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Curious to know how you handle slacking by the Super in the middle of the day. Many (verbal) complaints come in that he isn't doing enough to keep the building clean, but the Board members have to go to work everyday and the managing agent can't be there on a daily basis to monitor the work getting done, so it seems that other than reprimanding and going over the work schedule that needs to get done, it's hard to hold the Super accountable through documentation. He seems to be doing the bare minimum to get by, but 'finding him slacking' or catching him not doing work is difficult and can't be proven. Are there some other ways to hold the Super accountable through documentation or, better yet, ways to incentivize so he does a better job?
Anyone have similar situations that you can lend advice on this? Complaints are verbal as people don't want to put their name on a written complaint, so documentation is necessary, I believe.
be very careful what you do it should be the managing agent and he had better know the contract or have a labor lawyer to confer with.
If you suspend a super without going through the contractual procedures , you will wish you hadn't, any duty assigned has to be within his contract and safety equipment must be provided. unless you have spent time as a craftsman has you no idea on what is required , it seems simple but it isn't. What if the area has asbestos tiles, friable asbestos, PCB carcinogens in electrical equipment . you now have a workers comp claim. i have been a steward and union for 25 years, i have also fired a union super , all the other board people complaints were thrown out by the union at the arbitration hearing for firing, they were not union people with t knowledge of grievances, mine stuck and that was the only reason he was terminated, If it was left to managing company we would still have the super since they were lackadaisical , and probably were fulfilling a favor by giving this guy a job. You will be spending , or your managing company will be spending a lot of time in arbitration, and you may lose and find out that the task requires two people, and you will pay two people what was done by one. i am not backing the guy up, i am, saying know and read the contract, problem it takes years to properly understand it. i remember how many times we would tell new mangers it was in the contract and they just gave in. we were bs them, it worked 9 out of 10 times, until they took the step and checked with labor, we got over..sometimes they looked at the contract , but it is like the proprietary lease par 14 right to occupy, most cant interpet it. "This is not a place for some one that has no labor experience to get involved. The managing agent is paid to know these things or find out, make him do his job, if he cant , you need a new MA first, that knows how to deal with it. The same would happen with us they would get a manager that knew the contract, usually an ex steward who was promoted, he stopped all the BS in a heart beat. Camera are your friend now a days, just make sure the signs are up that the building is under surveillance, and find a way ti get the pick up for the cameras fed outside the supers control. In mu building the monitors and tapes are at the supers place, so he can make sure they done provide evidence . there are way to ip the feed to the cloud without his control, and check and save the films to support your case. Install more cameras so there is better monitoring. Video wins , but you can't spy on him. But you can have camera at any common location and entrance/ exit , and one that picks up a range close enough to areas that he may slack in. They put gps on our trucks, it was the end of a good job.
never micro manage someone that knows alot more than you on the building operation. It could cost you thousands in repair work,because the super was sweeping as told while a water leak was taking place, that he might have spotted and did a patch and saved the place from damages. Or he is pissed and did spot it but it was time to sweep. that will be his secret and payback. You have to know what the union contract says his duties are, many times painting is not in there,nor is plastering. That is a different union.
you can not force nor expect him to sign anything. He has a contract, his job is listed in there. send the papers to the union,to see if they approve. He should file a grievance if you approach him with that type of stuff.
my best advice is for the shareholders to hammer the board on the problem areas of the building not being taken care of. Not because they think he is napping for a couple hours midday. He could be up working at 6am straight thru till 2pm and he has his 8 hours in , he is done, however if at 3pm and 5pm things need to be taken care of then the managing agent should work with himon his schedule, so that things are taken care of . The board should make the MA take care of the problem, if he ant ,you need a new MA, because he cant do his job and supervise him employees, .especially when the building is suffering. The MA is Failing, he should know the duties and rules in the contract. if he doesnt he fails,i have worked and been successful firing supers, inspite of the MA trying to keep him, got rid of him too. But i was lucky, the super was under one year,on probationary status, and i was a union member and steward, so i knew the game , and most importantly was to get it done before 1 year, it a suck ass job, dont get invoved if your board works correctly, they willlean on the MA, and the shareholders lean on the board, but dont be chickenpoop, document with a camera, with the correct time and date, the dirty conditions. we didnt have the digital cameras when i did it, it makes the documentation 100 % better, especially in arbitration and grievances.
We had this problem. Our Super was never in the building, and the staff would call him, and he would appear.
The Board voted that he was to be in the lobby between 8-9am and 4-5pm every Mon-Wed-Fri. Also made up a daily time sheet of duties to be checked off and handed in on Monday. All Email communications to the Mang Agent or other Sharholders were to be CCed to the Board. All reprimands from the Board should be in writing. Business-like questions to him such as why wasnt the ??? cleaned or apartment ?? taken care of or a report filed -- need to be in writing, so that if you come to the point of replacing him, you will have a record to show the Union. Once we started doing this, our super stepped up, stayed in the building and did the work. There is a lot of down time in this Job, and the building should be well-run and spotless. VP
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If possible, the board (or a couple of board members or the managing agent) should try to meet with him weekly, preferably during his working hours (does he work Sat or Sun?). Give him a letter specifying his duties and responsibilites, include 'other duties as assigned' review it with him, have him sign that he acknowledges having received a copy of it on (date). His union or your management company might have a list of duties you could use or modify. My feeling is that he should be able to do most basic maintenance needs (light electrical, plumbing, painting, plastering, etc.) as long as it is not putting him in any danger or is illegal.
Assign him new specific tasks to do each week (replace the door closer on the laundry room door, touch up the paint on 2nd floor exit door, etc.) and when you expect them to be completed, as well as give him daily tasks to perform - sweep sidewalk and street 8-8:30 am, and 3-3:30 pm, bag trash 11 am and 4 pm. Take photos of things that need to be addressed.
Make sure he has any necessary materials to do the tasks.
Next week, follow up on daily and specific tasks. If not done, why not? Add new specific tasks each week. Continue the cycle. If not done in a reasonable period of time, write him up or have the managing agent write him up for failure to perform assigned tasks or duties. Warn him that he will be suspended for a day without pay if he fails to complete task xx by (date). Then do it. Notify his union in writing with copies of the writeups and suspensions. Next time, make it two days, warn him of the possibility of termination. After a few suspensions, if he hasn't improved, terminate him.
Few of us work nonstop at our jobs throughout the day. But there is a reasonable expectation that a reasonable amount of work be performed daily, especially some task that has been brought to our attention within the scope of our job duties.
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