FEATURING ADRIAN DANILA
in real-time , as needed . Additionally , have your existing team shadow the new hire from time-to-time . This will also help the new tech make work-friends and feel like they are part of a team . After the first few weeks of onboarding , though , training needs do not simply halt . Building systems and infrastructure change and become more complex over time . Repair standards also change , and perhaps what worked in the past is no longer compliant or acceptable . As with most aspects of your business , the maintenance sector is constantly evolving ; if you do not provide ongoing education , your team will fall behind , or worse yet , leave . Thankfully , there are many maintenance educational resources in the market , including those hosted by AAMD .
Finally , retention . While everyone focuses on hiring , maintenance tech retention is often pushed to the backburner . If your team is a revolving door and you cannot keep good techs , your employer costs skyrocket , the overall quality of work will falter , and you will not have maintenance leaders in the pipeline supporting growth . Good maintenance technicians do not become great maintenance technicians until they have had time to get in a rhythm . First , yes , you need to pay your maintenance technicians . It is absolutely not worth shortchanging a great technician at the expense of losing them . Housing discounts also carry weight if you are able to offer it , though I recommend they be employed for some time before immediately offering a discounted lease . Pay and housing are just one piece of the “ retention pie ,” however . Provide your maintenance personnel not only field-level training , but give them an outlet to tell you how they are doing , how they are feeling , and where they want to go both personally and professionally . Also , give them feedback . They will not get better if you do not show them the path to doing so . Your maintenance technicians are people , and people crave human connection . While pay is one expression of caring for your people , it is not the whole picture . We conduct monthly 1-on-1 sessions with a supervisor , and frequently host maintenance breakfast outings where the crew can simply hang out with one another and decompress . We also invite our technicians to quarterly updates so they have a sense of organizational direction . In the same vein of caring for your people and talking to them frequently , you will find technicians have other priorities outside of pay . Some may have families and want to be home by a certain time , or perhaps they need to pick up or drop off kids at school . Others may have side businesses and wish to work part time . In either of these cases , if you can make a revised schedule work , you should . If you had the choice of 1 mediocre full-time tech , vs . 2 part-time , awesome techs , would you not choose the latter all-else equal ? Lastly , recognize your technicians for great work . Bonuses are great , however , public recognition is also an incredible tool in your arsenal .
Ultimately , you get out what you put in . If you make a great effort to hire , pour resources into your team , and devote yourself to culture , you can transform maintenance from a weakness to a strength .
Ben Lauer is the CEO at Deerwoods Real Estate Management LLC
MAINTENANCE APPRECIATION BREAKFAST
THURSDAY , OCTOBER 17 , 2024 9:00 - 10:30 AM | PPA EVENT CENTER
FEATURING ADRIAN DANILA
Founder Of Multifamily X Consulting
Host Of The Multifamily X Podcast
BUILDING A STRONGER MAINTENANCE TEAM : SCOUTING , RETENTION , & DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
Join us for a session designed to empower multifamily maintenance professionals with the skills needed to excel in today ’ s dynamic industry .
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