Continuous Training Is Required To Maintain a Quality Staff

It’s no secret that the performance of the employees has a significant impact on the success of any company, organization or well-run building, says Ira Meister, founder and president of Matthew Adam Properties. It’s like going to a fine restaurant and having delicious food with terrible service.  The experience is not what it should be.  The arrogance, disinterest and poor training of the wait staff can ruin a wonderful evening.

Matthew Adam Properties understands this, Meister says, and puts significant emphasis on the quality and training of building staffs.  “On each visit our asset managers engage with the staff, observe how they are performing and look to see how well they are maintaining the property and serving the residents,” Meister says.

 

New updates in technology require staff to be continually trained

 

But it doesn’t stop there.  In addition to meeting with the superintendent and employees, both in formal and informal meetings, the company conducts learning sessions to focus on the building’s priorities and provide updates on the latest technology and on new methods of maintenance.

“Driven by technology and the need to have the staff be as efficient as possible to keep costs down, we need to continually train and educate employees,” Meister says.

“We also spend time with the doorman and concierge going over the do’s and don’ts of greeting residents and announcing visitors as well as accepting packages, providing security as well as taking messages,” Meister says. “We look at everything in a building and make recommendations when we see fit.”

The company discusses keeping uniforms clean, whether for maintenance people or doormen.  Some buildings prefer the doormen to wear their hats at all times, while others don’t and the doormen need to be reminded what the standards are for their building.

Meister says his company is very aware that each building is its own entity with its own culture, procedures and individual needs. “The staff must be sensitive to that and those who have worked in other properties must understand that what was acceptable or a practice in one building does not necessarily follow through to be effective in another building.”

Setting Guest Guidelines for Rental Properties

Rules involving guest registration must be strict around your property. Tenants must be requested to register their guests with you. As a property manager, you will have to decide whether you want the registration to be strict with long-term visitors only, or if overnight guests also require to be registered. In either case, the criteria must be mentioned in the lease so that it is transparent and your tenants will know what to do when they have visitors.

 

Limited Visits

Your tenants obviously have the right to engage visitors. While some guests stay for a short while, other may stay for long. Since you can’t really tell how long a particular visit may last, setting a limit on guest visits can help you control potential situations effectively. Mention the number of days that a visitor is allowed in your property in the lease agreement so that there are no problems in the future.

 

Shared Responsibility

You must inform your tenants that they bear responsibility for the actions of their guests. Any damage to your property caused by the guests will have to be attended to by the tenant. Even the smallest of problems have the potential to escalate, and if the guests leave before you have detected the problems created by them, you will be left with no choice but to fix it yourself. So keeping your tenant aware of small matters will help you effectively manage your property and all amenities within it.