Maintaining a gas station in the middle of the desert can be exhausting, both physically and mentally. That is especially the case when your station boasts a Garage, a Warehouse and a Store as well, all of which you have to maintain and man entirely by yourself. You can't be in multiple places at the same time, as much as you'd want to, and sometimes you just need to take a moment to unwind. Those are the exact reasons Gas Station Simulator will boast a full Employee suite feature. As the name says - you are a business owner, and it is your right to hire people to do manual labour under your supervision (or not). Let's dive into the feature a little bit deeper and explain the specifics, shall we?
HIRING PROCESS
Employees won't just come on their own - you will need to invest time, effort and some money to make the business appealing to a potential workforce. Same as in real life, you will need to vet your list of potential workers. Select only those who are affordable and will help you do exactly what you need to do. Every employee has their own factors to consider, and the list on their resume is pretty big, so pay attention to exactly what you want said employee to achieve. The longer you are in the business, and of course the more sophisticated your gas station is, the better the candidates will come knocking at your door.
EMPLOYEE’S STATISTICS
Each employee boasts unique statistics. Not everyone is predestined to man the cash register, or to handle the tricky workings of car engines in the garage. As mentioned before, you will have the ability to glance at all of your potential recruit's skills on their resume. In addition, once the deal is done and they begin their work, you will have to be careful. Everyone gets tired working the whole day, especially when your work is in the desert. Set reasonable work hours, don't put too much overtime unless necessary, pay your employees accordingly. With time, their skills will change, so pay attention to their progress and make your own decision if said employee is performing up to par of your expectations.
JUNIORS VS SENIORS
First days at any business are the worst, and much is the same for a gas station in the middle of a sun-blasted desert. Every fresh hire will struggle, some more and some less. You will have to bare these growing pains if you want to train a truly elite cadre of employees. Be prepared for more than a few bumps on that road to greatness. Even if an employee makes mistakes, fails at some of their tasks or requires a little more time off than you'd expect, consider being lenient with newbies. They will get used to the work pretty quickly, and in some time you will have your own elite senior staff at your beck and call. Just give them the chance to level their skillsets and you might be surprised how well they will perform in the end.
PAYDAY
The longer your employee works for you, the better they get. Patience is a virtue, but time is money, and for you the latter saying is a bit more literal. As your employees' skills increase, so do the expectations of their salary. Ultimately, this is but another decision for you to consider - increase the salary to match their expectations, or maybe throw in a little extra as encouragement? Budget too low? Consider hiring someone cheaper - maybe the work won't be as effective, but you're trying to meet metrics here, and not be a magnanimous saint of some sort. To help your decisions, you will be provided a detailed summary of your employees' statistics to monitor their performance.
EMPLOYEES’ ACCOMMODATION
Usually a drive to work can take about an hour tops. It's a little different when the nearest town is half a day's drive away. Your employees must live close, very close indeed. In other words, their on-station accommodations are also something for you to consider. This also comes right out of your own pocket. At the beginning, there won't be many responsibilities for you to cover, nor much space to house the people working on site. However, as you expand your gas station, so will you expand your avenues of revenue, and thus responsibilities, and thus space. It all becomes a balancing game, ever more complex as your business prospers more and more.
BRINGERS OF STRESS
We all know the type. You misplace something, you check a product twice, or forget something from the order. Suddenly, the person looks you in the eye and in but an instant all hell breaks loose. Your employees will face similar challenges, and all of them will only serve to make them more and more stressed. And a stressed employee does little work effectively, thus leading to a spiral effect. Break them out of it with time off, or an extra payment. They deserve it, and you deserve a happy and efficient workforce in return!
In the end, it is your decision whether you wish to brave the wave of ever-increasing challenges alone or hire a cadre of workers to help with every little thing on the station. Employees offer a lot of possibilities, and as complex of a system as they might be, a great many opportunity hide within. We haven't mentioned all the secrets and complexities here to keep some surprises for the actual release, but bear in mind that there is a lot more to work with employees and you should truly act like a proper business owner when the time comes. Until next time!
