The current workforce shortage brings up an important topic: What does your company do to retain top talent in multifamily?
By Nicole Steltenpohl
The average industry tenure in multifamily is three years. At P.B. Bell, the average employee tenure is more than seven years and we’re proud of that.
Here are some things that we do to show our employees how valuable they are:
1. Onboarding – first impressions matter. At P.B. Bell, whether there are two people or seven people starting that week, they all start together. Every first day at P.B. Bell starts with onboarding at our corporate office, which allows us to give consistent experiences and messaging for every new team member. While consistency is key, we try to make the first day fun and collaborative. In between core training and courses, we carve out time to get to know each new team member on a more personal level. And it certainly helps that our executive team, including our CEO, stops by and says hi, creating the “family” feel that is integral to our success.
2. Instill your culture – values are more than just words. Onboarding introduces each new employee to the values and behaviors that make up our culture, but reinforcing these values and behaviors daily is critical. Your culture can’t just be a sign hanging in the corporate office. At P.B. Bell we have a Culture Club that is dedicated to ensuring that our culture thrives. We have several programs that recognize and reward team members who demonstrate our values and behaviors through daily actions, and we honor those employees at our annual company events.
3. Get creative in how you improve – ask and listen. It doesn’t matter what we do if it isn’t impactful to our employees. So, we are always asking what we do well and what we can do better. We gather employee feedback throughout the year with confidential employee surveys and annual reviews. We then listen to that feedback, continue doing what works, and focus on opportunities to improve the employee experience.
4. Show You Care – not just a value, it’s also an action item. Recognizing and celebrating employees is a priority at P.B. Bell. While lunch with the CEO to celebrate an employment milestone is nice, it isn’t the only tool we use. We also spotlight employees who go above and beyond by living our values, and have several programs designed to show how much we care. Whether it’s appreciation days (or weeks) where we take time to celebrate our employees for their efforts throughout the year, or volunteer days where we come together as a company to give back to the community, we are always looking for ways to say thank you.
5. Enjoy the ride – employees should look forward to work each day. Having personal relationships promotes trust, open communication, and a better overall work experience. We achieve this by encouraging informal social gatherings and providing opportunities for our employees to have fun and really get to know each other. Whether it’s carving pumpkins to look like your executive team, chili cook offs, ice cream socials, or holiday themed events with terrific prizes, we enjoy just hanging out together. Of course, we also have more formalized programs like our Meet and Eat program where an executive and members of the corporate team visit properties to simply have lunch and say hi.
Whatever you decide to implement at your company, we believe that culture is the key. Figure out who you are and just be you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nicole Steltenpohl, Human Resources Director, P.B. Bell is responsible for directing the full scope of human resources initiatives, including policies and procedures, benefits and payroll, talent recruitment and retention, development and training, employee relations, and company culture and growth. With 21 years of human resources experience, Nicole joined P.B. Bell in 2019. In her free time, Nicole enjoys spending time on the lake with family, exploring the culinary offerings throughout Scottsdale and Phoenix and volunteering her time for Hope Kids.
