Hiring employees can be a full time position which is often why companies either have in-house recruiters or outside recruiters they use to source for the best candidates. It takes a lot of time and much attention to detail to source for the candidates that are best suited to meet your needs. It means placing other responsibilities on the back burner while you concentrate on filling a vacancy or can mean that you rush to fill a position so not to place things on the back burner that also require your attention.

When employers are impulsive with their hiring decisions because they deem other matters of a higher priority or when the decision lacks the appropriate care andattention to detail, then “employers beware.” Ever think about the real cost of hiring employees who just were bad hiring decisions? Wonder about the net effect of that poor employment decision? Consider the time it took to investigate candidates and make a final determination? Consider the c ost of training a new employee and the time it took to have a valued employee handle that training while taking them away from their core responsibilities? Wonder if it is really important to get the background check done? Consider the psychological cost and how it may affect company morale?

Employees don’t come and go in a vacuum. They enter your company and depart your company with observance by their peers…your other employees. Those other employees can find excitement and  share in their enthusiasm when they start but can also be made to feel insecure and uneasy  when they are on their way out. It can and does affect productivity, energy levels, team morale and may be the cause for a team not to meet certain deadlines. When a poor hiring decision is made and a vacancy is again on the table, even more time and greater attention is needed.

Let’s consider the real costs of hiring a new employee and the real cost of hiring the wrong one:

• Time: whether your time or the time taken by other management personnel, time is money. Hiring the wrong employee means the investment of even more time, duplicating an effort you hoped to get right the first time. Understanding that no one gets it right 100% of the time but the cost to do it again adds up monetarily, affects company morale and productivity, means yet another lag as it relates to the learning curve of a new employee, and is a costly process.
• Background check of former employers, drug testing, credit check, criminal background check
• Training & mentoring a new employee again and catching up on lost time
• Smoothing ruffled feathers so not to risk the loss of valued employees and of clients when customer service may be affected by a change in personnel

It’s important to recognize the net effect of bad f hiring decisions because of their far reaching consequences. Let’s not forget about perceived reputation, employee satisfaction and morale,, customer service, productivity, deadlines that fail to be met, etc.

Service industries such as property management are entirely about their employees. It is the superior service provided by our employees that lure tenants to our properties or away from them when customer service is not at its highest. It is, therefore, too risky to chance that a poor attitude or a lack of employee security will negatively affect the customer service our employees need to provide that may stem from poor hiring decisions and employee turnover.

Recognize that the hiring process is just that…a process that requires time and attention since your employees are your greatest asset. Nurture them as you would a property of great interest and value and when the process is beyond in-house capability, reach out to experts in the field of property management recruitment.

Compose job descriptions so that expectations are clear and reasonable.  Confirm that former work experience is very relevant, stable and progressive. Have a clear understanding of why employment changes have been made and why one is being sought. Hire candidates with a fire in their belly who have enthusiasm for the position, your company and for an opportunity to grow through succession planning.

Have short and long range plans for employee growth within your company and make those plans as much a part of your company as the short and long range improvement plans you put in motion for your property portfolio. Nurture the employees that are the combined success of your company and the employment process that enables you to identify the talented candidates that will thrive within your company and its culture.

Remember that asset management includes your team of employees and the process involved in bringing talent to your table is one that requires attention to detail, patience, insight and respect.