Friends, we want your experience with a temporary associate to be a positive one! The PM Staffing team is committed to doing all that we can to find an associate that is the right match for your community and for your specific needs. When you’re happy, we’re happy.
Yet, there are also things that you can do to help your new temporary associate hit the ground running. The mistake that I made in my early days as a manager was expecting my temporary associates to automatically know what to do and how to do it. When they showed up for work I’d take them to their desk, demonstrate how to use the phone, hand them an availability sheet, site map and floorpans and tell them “good luck!” Then I’d retreat to my office and expect them to handle things.
How do you think that turned out for me?
Yeah-not good. What I ultimately discovered is that I needed to make it easy for my temporary associates to succeed. Which meant that I needed to spend some time on the front end ensuring that they’d be successful on the back end. The hard part is that I requested a temporary associate because I was shorthanded and in need of immediate help. This did not always encourage me to spend time getting my temps ready for the day.
Over time I realized that the minutes I was saving upfront was often being spent on answering questions, repeating things, and having to do things myself. In other words, I really wasn’t saving any time! I knew I had to do more.
Here is what I did
One: I created an information and instruction sheet that I gave to every new associate that worked for me. This sheet listed all of the things that I thought my temporary associate should know so that they could refer to it when they had questions about basic information. What should you include? That will depend on what you think is “basic information!” A great place to start is this-what are the common questions that people who are new to your community ask you? Put the answers to those questions on this sheet!
Two: I printed out a current availability sheet. I often highlighted “target units” or ones I wanted our team to focus on leasing. These were often homes that had been vacant the longest.
Three: I gave them a current brochure so they could review the details of our community prior (hopefully) to helping their first prospect.
When they arrive
When your new associate arrives I recommend that you do the following:
- Take the time to greet them and welcome them to your community
- Give them a quick tour of the office. Make sure they know how to navigate and work in your office. Don’t assume they’ll just figure it out!
- Take them to the model, so they know where it is and what it looks like.
- Provide them with the information packet and go over any specifics you want to highlight.
- Be clear about what you expect and need from them during the day.
- Then check in with your temporary associate during the day to make sure they’re doing okay. Provide feedback as needed!
I hope this helps you help your new temporary associate succeed in your community!
