Ms. Management - Human Resources Questions

Pay Increases for Service Technicians
Balancing Work and Personal Life
Reducing Employee Turnover
Calculating Time Cards
Determining Management Skills
Implementing Changes (New Manager)
Recruiting Employees
Keeping Good Employees from Leaving for Rival Companies
Hostile Takeover
Dealing with a Slacker
Becoming a Resource to Your Company
Standards for Payroll
Older Employee Resents Younger Supervisor
Typical Salary for an Onsite Manager
Onsite Manager Has Poor People Skills
Employee Constantly Late
Skills Needed for New Manager

Q: My question involves pay increases for my service technicians. Generally, my raises have been between eight percent and 10 percent once every year or two depending on the staff member. Do you know what the national average for raises are on an annual basis? You must be aware that the staff member's apartment is included in the salary.
A: Wow! Eight to 10 percent per year, plus an apartment is excellent. On average, most companies give an annual raise of four to five percent plus bonuses on how well the community performs as well as bonuses on lease renewals. A good service technician is worth their weight in gold. They are the Resident Retention Team.

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Q: I am a new property manager with five administrative and maintenance personnel. They are all new in the business, but extremely intelligent. I work many late nights due to training and general property operations. I believe my team feels neglected. I am having a hard time motivating and earning respect from my team without compromising my personal life too much. How do I accomplish respect motivation and a personal life with this situation?
A: It is truly difficult to achieve balance in one's life. First, make a commitment to yourself that you will put a plan in action and stick to it unless an emergency arises. Let's get organized by having morning meetings. Before the office opens, get your team together and walk the community (e.g. Monday 8 - 8:30 a.m., bldgs. 1 & 2). Have an agenda and discuss it as you walk. Find out what motivates each team member -- it will vary. Give them a list and have each one number in accordance with his or her priority (e.g. money, recognition, time off and so on). As for respect, it can be earned by listening, validating and working side-by-side in the trenches with your team. Consider some cross training. That is always an eye-opener. Lead by example. Many times just stepping back or away from the situation allows your creativity to flow.

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Q: What can my company do to reduce employee turnover?
A: A good orientation and on-going training from the first day of employment are just the first steps. Employees decide within the 30 thirty days of being hired, whether they have made the right career choice. The first 30 days are crucial. Keeping an open line of communication is crucial. Make sure you understand what will create job satisfaction for each new employee. I recommend doing exit interviews to find out what they thought of company culture and did they have job satisfaction. What is the real reason they are leaving? How did they interact with their supervisor? Were their job expectations met? This will help you create a more positive work environment and hopefully minimize employee turnover.

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Q: I'm a new manager and I need to know how to calculate the correct hours on the time cards. It seems simple, but I need a diagram of how the clock is being read. E.g., Time in 8:51, out 1:32, in 2:28, out 6:00. Total hours for the day 8.25.
A: As a general rule of thumb, time calculations are stipulated by the management company's policy. It has been my experience that calculations are computed and rounded up on 15-minute increments. E.g., Time in, 8:51 would be rounded up to 9:00. Time out. 1:32 would round up to 1:45. Time in 2:28 would round up to 2:30. Hopefully, that makes it a little clearer.

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Q: I'm a regional supervisor who is hiring for several different positions. I would like to know how to determine if an applicant has good management skills.
A: I attended a workshop given by Patti Anderson of HR ToGo. She gave us the following questions to ask prospective employees: 1. Ask the applicant to describe a time when he or she felt pressured to meet a deadline and how he or she handled the situation. 2. Ask the applicant to describe how he or she gets people around him or her to help when under pressure to get something done. 3. Ask the applicant to call at a designated time. E.g., two days after the interview. This will indicate his or her level of commitment and follow-up skills.

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Q: I was recently transferred to a recently acquired property where the maintenance supervisor and the leasing specialist have been there for three years. This is an old property and has been neglected by the previous management company. I have implemented changes in my maintenance supervisor's activities. He seems reluctant to do his new duties. How do I balance trying to adjust to them and the property without alienating them? I do not want him to think he will lose his job because a new company and manager came it, however, if his performance does not change he will have to go!
A: Meet with your team. Sit down and discuss the owner's goals and how you can collectively achieve those goals. Discuss changes in policy and make sure everyone understands their areas of personal accountability and responsibility. Explain your managerial style may be different than the previous manager's style and that you're open to ideas. Address their fears of unemployment, but let the team know that everyone's accountable and that you need to work as a team.

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Q: Help! I'm looking for good employees. Where can I find them?
A: Recruit at restaurants, retail outlets, colleges, business schools, career nights, job fairs, employee referral programs and the Internet. Write on the back of one of your business cards, "Your customer service was impressive. If you are looking for a career opportunity, call me."

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Q: One of my best leasing agents was hired by a rival company at a higher salary and with better benefits than what she had here. Now some of the other employees are starting to think "the grass might be greener" elsewhere. What's the best way to hang onto my employees?
A: This is a harsh reality that every company faces in today's market. There is a real shortage of employees, especially quality ones. Proper orientation and on-going training is crucial to new employees. They need to have tools and a vision of a career track to succeed. Planned activities can help them feel connected to your company. I've learned in the past two years that employees can pick and choose careers. Remember, that if you treat them well, respect, support and validate them for a job well done, it makes it harder for them to leave the company. We should not hold our employees back from growing, even if it means losing them to another company. Today's world is different and loyalty comes at a much higher price.

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Q: Our rental company was just acquired in a hostile takeover and we have just been informed that we will be merged with the new company. There will also a possibility of some layoffs. What's the best way to keep my team working together during this time?
A: Structure a bonus for each employee that stays in place during the transition. Perhaps you can come up with some kind of severance package prior to the lay-offs. Any time there is a merger, egos get involved and the rumors run rampant. Communicate openly and honestly during the transition. Change can be positive. Focus on the good the merger brings to the table. These transitions can be bumpy, but it will smooth out in time. Good luck.

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Q: One of my co-workers is constantly slacking off on the job and I feel like I have to work two jobs to keep our rental office moving. How should I handle this? I don't want to bring our boss into it if can help it?
A: Let us begin with clear, open communications between you and your co-worker. Perhaps you could both sit down and you could explain your perception of the situation calmly. Start with what you believe your areas of responsibility and accountability to be. Then find out what your co-worker believes his/her job description to be. Then maybe discuss some crossover. Try to determine how you can divide the responsibilities without stating that you think he/she is a slacker. Let your supervisor know how you have divided the two different daily routines. If you cannot straighten out the situation then your supervisor needs to meet with both of you to straighten it out. Conflict resolution means confronting the issue, being respectful to your co-worker, being objective without becoming defensive. The two of you will have to work as a team or someone will have to find a new career.

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Q: Hi, I work for a great company and have very few complaints. I have been a manager of a 50-unit place for nearly three years and I believe my apartments are some of the nicest in the area. I don't want to leave and in my company there is always room for advancement. I don't want to be promoted to another community, but my company is always advancing in the way apartments are operated. I want to become a source of contact that they will call if they need someone to head a project. I have helped train someone, but it was not as fulfilling as it could have been. Any tips you may have for me to show my interest would be great.
A: Let the powers that be know that you are interested in being a resource to the company whether it is in training a new employee or spearheading a project. Tell them you have some good ideas on how to improve the training process. Also, make them aware of the fact that you really like the company and its environment. Let them know that you need more challenges as well as a chance to utilize some of the skills and experience you bring to the table. Many times, we would like to be more involved in different aspects of the company. We just need to communicate our desires to the decision makers.

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Q: I have asked this question of many people in the apartment industry and no one has an answer. What percent of your expenses should your payroll be? Is there an industry standard?
A: Standards for the industry are approximately nine to 10 percent. Some companies have payroll as high as 15 percent contingent upon market conditions. This is not just our industry, but all industries. We have to woo employees away from their current employees by offering higher salaries, signing bonuses and good benefit packages. There is an annual Income and Expenses Report published by the NAA (National Apartment Association) that gives this information. Their web address is www.naahq.com. It's an excellent resource.

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Q: I have a leasing agent in my office that could be my mother (I am much younger than her). We are having difficulty in that she will not back now and does not respect that I am her "boss". I do not push my weigh around and even residents have noticed her condescending attitude. Please help!
A: Respect is not an age issue. Respect is earned not given. The first step would be to sit down and discuss what your leasing specialist brings to the company as well as your apartment community. Discuss how her experience is valuable. Let her know you are excited about working and creating programs together. Tell her how valuable she is to you and the team. Because you are from different generations the blending will be the best of both worlds. This should work unless she really isn't going to get over the age and respect issue. Then she might be happier working with her own age group. I'll be 55. I can't believe I'm putting my age in print. Young people are wonderful. They are passionate, creative and make the job fun. Give it a try. Keep in touch.

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Q: I'm looking for an on-site manager to take over the daily management of the community I own when I retire in a few months. What is the typical salary for an on-site apartment manager? Is housing usually part of the deal? Should I pay commission for new leases?
A: Salary will depend on the number of apartments in the community. Many management companies give discounts of 10-20 percent on the monthly rent. Some smaller, privately owned communities still include an apartment home. Commissions might be a good motivator for renewals and new leases. Call your competition to see what they're doing as a comparison. The Apartment Association of Metro Denver sells compensation surveys (303) 329-3300. They are always an excellent source of updated information.

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Q: We just got a new manger whom, to put it nicely, doesn't have "good people skills" when it comes to dealing with the on-site team. We are having a hard time dealing with this person - especially since our last manager was very personable. Other than the way our new manger deals with us, he's actually a very good manager. I know we should talk to him, but we're not sure how. Any suggestions?
A: It is important anytime there is a change in management to pull the team together so that there can be clear-cut, open communication. Discuss, perhaps as part of your agenda for the meeting, how important people skills are with your residents and co-workers. Respect, consideration and empathy are just a few words that are communication enablers. Get the new manager to state his opinion and what type of people skills he believes are important to make a cohesive on-site team. The discussion, if framed properly, will make the manager realize something and it can be phrased very generically as not to offend anyone on the team.

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Q: I have a concern with one of my team members Jennifer is great with the customers. She has a very high closing ratio and her paperwork is always complete and on time. My frustration is that she is chronically late ever morning. I let it slide for a while, but lately I've been hearing comments under the breath of other team members. Jennifer is good, but not good enough to risk the morale of the entire team. What should I do?
A: Part of an individual's job performance is being on time, not taking long lunches, excessive personal calls, etc. Dependability is an important factor in anyone's job performance. Punctuality shows respect for co-workers and clients and should be part of an employee's performance review. I am BIG on punctuality.

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Q: I have just become a manager. What should I know to manage the onsite team effectively?
A: You need good communication skills. To resolve conflict and find out what motivate each team member, you need to be a good listener. Most importantly, don't ask a team member to do anything you aren't willing to do.

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