Membership in the Certified Rental Building Program (CRBP) is an effective means of maintaining a high standard of quality when managing your building or working with residents (tenants). When prospective or existing tenants see the familiar green CRBP logo and checkmark on your property, they will immediately know that they will be able to “Rent With Confidence.”
The CRB Program, North America’s only multi-residential certification program, was founded under six disciplines which all affiliated property managers must comply with in order to receive the certification for their buildings. In this six-part series, we will examine each of the disciplines in detail and explain their importance to the program.
Discipline 2: Effective Human Resources Management
In Part 1, we discussed the importance of building operational standards as it relates to the CRBP and demonstrating prudent property management practices. A proactive maintenance approach is key to keeping your building’s operations running smoothly while addressing any resident issues that may come up from time to time.
While prudent building management practices are certainly a significant aspect to the CRBP’s quality service/quality product guarantee, none of it happens without having staff who are trained and committed to carrying out their duties/responsibilities in a professional and courteous manner. Happy, motivated employees exude their confidence in their daily dealing with your residents. To that point, CRBP’s Human Resources Management (HRM) discipline was developed to ensure that frontline property management employees understand their importance in representing their building, their company, and CRBP professionally.
The HRM discipline contains benchmark best practices/standards that focus on those human resource practices that ensure employees are treated fairly, encouraged to learn about the industry, and have opportunity to grow professionally on the job. They include the following plus much more:
- Human Rights
- Employee Performance Assessment
- Workplace Violence & Harassment
- One-Up Escalation Policy & Process
- Continuing Education
- Staff Development
A sample Human Resource Management SOP and related requirements:
Human Rights Code SOP – HR01 Human Rights
- Policy: Employees are made aware of their obligations
- Mission Statement / Code of Ethics:
- Documented evidence of commitment to fair and equitable commercial conduct. (Electronic or hard copy).
- Resident Selection Process:
- Criteria used as part of the are permissible under the terms of the Ontario Human Rights Code.
- Code Card / Poster:
- Posted where visible to residents and prospective residents
CRBP’s Training and Education Component
One of the goals of the CRBP is to raise the level of property management professionalism across the industry. Education is also a key component of HRM discipline, and member employees are expected to complete and attend a number of training courses including the CRB Technical Training course, AODA/IASR Training, Environmental Awareness and Leaders course, and the new CRB Ambassador’s course. All CRBP educational offerings are run on a cost recovery basis only.
In today’s property management world, having educated and professional frontline employees is critical to maintaining your company’s reputation and image. It is a highly effective means of practicing effective frontline corporate governance, along with reducing risk.
Just like a well-oiled machine, a multifamily property is greater than the sum of its parts. Effective human resources management ensure your building is being managed in a professional manner that combines common courtesy with the swift resolution of on-site operational issues.
In the next part of our series, we will discuss the importance of resident operations and how property managers can properly address their tenants’ needs. For further information about the CRBP and how to apply for the certification, please contact Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO), or visit our website today at www.frpo.org.
