her updated on issues relevant to her industry.

“I know that Complí has my back, so I am not losing any sleep over regulations or compliance, she said. “I get all the webinar information, notices of regulatory changes, issues to watch for in the future, and tips on all employer-related topics. The team at Complí is not about to let my forms expire or leave me in the dark about additional ‘compliance monsters hiding under the bed.’”

What about when she has a question that hasn’t been answered already on the site?

“I send an email requesting help with anything—Where do I find t his? How do I do that? Can you add this form?—and within hours I get a friendly, helpful response.” A dealership dedicated to its customers deserves an equally committed workforce compliance platform. Just ask the accounting pro who took on an F-150-sized challenge:

“Now that I am the payroll lady, I say thank goodness for Complí.”