Hospitality was unfortunately one of the industries worst hit by the pandemic with record numbers of employees leaving the sector. The loss of workers from the hospitality sector is proving a gain for the property management industry as former hotel workers are taking up job opportunities with residential managing agents. We have employed a growing number of former hospitality professionals whose customer service skills are particularly valued, and we are proactively encouraging applications from others.
There are many similarities between property management and hospitality. Many modern residential developments are like high-end hotels with their premium amenities, impressive lobbies and 24-hour concierge services. The jobs on offer and skills required are also similar, including a strong emphasis on customer service, good interpersonal skills and ability to solve problems. But unlike hospitality which has suffered badly since the pandemic, our residential management services have been in demand throughout. In fact as a growing company, our employee numbers have continued increasing over the past 18 months.
We are constantly looking at how we can provide a better service, so at the end of last year we took the innovative step of launching our own in-house temporary jobs agency to meet our need for flexible staffing. This has put us ahead of the curve in being able to offer seamless staffing solutions across our sites.
This temporary staffing service is already used at 140 of our developments, providing a ready pool of trained temporary personnel who can be used to cover staff illness, holidays and other gaps. Managing all staffing needs in-house has ensured that our high standards of customer service are consistently upheld.
By offering temporary roles and cover through this staffing function, we can offer existing staff more flexibility and top-up hours. It is also platform to encourage new people into the property management industry and give them the opportunity to progress and gain professional skills.
Our temporary staffing solution is just one of the measures that we have put in place to support the business as it continues to grow. We have also invested heavily in our operations division to support all on-site functions, as well as improving technology and internal communications to ensure staff feel connected and valued. Another new initiative is our estate management cover service that provides additional floating estate managers who can step in if situations arise where additional senior staff are needed.
We are glad that we have been able to redeploy many hospitality staff and benefit from their range of transferable skills, and we welcome enquiries from more people seeking employment opportunities.
Posted: 14 December 2021 by Stewart Brown, Operations Director
