Manager Safety and a Good Night’s Sleep
Brian McLean
once a month, my high velocity staple gun is locked up securely in my office, and use of that staple gun by employees is permitted only after rigorous training and earning a PCAM (Professional Community Association Manager) designation.
This article is about safety, specifically community association manager safety. Let’s address what managers do, their biggest employment hazards, and what they should do to manage those hazards.
Managers drive, type, read, speak, interact with difficult people, inspect homes after water losses and other casualties, and work long hours.
The biggest hazards to managers are: 1.
Sleep deprivation
2. Car accidents 3. Unmanaged stress
1. Sleep eight hours a night 2. Avoid being in car accidents
3. Work in an ergonomically friendly workspace and work reasonable hours
5. Learn to diffuse tension and resolve conflicts
Sleep Eight Hours a Night
People living and working in industrialized nations don’t get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation is evil. Read Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker PhD (2017). Sleeping eight hours a night benefits your physical and mental health, your family, your work, your quality of life.
Avoid Being in Car Accidents
I mean take steps to avoid being in car accidents. Sleep deprivation causes the most accidents and those accidents tend to be the deadliest. That’s because they don’t involve driver is asleep. You should sleep eight hours a night. Don’t be a crazy driver. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t fumble with your smart phone.
Work in an Ergonomically Friendly Workspace
Invest in a good chair, a good monitor, a good keyboard, and a good mouse or trackball. A disco ball in your office may be a nice touch.
Work a Reasonable Number of Hours
You can’t work a reasonable number of hours if your clients run perpetual board meetings. But few boards want to run perpetual board meetings when they realize the cost to them and you. They hired you, professional manager. They are looking to you for professional leadership and direction.
There are people and companies out improving working conditions and keeping clients happy. Marshall Johnson, President of CWD Group, Inc. shared with me that his company limits the number of clients per manager, works with clients to limit the length and frequency of board meetings and, with the right clients, uses video-conferencing. That means fewer work hours, fewer evening meetings, and less driving. In addition, staff doesn’t answer email on the weekend. Managers don’t work unlimited hours for a limited fee. Embodying that principle in policies and contracts is good for the industry and manager safety.
Eat Healthy and Exercise Regularly
Being a manager can be stressful. Unmanaged stress is bad for addition, get eight hours of sleep.
Learn to Diffuse Tension and Resolve Conflicts
There’s a fourth thing you can do in this profession to deal patience, a good night’s sleep, and employer support: learn to effectively diffuse tension and resolve conflicts. Community association managers have some of the best relationship management skills and yet face ugly conflicts for reasons managers are well-suited by profession and temperament to listen, empathize, focus, and solve problems.
BONUS SAFETY ADVICE
Work in Teams Julie Adamen, President of Adamen Inc., helped narrow the scope of the article, which was originally 23,000 words, and provided useful material on the ill effects of unmanaged social media and dealing with difficult people. Marshall Johnson, President of CWD Group, Inc., offered many valuable ideas about making the industry safer for managers and improving the profession. Julie and Marshall are progressive in their writing and practices about improving working conditions for managers. Their help is a useful reminder that it’s safer when we work together, and a team can do more than an individual.
Lastly, don’t run propane or other fuel-powered equipment indoors. Don’t eat, drink, or store food and beverages around hazardous chemicals. Don’t run with scissors into burning houses.
24 Community Associations Journal | November/December 2018
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