New England Condominiium December 2021
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Hiring Staff   Finding, Vetting,    and Retaining Building   Employees   BY A. J. SIDRANSKY  Security Training  Tools and Technology that    Keep Buildings Safe  BY A. J. SIDRANSKY  December 2021                             NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM  205 Lexington Avenue, NY, NY 10016 • CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED  THE CONDO, HOA & CO-OP RESOURCE  CONDOMINIUM  NEW ENGLAND  Whether you live in a single-family home, an apartment building, or an HOA, home secu-  rity is a major concern. Providing that security can range from installing a simple alarm system   to equipping and training building staff members to use sophisticated access and surveillance   technology, to a hybrid approach incorporating both tech and people. A given community’s ap-  proach largely depends on the type of property and its location. A sprawling townhouse com-  munity in the suburbs has different security needs than a high-rise multifamily property in an   urban location. What they do have in common, however, is the need to properly train those   charged with maintaining that security.  Personnel vs. Technology  “When considering security training,” says Alon Alexander, president of Kent Security, a   national security consultant with offices in New York, Florida, suburban D.C., and along the   West Coast, “every building has its own problems. A luxury building on Park Avenue is dif-  ferent from a garden apartment on Staten Island. So when we talk security, we consider both   manpower and systems provided, and create specific systems and training on a building-by-  building basis. We design and install cameras, access control, intercoms, alarms, etc.—but we   consider both personnel and technology, because they have to work together. We want to train   personnel to know how to use those systems, what to look for, how to respond to a video alarm,   and so forth. Mostly we install analytics, and the security personnel are then responding to an   alarm—not staring at a screen and waiting for something to happen.”  In determining the people-to-technology mix that’s right for any specific building, one has   to consider what resources already exist, how they can be used, what can be added to expand   or improve the system, and how security personnel can be trained to use those resources. “This   has to be pre-considered,” says Richard Sjoberg, a private investigator and president of Richard   A. Sjoberg & Associates, a Boston-based security firm. “Resources include what locks and other   barriers there are along the perimeter of the property, and how they function to keep people   Package Security    & Storage  Protecting Deliveries—   Without Drowning in Them  BY DARCEY GERSTEIN  Not so very long ago, acquiring goods and   services required some physical effort on the   part of consumers; a trip to a store, or res-  taurant, or other commercial establishment.   Sure, you could phone or mail in an order   from the Sears catalog or have Domino’s de-  liver a pizza, but that was about it.   Over the last decade or so, more and more   of our buying has moved online—and more   and more of what we acquire comes to our   homes via a third party, without us ever hav-  ing to leave the couch, let alone the house.   When COVID-19 sequestered us even fur-  ther into our private bubbles and forced us to   avoid human contact outside of our house-  holds, it further accelerated the pace of all   kinds  of  virtual  vending  and  the  ease  with   which we can conduct transactions remotely.   We’ve come to expect everything from gro-  ceries to new shoes to medications to arrive at   our door promptly, securely, and intact.  And the trend isn’t going anywhere. Multi-  family property analytics firm ApartmentDa-  ta.com estimates that in 2022, each resident   on average will receive 9.41 packages each   month, with that number going up to 10.65   in 2023. It’s one thing for a single family in a   free-standing house to receive and secure the   steady stream of packages and other deliver-  ies that come directly to their door. But for   multifamily buildings and communities, the   situation is much more complex—and often   fraught, even before the pandemic. COVID   has exacerbated and further complicated the   difficulties associated with the delivery del-  uge.   So how have residential communities   adapted  to  this  particular  challenge?  What   new systems or technologies have developed   to help boards and managers make sure   It’s often said that good people are hard   to find. That may be true, but for residential   communities like co-ops and condos, finding   good people—and then hiring and retaining   them—is a major key to success. Doing so can   be a roundabout process; unlike the faceless,   contactless, online employment sites so com-  mon in the business world today, hiring and   vetting for service jobs in co-op and condo   communities is more old-fashioned, often   conducted through word of mouth and per-  sonal referrals.   Perhaps that’s because of the unusual na-  ture of service roles in a residential building;   most doorpersons, lobby attendants, custodi-  ans, and porters work in commercial build-  ings that are only open during business hours   and only contain business tenants. And while   those positions certainly have their own pres-  sures and challenges, they don’t have the extra   layer of service involved when you’re working   in someone’s home. Because condo and co-  op buildings are homes, the relationships be-  tween residents and staff members are signifi-  cantly more intimate—and that’s why it’s so   important to have the right fit for every role.     Today’s Job Market  Like pretty much every other facet of the   world economy, COVID has brought changes   to the process of hiring building staff. “When   jobs were plentiful and unemployment low,”   says Dan Wollman, CEO of Gumley Haft, a   Manhattan-based real estate management   firm, “guys who bagged groceries at Gristedes   looked for  doorman jobs. Only about 15%   of the national workforce has a fully funded   medical plan—and they wanted well paid   union jobs with benefits. 32BJ, the building   workers union in New York, has that. It’s very   desirable. It’s otherwise hard to incentivize   workers on a fixed wage.”   However, “Now is an interesting time,”   Wollman continues. “During the summer,   many people made more on unemployment   than what we paid. Lots of employees didn’t go   on vacation, so that helped us relieve staffing   shortages. Currently, we see new applicants   from the  hotel trade, which we like. Those   workers tend to be more mature, understand   customer service and the work environment.”   Wollman adds that recently, he hired some   continued on page 10   continued on page 8   out. Is there a glass door? Are there concentric rings of security; a   fence to keep the unauthorized out? If intruders break through the   fence, what is the next level of security; the existing doors, locks, etc.?   If they get through the doors and into the lobby, what can the staff do   to stop them? Once an intruder enters a lobby, the guard must have   situational awareness about themselves. Have they developed a pre-  plan for the situation? The most important consideration for them   continued on page 8


































































































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