Knowing how to run a successful property management company can make the difference between an average business and an outstanding one. However, if your company is expanding, you might have already found that it can be hard to keep up with your growing need for employees. Check out these tips for property management staffing.
Create Your Property Management Org Chart
Staffing a company is about so much more than just filling individual vacancies. You also should have a clear picture of how the different roles relate to one another. That picture is known as an org chart or a business structure, and it can help you decide how to organize a property management company.
Here are a few potential property management org charts to choose from:
- Process-Based: The company is organized around a central flow of processes
- Hierarchical: Your employees are divided into different levels or groups, each of which reports to a supervisor
- Functional: Your staff members are grouped by roles and responsibilities
- Team-Based: Employee teams tackle projects together, and employees can move between teams as needed
None of these structures is necessarily better or worse than the other. When employees understand their job descriptions and communicate effectively, your company can be successful no matter how it’s structured.
It’s not always easy to determine which structure is best for your company, especially if you’ve built it from the ground up and have been learning as you go. In this case, it’s a good idea to work with a property management consultant.
Invest the Time and Resources Needed to Hire the Right People
Your company is only as good as the people you hire. And if you want to find the right people, you need to do more than just post a run-of-the-mill job ad on a couple of hiring websites.
Before you start hiring for property management positions in your business, make sure you have an effective job ad. For every single job description, make sure you include the following:
- A Clear Explanation of Duties: Make sure potential employees know exactly what they’ll be doing
- Measurable Examples of Success: Clarify what success in the role looks like (for example, successful cleaning crew members will be able to clean 3-5 properties per day)
- Very Specific, Straightforward Requirements: Make sure applicants know exactly what qualifications you’re looking for (and any criteria that would exclude them)
- Why They Should Work for You: Give applicants an idea of your company culture and benefits
Once you have job ads for all available positions, post them on high-quality job boards such as Indeed, Monster, ZipRecruiter, even LinkedIn. It’s also worth thinking outside the box if you want to get top talent. In recent years, more people have been resigning from their jobs to find new careers. These people might not have property management experience, but they’re generally motivated and willing to learn.
Solving for high turnover starts with the job ad
The high turnover of employees in the hospitality industry is a pressing issue that significantly impacts operations and customer service. Notably, companies within this sector that maintain low turnover rates often share a common strategy: they provide comprehensive and clear details in their job advertisements and training programs.
This approach helps to set realistic expectations for potential employees, ensuring a better match between the job requirements and the candidates’ skills and aspirations. By investing in transparent communication from the outset, these companies foster a more engaged and satisfied workforce, which is crucial in reducing turnover and enhancing the overall workplace environment.
Work With a Staffing Firm if Needed
If you have experience hiring for property management, you know that the process is much more time-consuming than many people think. You need to create effective job ads, screen applications, and interview candidates — and there are often two or more rounds of interviews.
It also can be difficult to quickly determine whether a given interviewee is the right fit for your company. People with lots of hiring experience can often size up a candidate quickly, but if you’re new to the process, you might not be able to.
That’s where staffing firms come in. They specialize in finding the right candidates to fill open positions. Best of all, they can handle the entire process of posting job ads, interviewing, and making final selections.
If your work already takes up a good bit of your time, you might find that hiring a property management staffing firm makes the most logistical sense. That way, you can continue to focus your efforts on running and growing your business.
Property management companies seeking staffing solutions can find reputable staffing firms specializing in their industry through the Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA) and local chambers of commerce.
The VRMA serves as a valuable resource by connecting property managers with firms that have expertise in the vacation rental market, offering a network of professionals knowledgeable about the unique needs of this sector. Additionally, local chambers of commerce can provide personalized recommendations for staffing firms within the community, ensuring property management companies can find local talent and expertise to meet their specific requirements.
Invest in the Proper Training
Plenty of businesses in the property management industry and beyond regularly onboard employees while giving them little to no training. This can lead to problems such as knowledge gaps between team members, on-the-job mistakes, and inconsistent experience for renters.
To avoid these kinds of situations, it’s a good idea to regularly offer employee training to keep everyone abreast of the latest industry trends and technologies. In a similar vein, you can identify promising employees to mentor and promote.
Protect Your Employees From Burnout
The property management field can be a rewarding one. But as any property manager knows, it can also be a stressful experience. Prolonged stress can lead to exhaustion and burnout, and once employees reach this point, many of them understandably decide to switch careers.
Here’s some helpful insight: in many cases, burnout results when an employee feels like too many variables are outside of their control. If you want to help your employees avoid that feeling, do your best to offer them opportunities to decompress and regain control. Many of the most effective opportunities come in the form of workplace benefits:
- Flexible scheduling
- Increased PTO
- Built-in coverage plans to keep the business moving if an employee is sick or on vacation
- Allowing employees to choose a preferred method of communication (text, phone, email, etc.)
One other way to help prevent burnout is to listen to your employees. If you implement all of the suggestions above and find that your employees are still having issues with burnout, don’t be afraid to work with them to find a collaborative solution.
When you’re learning how to grow a property management company, remember that a big part is understanding how to retain the valuable employees you have.
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