If the board of directors is the Barnum & Bailey of the cooperative or condominium, the manager is the ringmaster. The  board finances the show and books the talent, but all eyes are on the manager.  

 “Everything falls on you,” says Don Skupinsky, managing agent for several buildings in New York for Orsid  Realty. “You are the guy, the gatekeeper. You’re running the show. And in order to do that there are lots of factors involved  that might keep the building from moving smoothly.”  

 For “factors,” read “people.” Managers learn early in their careers that keeping buildings running smoothly  is mostly about managing people—particularly staff, because especially in financially-trying times, which  require maintenance increases and assessments, owners want to feel the service  in their building is good and employees do their best with whatever resources  the community has.  

 New Cop on the Beat

 Hopeful that they will bring better skills and new ideas to the community,  residents are usually happy to see a brand new manager. “The building staff,” however, observes Skupinsky, “is always very nervous because I’m coming in as there as their boss. They never know what is going to happen.”  

 The new relationship is likely to be challenging for the manager as well. “Often the staff hasn’t been watched for many years and have gotten set in their ways,” explains Skupinsky. “And those ways may not be acceptable.”  

 Getting a building staff into optimal working order is a multi-step process,  starting with a conference with the board of directors to define issues they  have with the staff and set the direction they want the manager to take with  them. The process could be complicated if there is ambivalence among the  members.  

 “If there is board division that is a distress signal,” according to Jeffrey Heidings, president of New York City-based Siren  Management Corp. “Going in, you have to sniff out the politics. Some people are going to want the  new manager to push the staff and get rid of some people, others are going to  say ‘no, I think that person is fine.’ ”  

 It’s important for the manager to understand the motivations of board members,  explains Heidings. “The super might be protected by a board member who gets gratuities or extra  attention from the super—or gets repairs done easily or quickly in his apartment. Just look at all the  politics amongst the board, and the board amongst its staff.” Establishing a clear position regarding the superintendent is essential as he  or she is at the top of the staff’s chain of command, the foreman of the crew.  

 Once the board has agreed on a unified plan of action, including any changes in  staff or their mode of operations, they need to let the manager manage—to be their exclusive agent, their spokesperson before the staff. “I explain to them,” says Skupinsky, “that it is not advisable for the board to bypass the management—for any one board member to deal with someone on staff one-on-one. Going right  to the superintendent is very problematic.”  

 Time is Money

 A proactive board will commission a new manager to do a deep evaluation of  operations in the building.  

 They might start with the financial statement, advises Gail Badger-Morgan,  senior vice president of Marion Scott Real Estate, managing agent for the  massive Co-op City in the Bronx. “The financials are a reflection of how the staff is handling the resources of  the cooperative,” she explains. “If the finances are out of line, your people are doing something they’re not supposed to.”  

 In buildings that appear to be running inefficiently, Badger-Morgan recommends  performing a time and motion study: “It’s the first thing to do to see exactly how the staff does their work during the  course of the day and it helps reveal how well the superintendent is managing  the staff.”  

 The study could show that the maintenance staff are hindered in their jobs by  outmoded supplies and equipment. “There are new products available that get the job done in half the time,” says Badger-Morgan. “For instance, there are chemicals that help you quickly strip the floor and wax  it back.” Outdated products waste valuable man hours, and might make employees look  inefficient.  

 New equipment might help increase productivity. A higher speed burnisher can  help them speed through floor treatments, for example. Or, says Badger-Morgan, “if the burnisher is plugged into the wall you might need a battery pack. For a  couple of dollars more, it helps the staff move quickly from floor to floor  without having to plug in.” Also, if the staff doesn’t keep an ample inventory of supplies, she adds, “they may be wasting time going to the store and coming back with one bottle of  Windex.”  

 Of course, experienced managers can spot red flags without a formal study, say,  by “finding out something secondhand,” says Skupinsky. “If a shareholder tells me the light bulb in the hallway is out, there is a 99  percent chance that somebody in the building knew that light was out. They saw  it while they were vacuuming or cleaning or taking the garbage out. That makes  everyone look incompetent.”  

 First Impressions

 Once the manager has gotten a clear sense of how the staff members are doing  their jobs and the direction he or she needs to take with them on behalf of the  board, the next step is to engage them. Getting off on the right foot with  staff is vital to forging productive working relationships. Managers need to be  careful to send the proper signals in initial meetings.  

 “You go in with authoritative standards,” advises Badger-Morgan, “but you should also go in with a collaborative attitude—communicate that, ‘I am the new partner on this and we’re working together.’ ”  

 Skupinsky adds, “I feel it is very important right at the gate to have the building employees  know who I am and what is important to me—know my personality, my values, and that I am a very fair individual.” Gaining trust, which encourages open communications, is key. “It is when there is a barrier between the building staff and myself,” he says, “and the communication is not flowing the way it should be, that things become  very complicated.”  

 To lay a foundation for a smooth relationship, good listening is essential in  first meetings, according to Margie Russell, executive director of the New York  Association of Realty Managers (NYARM). “You want to be listening to the people with the problems. Do as little talking  as possible. They’re going to tell you what you need to do to solve their problems for them, if  you give them a chance.”  

 “You get them to buy in,” advises Badger-Morgan. “‘What can I do to help you do your job better?’ you ask them. What things do you need?”  

 Skupinsky says he assures staff that, “I am here for them, they can talk to me about whatever they want, even if they  just want to use me as a sounding board. I would never ask of an employee  anything I wouldn’t do if it were my job. If they feel that I am being unrealistic with my  expectations, I work with them to try to correct that situation.”  

 Job Descriptions and Work Schedules

 Once the manager has met with staff and a rapport, and, hopefully, a mutual  respect, is established, according to Dan Wurtzel, president of Cooper Square  Realty, “the staff needs job descriptions and work schedules so that they know what to do  when.” Ongoing, they need close supervision. “The performance of staff really lays on the shoulders of the managing agent,” Wurtzel reminds his managers.  

 Non-union employees are motivated to work with managers to step up their  performance by the threat of dismissal and the expectation of increases in  their salary along with their annual review. “But union employees don’t get reviewed,” explains Badger-Morgan. “They get their raises as per the contract.” Their contract stipulates their rate of increase and protects them from  dismissal.  

 However, Local 32-BJ, the building employee’s union, does have a protocol for terminating an employee. “There is progressive discipline,” says Badger-Morgan—“certain steps that you go through to initially identify that there is something  that the employee is doing or not doing.” The manager documents a verbal warning. If the behavior does not improve, the  employee can be suspended for three days. Ultimately, they can be dismissed if  the building proves just cause.  

 Going through the union’s disciplinary protocol is a contentious affair and can invite wrongful  termination suits. According to real estate attorney Phyllis Weisberg with  Manhattan based-Kurzman Karelsen & Frank, LLP, “You don’t want to do anything that might create an issue with the union. You want to  keep your relationship with the union to be as solid as possible.”  

 But don’t forget, cautions Wurtzel, “you walk a tight line with non-union staff as well. You don’t want to give non-union employees the ammunition to go to the union.”  

 In this economy, for example, adds Wurtzel, “sometimes a wage freeze is inevitable. But the last thing you want to do is save  a few nickels and then end up costing yourself a bucket load of money because  the staff is disgruntled and that because they’re not getting a raise they have a union come in.”  

 Generally, these sorts of high stakes confrontations can be prevented through  continuous dialogue between manager and staff. “I tell them,” says Skupinsky, “people make mistakes, but if we work together and we are honest and open and we  own up to mistakes we’ve made, nine out of 10 times we can work it out.”  

 Remember, buildings do not run themselves. A competent manager, dedicated staff  members, and a board that allows the manager to manage the building’s affairs all are vital to a well-run building.   

 Steven Cutler is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to The  Cooperator.