Resource Center - Industry Articles
Part II: Well I Didn’t Know I Couldn’t Do That...” and Other Famous Last Fair Housing Words
by Douglas D. Chasick, CPM®, CAPS, CAS, Adv. RAM, CLP, The Apartment Doctor™, March 9 2009
Attitude Is Everything: Since most Service Team members don't get much (any?) Customer Service training; let's talk about attitude for a moment. The old cliché holds true here: "Reality is perception and perception is reality". When a person perceives being treated differently, they will usually make up their own reason for why they are being treated differently - and that reason could be "Because I'm a member of a "Protected Class". That different treatment includes attitude, body language and overall demeanor; if the Service Technician seems to be friendly and outgoing to everyone EXCEPT Mrs. Smith, then in the absence of an explanation to the contrary, Mrs. Smith may think it's because she is a member of a protected class.
Do As I Say AND As I Do: The Service Team Manager has a special responsibility as the Supervisor to comply with all fair housing laws and ensure that each of the Team members complies. That means everyone looks to the Manager for guidance, and people will automatically assume that if the Manager says or does something, then THEY can say or do it too. This includes being proactive by not tolerating off-color or racially insensitive jokes, sexual harassment in ANY form, being aware of what the team is looking at if they have Internet access (jokes sent by email, inappropriate web sites), EVERYTHING. Remember, not leading by example regarding fair housing can have very expensive consequences.
Remember That Vendors and Contractors Need Fair Housing Training: Yes, that's right - vendors and contractors can get us into just as much trouble as one of our Employees. Make certain that all vendor contracts and service agreements contain a paragraph putting the vendor on notice that you expect any of the people they send to your property have fair housing training.
Finally, it's important for each employee to remember that every person living in the United States is a member of at least four of the federally protected classes (race, color, sex and national origin), so compliance with fair housing laws should be easy! Just treat everyone equally, with respect and professionalism, and apply and enforce all policies and procedures with consistency.
So, what can be done about making certain your Service Team is playing fair? There are plenty of quality classroom, computer-based and web-based training programs available that are designed specifically for Service Employees. Isn't it about time we get EVERYONE at our properties trained (or, is it time for a refresher class?). Remember, play nice and PLAY FAIR!
