WorkHound was created when its founders saw the high turnover rate in the transportation industry and decided to create something to combat this problem.
“Many people [in the industry] give up because they don’t feel effective and like they have a voice. Historically, the only options for them have been exit interviews and annual surveys, which are often too late or too slow,” said Max Farrell, co-founder and CEO of WorkHound. “With WorkHound, we’ve built a real-time feedback loop to help companies solve problems at the speed of business through anonymous feedback.”
WorkHound has grown steadily in its seven years of business, with 75,000 workers across North America as of January 2023. Last year alone, it helped companies retain more than 9,000 truck drivers through its proactive approach to helping companies solve internal problems, according to Farrell.
“One of the best things [about this business] he’s watching companies start a culture of curiosity within their business, instead of thinking ‘Things are the way they are,’” he said. “If the last three years have taught us anything, it is that change is the only constant. Getting feedback from your people and taking action creates a significantly better business.”
This “culture of curiosity” he refers to is simply that companies approach growth and improvement with open minds and questions. Companies must constantly ask themselves questions that reflect the questions of drivers and other employees.
Parking, fuel costs and compensation are among the top issues for drivers, according to ATRI’s 2022 Top Industry Issues Report. The list of drivers’ top issues is vastly different, Farrell said.
For companies to best position themselves to solve carrier problems and help drivers, the first step is for carriers and drivers to solve problems together, he added.
The ATRI report noted that driver retention is a major issue for carriers. Farrell believes that addressing issues within the company’s control could lead to significant improvements in this metric, helping both drivers and carriers.
“It starts with understanding the problems and then asking, ‘How do these problems affect someone’s ability to be successful in our company?’” Farrell said.
Feedback is key to this process.
“Being better starts with listening to your people. Knowing how to maximize opportunities comes from your front lines. The value of the feedback is being able to know how to improve the company when margins are low,” he said. “There are a lot of really great ideas that drivers will bring to the table when they have a road to share.”
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