Seasoned multifamily leaders know from experience when an apartment community suffers employee turnover in one or more key positions, such as the Manager or Maintenance Supervisor, increased resident turnover will likely follow.
Why the connection?
It boils down to these three factors: focus, competence, and familiarity.
Focus
When an apartment community is plagued with high employee turnover, the focus of the remaining staff shifts from delivering dependably good service to putting out fires. A team that is short-staffed is by necessity operating in survival mode. They’re like physicians in an emergency room forced to give their attention only to the highest priority crises. They don’t have the luxury of concentrating on things like improving the resident experience; they simply have to make choices based on the fundamental question, “What do we need to do to get through the day?”
This is a vicious cycle that is hard to break. Operating in survival mode is so exhausting and tough on morale that it can easily cause the remaining team members to burn out. And the employee turnover continues.
Competence
By definition, a high-turnover workforce is a less experienced workforce. Newly-hired employees may be highly qualified and terrific people, but they lack the expertise and experience of more seasoned staff. While newly hired associates may be well-meaning, smart, and friendly, they don’t have the depth of knowledge that can more quickly lead to good service outcomes for your residents. As a result, your team’s overall ability to effectively serve your residents is compromised.
If you’ve ever worked alongside a Maintenance Supervisor or Technician who’s been at their community longer than most of the residents have, you know exactly what I’m talking about. There is immeasurable value in that history and experience, and that is lost when employees quit. Resident service suffers because of it.
Familiarity
Customers in any business prefer working with people they know. They like service providers who know their story. This is especially true in apartment community management because a person’s home is so much more personal to them than their auto insurance, for example. Ours is a relationship business, and residents prefer to work with a familiar face in the leasing office and especially on the maintenance team. They hate it when they have to “start over” with new people on the team.
Residents find it especially uncomfortable and unpleasant when they are forced to deal with new team members again and again. High employee turnover among apartment community staff shakes their confidence and causes them to feel less comfortable in their own home. This can lead to resident turnover.
The post-pandemic world is shifting as we speak. Market conditions are changing, and some residents may be considering leaving their lock-down residences behind for a fresh start. If your goals for the remainder of the year include minimizing resident turnover, concentrate on keeping your community team in place. An experienced, well-trained, and reliable apartment community team is your best resident retention tool.