Does Your Parking Lot Hurt Your Business?

It may sound strange but your parking lot may hurt your business. For some, this area can say a lot about an employer and the employee culture.

A year ago, I met Joey at a trade show. He’s spent more than 30 years with the same company. How did he get there? It’s an interesting story that may make you rethink your view of recruiting and company culture.

Joey was looking for a job, after he was honorably discharged from the Navy. As someone who embraced discipline and routines, he thought manufacturing would be a good fit for his skills.

But he wasn’t sure which company would represent the best match. His solution was to spend a day and drive to several companies. He didn’t go into any of them or talk to anyone. Instead, he looked at their parking lots.

“I wanted to see which place had the best cars in the employee parking lot,” he said. “That told me all I needed to know.”

For Joey, it was about looking for a sign of business success. In today’s world, you can have the best branding but an employee or a customer may judge your business on something random, like a parking lot.

At a time when some businesses are struggling to find or retain employees, you might want to think a little more about your parking lot. Consider how these observations can be interpreted.

There Are No Spaces

If parking is really tight or if cars are parked on the grass, that tells me your business is likely growing. While growth is good, does the lack of parking suggest the business is struggling with growth?

And if space is tight outside, what’s the work environment like inside? Are things crowded and are employees working in the hall?

Be prepared to answer questions about growth if your parking is tight.

Empty Lot

Over the past two years, an empty parking lot is likely a sign of a business that has shifted to a work from home employee schedule. While some may be excited about skipping a daily commute, others may wonder if remote work will provide them mentors and other opportunities to grow professionally.

Be ready to tell perspective employees how your workplace culture provides these things in a work from home environment.

Also, empty parking spaces could hurt your business because some may perceive it as a sign the business is struggling and has experienced layoffs.

Full Lot After Hours

If an outsider sees a lot of cars parked at the office, after regular business hours, then that’s a sign people routinely work late. For some this will be a turnoff.

Others may wonder if working late means they’ll face unrealistic workloads.

Visible Trash May Hurt Your Business

If there’s a lot of trash in your employee parking lot, then that may signal problems in the organization. Many will see it as a sign of neglect. If you don’t pay people to keep things clean, as with landscaping, then what else is being ignored?

It may also be a sign of a disengaged workforce. Do people leave or not pick up trash in the parking lot as a sign of protest against the business?

While littering policies may not be part of the other duties as required part of job descriptions, you hope people take pride in their workplace.