Have a System of Growth for Maintenance Technicians

 We can have more than we’ve got by growing and becoming more than we are. Of course, the other side of the coin reads that unless we grow and change how we are, we’ll always have what we’ve got.  So, with that said, lets talk about having a system of growth for your property’s maintenance technicians. If you’re a solo property with a one or two man operation then you’re excused. This article is for larger operations with 3 or more properties spread throughout locally or nationally.

 Due to the growth of my YouTube channel, I get a lot of messages from maintenance technicians around the world. A trend I’ve noticed is that a lot of great technicians are leaving the property management industry because they say that the company they work with does not offer any growth opportunities. When there’s no room to move up, that’s called a dead-end job.  And, a dead-end job means your company only offers a temporary stopover where people work so they can pay their bills until they find something better and move on. It’s a sad and depressing existence when you don’t grow and you have to do the same tasks 5 years later that you’ve been doing since the first day you started. 

 

 So, your company pays well and has benefits but the turnover rate for maintenance technicians is high. Why, you ask? Well, do you have a system of growth? One common gripe I see from managers in Facebook groups is,    “Why can’t I find and keep good maintenance technicians?!” The pay is good and the benefits package is great, too. However, good technicians are usually ambitious people who need measurable growth in their life. They enjoy the work but they know they’re not going to be spring chickens their whole life and moving appliances and crawling around in tight spaces is going to hurt more and more with each year that goes by. So, they want to eventually grow and move up into more of a trainer/mentor role where the daily grind and lifting heavy appliances becomes a thing of the past. If your company doesn’t provide that, you can kiss the wisdom of a veteran goodbye. They will move on and they will be taking that wisdom down the road to work for your competitor who does provide growth opportunities.

 

 

 During my 20 years in the property management industry, I’ve noticed that the office staff always had a system of growth. A part time leasing agent grows into a full-time leasing agent. Then, after a few years that leasing agent grows into an assistant manager. Then, years later that assistant manager grows into a property manager. Then, that property manager grows into a regional manager or into a mentor role. However, many property management companies have no growth system for their maintenance technicians. So the company hires a 23 year old to start out as a porter and then 8 years later they are still having to do porter work along with work orders. Still doing the same work as they did when they started. They see and feel no growth so they become despondent and burned out. Then, they leave.

 Albert Einstein said, “If you want a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” I love that quote and use the advice not only in my work life but also in my personal life. I write down in a notebook the 3 things I want that year and then go after them. That gives me a reason to get out of bed every morning fired up and ready to take action. A goal is an idea for the future or desired result that a person commits to achieve through growth and daily action. So, give your maintenance staff some growth goals to chase and it’ll bring happiness and positive change.

 

Growth System for Maintenance Technicians

 Here’s a system that is easy to implement. You can adjust accordingly if need be. This is something to try if morale is down and your maintenance department has become a revolving door. A lot of you are doing the same things and expecting different results. Try something different for Pete’s sake! If you don’t like it, you can always scrap it and go back to whining on Facebook about how you can’t find good people.

Okay…here it is: Make sure people are responsible for bigger problems every 3 to 5 years and those same people get to get rid of older problems they once had to deal with.

That’s it! Easy, eh?

All growth is is learning how to deal with bigger problems. As the problems you’re responsible for get bigger, your income should also get bigger. No one should be doing the same tasks they’ve been doing since the day they started years later.

Does a property manager have to do the same tasks they did when they started out as a leasing agent? Or, do they have bigger problems to deal with? Not to say that managers won’t step in when need be and handle a leasing agent’s problems when someone is out sick. But, mostly a manager is doing manager things because that manager has grown into that position and gets to delegate older problems they once had to deal with. That manager’s day to day tasks after years with the company have evolved since when they first got hired.

So then why does a maintenance tech, who has grown into bigger problems like repairing HVAC equipment, electrical issues, and plumbing, still have to worry about the property’s trash issues, dog poop, dog poop stations, blowing, pressure washing, painting and exterior upkeep? That tech did those porter jobs when they first started years ago. Over the years they learned how to make repairs in hopes to grow out of that position and not have to do those jobs anymore. That’s not to say everyone shouldn’t grab a bucket and trash pickers every morning to help with the grounds. No one is above that. But, after a 20 minute ground sweep, the experienced techs get to move on to bigger issues. The porters should handle the rest.  Then one day they will move up to maintenance tech if they choose to.

 

 

Give your people some freaking goals to look forward to!

A porter’s goal is to learn how to make repairs so they can grow out of dealing with the garbage mounds and into the tech position who’s primary focus is on repairing the property’s equipment.

A maintenance tech’s goal is to learn everything they can about repairing HVAC equipment, plumbing, electrical, swimming pools, window repair, garage repair, and much more, in order to one day be a supervisor.

A supervisor’s goal is to learn leadership to the point where they are respected amongst office staff and maintenance techs. And also to become knowledgeable about the industry as a whole which will one day get them to their holy grail position. What is the holy grail position, you ask? That would be a regional supervisor where you’ll watch over many properties or you’ll be part of a training crew of mentors who’s job will be to travel from property to property teaching what they know and solving problems the maintenance techs can’t figure out. Also, and this is why I call it “the holy grail position,” you no longer have to go on-call! 

A crew of 5 veteran maintenance techs who’ve worked their way up to becoming a trainer/mentor is the greatest idea I’ve seen. There are a few companies I’ve come in contact with who do this. They all started out as porters and ten years later grew into trainers and mentors who no longer had to go on call. What a goal to shoot for! And don’t leave this part out: as their position and knowledge grew, so did their income! 

Conclusion

Above was my hypothetical situation. How a porter can grow out of a garbage handler position and into a position of respect and authority. Of course it will take years of hard work along with a good attitude to reach the top of your field. But, for those who want it, can have it if they choose. The shedding of old problems and growing into newer bigger more difficult problems for a better income. The vision of better days ahead is a goal worth striving for.