Page 22 - CooperatorNews South Florida Expo 2021

22 COOPERATORNEWS SOUTH FLORIDA —EXPO 2021 SOFL.COOPERATORNEWS.COM country spearheaded similar efforts. At The Residences at Pier 4 in Boston, gen- eral manager Jeremy DiFlaminies with FirstService Residential enlisted his wife to sew upwards of 60 masks for building staff in spring of 2020. In New York City, residents of the Seward Park Cooperative in Lower Manhattan organized a fund to provide meals to staff under a partnership with the co-op’s commercial tenant res- taurants—thereby supporting local busi- nesses, keeping their own commercial tenants afloat, and offering appreciation to their hard-working building employees in one fell swoop. A Unified Approach According to Brickell Alliance presi- dent Marta Arnold, who serves on the board of The Palace condo building, her board worked with their management company, KW Property Management & Consulting, to make proactive decisions at the onset of the coronavirus crisis. She says that since certain workers at the con- do’s three towers—including front desk, security rovers, and gate personnel—are employees of KW, while others—like va- let and cleaning staff—are employees of outside subcontractors, it was important to line up protocols and procedures to “make sure that everyone is on the same page.” After the Alliance pressed upon the city of Miami the importance of designat- ing building service workers as ‘essential’ employees that could continue to go to work in the event of shut-downs or cur- fews, they were able to come up with uni- fied regulations and guidelines to share among the condos. Even though the 20 or so buildings in the Alliance have differ- ent structures, populations, and facilities, taking a cooperative approach to the ever- changing landscape of the crisis proved effective in encouraging compliance and fostering a sense of assurance—from both residents and staff of the buildings. Arnold says that the Alliance’s function was especially important given the dearth of initial guidance from the government in the earlier days of the pandemic. Even when local protocols did start to trickle in, Florida’s statewide guidance might differ from Miami’s, which in turn might differ from Miami-Dade County’s. With an al- ready uncertain and tumultuous environ- ment to deal with—and with the stakes extremely high—unifying the boards’ position on particular decisions allowed both staff and residents to align expecta- tions and mitigate some of the second- guessing and confusion surrounding their state’s coronavirus response. Enhanced Protocols, New Responsibilities One issue common among multifamily residential population. As the pandemic safety on the job. buildings and communities is what’s be- come known as the ‘package problem.’ Al- ready a growing concern pre-COVID, the sive to the staff, and it’s quite unfortunate. and encouraging them to actually take onslaught of home deliveries from Ama- zon, UPS, FedEx, Fresh Direct, and in- numerable meal delivery and meal-prep longer \[can become\] very needy in ways the mental and emotional. Giving work- services grew exponentially with so many that building management is not really ers extra PTO (if their paid time off is not residents and families working, learning, trained to address. In many cases they stipulated by a union contract) doesn’t and cooking at home all day, every day. were not able to receive therapy or get the just promote goodwill—it also goes a long Coping with the potential for contagion help that they needed, so unfortunately way toward allaying health concerns and and complying with differing building the building staff have had to deal with promoting stability and security in the protocols has made the package problem these issues.” the universal bane of many building ser- vice workers. Some buildings developed complex unrest that have washed over his city and ment to give them hazard pay for the es- systems for receiving and decontami- nating packages; others put restrictions have had broader implications for those over the last half a year. As Louis deJesus, on types and methods of deliveries; still who are not isolated in their homes. “In a 32BJ union member who has worked as others made physical alterations to their many cases,” he says, “\[staff members\] are a doorman in a building in Manhattan’s common spaces to accommodate the coming across the city to get to work— package pile-up. But regardless of how and in many cases they’re taking public in a press release on the subject: “the best each building has handled the issue as transportation to get to their jobs. It has ‘thank you’ is to be paid for your essential the pandemic has evolved, it’s usually the created a stressful environment for the work and have job protection.” building workers who’ve been left holding people who have been working—and, the bag … or more accurately, the box. Both González and Arnold indicate ing job. They’re traveling at night and on Amazon orders! that dealing with the upsurge in deliver- ies has been an added stress for staff. For safety and well being also. These people some, it’s yet another task in their already have really stepped up and have really long list of responsibilities. For others, showed that they care a great deal about it’s outside of their job description, re- quiring them to learn a new set of pro- tocols. But in the COVID era, property workers have needed to ping-pong be- tween roles, be flexible with their shifts, and fill in for others at the drop of a hat. Custodians used to mopping and dusting now must learn how to use foggers and CDC-approved disinfectants. A doorman who normally just signs visitors in and directs them to the elevator is now polic- ing mask-wearing and possibly testing or vaccination status, depending on the situ- ation. When The Palace had to suspend the condo’s valet service after two em- ployees tested positive for COVID-19, the remaining workers were put into different buildings roles (after requisite quaran- tining and negative test results); Arnold remembers with a chuckle how one valet transitioned to the role of pool security after that amenity reopened to limited resident-only use: “On day one, he was in his long black pants, black button-down, black shoes \[that he wore as a valet\]. On day two, he had on khakis, a white polo, and sneakers. … By day five, he was in a t-shirt, casual shorts, and flip-flops.” So adapting to new roles can be a matter of wardrobe adjustment, too. In other cases, new responsibilities emerge in less quantifiable—and less lighthearted—ways. Jim Stoller, president and CEO of property management firm The Building Group (TBG) in Chicago, speaks of the effects that prolonged isola- tion, uncertainty, and fear can have on a feel more comfortable about their own has dragged on, he says, “We’ve had some residents who have been somewhat abu- You know, people who’ve been inside it—is a good way to support their well be- their apartment for weeks or sometimes ing, both in the physical sense as well as Stoller also mentions the fear and un- certainty surrounding the waves of social workers is to pressure the federal govern- others over the last 18+ months, and that sential work they have been performing in so many cases, been doing an amaz- weekends, and we have to ensure their the buildings they work in.” Showing Support With all of these added responsi- bilities, heightened health and safety concerns, increased resident presence, interpersonal tensions, and raised expec- tations, it begs the question: Along with verbally expressing their thanks, what can the boards and residents of multifamily communities do to show appreciation and support for their property’s workers? Our experts gave us some actionable recom- mendations: • “One thing residents can do is to just be aware of protocols and follow them,” says González of 32BJ when we spoke again for this article. It seems sim- ple enough, but as we all know by now, people are not always respectful of rules, limits, and even visible barriers. When you see the tape around the door person or security desk, keep that distance—and wear a mask in all common areas of your building or community at all times. Don’t expose your building staffers to unneces- sary risk—and don’t put them in the posi- tion of having to remind you of rules that should be second nature by now. • Arnold stresses that responsibility for the well-being of staff is among the gov- ernance duties of residential boards, and says that clear, unambiguous messaging— like posting policies in common areas and instituting fines for disregarding them— help to empower staff to make sure that residents are complying with health and safety protocols, which in turn helps them • Managers DiFlaminies and Stoller both indicate that giving staff time off— workforce. An additional way to support property Upper West Side for the last 25 years, said And finally, for your building staff and for the planet—try to consolidate all those n Darcey Gerstein is Associate Editor and a Staff Writer for CooperatorNews. SUPPORTING... continued from page 21 Pets and the Law An issue that can complicate the im- plementation of some pet rules concerns residents who need companion animals for medical reasons. While no one would argue (indeed, it would be illegal) the right of a blind person to have a seeing- eye dog , or one trained to recognize the signs of seizure or stroke and alert medi- cal personnel, other claims can seem questionable. Distinguishing a medically necessary companion animal from an or- dinary pet can get very dicey—the defini- tion of a ‘companion animal’ is so broad and far reaching, it can easily be abused. Is a cockatoo or a potbellied pig really what the doctor ordered to fight depres- sion or anxiety? Are each and every one of a resident’s eight cats a ‘medical neces- sity’? With the issue of therapy animals being a common media topic and with official-looking companion animal ‘certi- fication’ documents easily downloadable from the web, it seems anyone can invent a plausible reason for why they absolute- ly must be allowed to keep an animal in their home. According to South Florida condo at- torney Gary Poliakoff, a founding share- holder of the law firm of Becker & Po- liakoff in Fort Lauderdale, recent HUD PET PEEVES continued from page 1 continued on page 24