Login
iscover
The policies and procedures that work best when it comes to minimising and eliminating safety risks, all start with the principal and work from the ground up, according to one industry expert.
“While every office would have their own safety procedures, I think for a procedure to work best it must be made available to staff, taught, trained and practiced starting with the principal,” Cyndi Ward, director property management at RE/MAX Gladestone told Residential Property Manager.
Hayden Groves, president at Real Estate Employers Federation of Western Australia (REEFWA) agrees.
“In short, training from the ground up is best,” he said.
“New entrants to the industry need to be properly mentored and trained by experienced property managers and not rely on a short licensing course.”
Technology is also playing a major part in safety procedures evolving, according to Vasili Hadzellis, franchise services manager at Richardson & Wrench Corporate.
“We use a few techniques that help ensure the safety of our employees, including having every appointment out of the office in a calendar that can be accessible by others - by using Microsoft Outlook,” he explains.
“Should a PM not return in the time expected and all attempts at contact haven't been successful, a great app to be used for iPhone’s is 'Find my Friends' - it allows for the department head or senior property manager to pinpoint a phone's exact location.
“Other iPhone applications like 'HeyTell' - almost like a walkie-talkie system - are great tools I encourage a lot of property managers to use,” he continues.
“[HeyTell] is great for communicating with other staff members with it sending a voice memo instantaneously, but is also a great way to send a message covertly when at a property, if the PM feels threatened.”
Newsletter
