New England Condominiium December 2021

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