CAI-NJ June 2022 Community Trends

MANAGEMENT TRENDS Working Remotely — Where Do We Go from Here? By Bob Rogers, CMCA, AMS, Corner Property Management, LLC, AAMC O ne of the greatest questions facing our industry today is the role of the office in the modern workday. The challenges incurred by the past

two years have introduced a radical shift to the way that business is conducted, and it is critical for all of us to closely examine how we intend to navigate this new field. Those who fail to adapt or who become overly comfortable with a temporary situation may be saddened to discover that the world is moving ahead without them, regardless of their intentions. As industry leaders, it is our duty to strike the per fect balance between accessibility and the professionalism that so many residents have come to expect from us. For years, we have all spoken about “realistic expecta tions” in our industry. Realistic expectations for our boards, our co-workers, vendors, and ourselves. Even though we seem to be headed in the right direction with the pan demic, the world has changed forever. One of the more common requests when interviewing potential associates is how often do they need to come into the office and how often can they work remotely? Currently, the answer seems to be a hybrid of both. For better or worse, over the past two years people have become more expectant of prompt responses. The collec tive human patience levels are on a downward trend, and savvy managers/administrators recognize this and make the appropriate shift in their mindset. While technology plays an integral role in community management, it has also contributed to the need for immediate gratification. This leads us to the subject at hand. By working remotely at least a day or two per week, doesn’t this create more time for our associates to spend working/responding and less time sitting in traffic? Just one day per week working remotely (based on a 20–30-minute commute each way) equates to approximately 40 hours per year, not to mention the 20% cost saving on gas.

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“ Just one day per week working remotely (based on a 20–30-minute commute each way) equates to approximately 40 hours per year...”

Remote work can be an effective way to deliver timely and accurate responses, but it comes with a few caveats of its own. While traditional sited work carries with it the stress of a commute and inter-office politics (don’t you dare touch that thermostat), it also creates an obvious window to establish as “off-time”. Of course, over the years, we have all come to learn that this industry struggles with the concept of “off-time”, but the idea remains the same. When you are at your office, you are at work. Now, when you are at home, you may be at work as well. Plus, working from home can change the work-life balance that we continue to strive for. There is no single solution to striking the right balance between remote and in-person work. Workers generally prefer to waste as little of their time in traffic as possible, and a slew of unnecessary in-person meetings could eas CONT I NU E S ON PAGE 48

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