Performance planning and evaluation Every organization should establish goals and objectives to meet key association responsibilities. Performance planning is a systematic and structured approach to successfully achieve the desired goals of the association throughout the assessment year. The board or manager develops a plan for the association and identifies annual objectives for each employee. Performance planning is a crucial part of an employee’s growth in the organization. The manager can use these to link employee performance goals to the community goals. Supervision Supervision is defined as, “A critical watching and directing (as of activities or a course of action); the action or process of watching and directing what someone does or how something is done; the action or process of supervising someone or something.” In this section, we discover what the workplace is, what organizational culture is, and the attributes of a positive workplace. The workplace environment is composed of: ● The physical conditions of a work site, such as a building or office including design, temperature, lighting, furniture, and equipment, as well as health and safety related features. ● Work processes and procedures. ● The organizational culture of the employer. The organizational culture Organizational culture is a set of shared values, the unwritten rules that are often taken for granted, that guide the employees towards acceptable and rewarding behavior. Organizational culture is defined as, … Workplace environment The workplace “The values and behaviors that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organization. Organizational culture includes an organization’s expectations, experiences, philosophy, and values that hold it together, and is expressed in its self-image, inner workings, interactions with the outside world, and future expectations. It is based on shared attitudes, beliefs, customs, and written and unwritten rules that have been developed over time and are considered valid.” Also called corporate culture , it is demonstrated in: ● The ways the organization conducts its business, treats its employees, customers, and the wider community. ● The extent to which freedom is allowed in decision-making, developing new ideas, and personal expression. ● How power and information flow through its hierarchy. ● How committed employees are towards collective objectives. It affects the organization’s productivity and performance, and provides guidelines on customer care and service, product quality and safety, attendance and punctuality, and concern for the environment. A positive workplace A positive workplace environment is essential for employees to work efficiently and meet the goals of the organization. Attributes of a positive work environment include: ● Compliance with health and safety requirements. ● Competitive wages and benefits. ● Trust between the employees and management. ● Fairness for everyone. ● Manageable workload with meaningful, challenging, and achievable goals. Ethics Ethics is the foundation of organizational culture, as well as an understanding of human needs. We look at it separately because of its importance. Ethics is the standard of behavior for the many roles we perform, as employees, employers, directors, officers, neighbors, members, and professionals.
So, supervision is an activity conducted by a senior member of an organization to a junior member or members providing services to the same organization. We usually think of supervision in terms of employer-employee, but, in a community association, it may be better defined as manager-service provider. Supervisory relationships are evaluative, extend over time, and have the simultaneous purposes of enhancing the functioning of the employee or provider, monitoring the quality of services, and, in some circumstances, serving as a gatekeeper to those who may wish to enter a particular profession. There are unique competencies and skills involved in supervision that allow the supervisor to help the supervisee. Evaluation is a crucial aspect of the supervision process, and one that is often the source of discomfort for both the supervisor and those supervised. Organizations often create a written code that describes the ethical principles that guide the conduct, decision-making, and behavior of its members. Violations of the code may result in sanctions imposed by the organization, such as disciplinary action or dismissal. Ethics, as applied to community association managers, require compliance with the law. In making ethical decisions, CAMs and CABs must rely on F.S. 455, F.S. 468, Part VIII, the applicable community association statutes, and the administrative codes written to interpret the statutes. They must comply with all relevant federal, state, and local laws and regulations. CAMs and CABs must also adhere to the association documents. Above all, they must fulfill their responsibility as a fiduciary, simply meaning that they must put the association’s interest ahead of their own. Sometimes board or officers of associations may ask a manager to ignore a requirement of statute or of the association documents. It is essential, in such cases, for the manager to recognize that this would be a violation of their ethical responsibilities. It is important for the CAM to treat all persons with whom they encounter – including directors, vendors, realtors, employees, employers, members, guests, and government agents - with respect, honesty, and courtesy, even those who might be experienced as offensive or critical of the board’s and/or the CAM’s performance or character. We discuss specific requirements regarding CAMs, CABs, boards, and officers elsewhere in the chapter. You should study this information carefully. Customer service When asked what the most important function of their job is, many managers state, “Interaction with members, vendors, directors, employees, and officers.” Or what we call customer service. Whether you identify this as the most important function, there is no doubt that a major activity of the CAM, either directly or through delegation to other employees, is responding to inquiries, suggestions, complaints, and requests for service from members and residents. For the staff to effectively perform these functions, they must have a clear and thorough understanding of the association governing documents, rules, policies, and work order systems. They must be able to communicate in a calm, courteous, and understandable manner. They must be familiar with the Florida statutes that govern access to association records and the time frames for responding to requests for information. They must be able to effectively interact with members and residents who become agitated or abusive to minimize or prevent disruption of office activities. Employee training programs can provide the necessary knowledge and skills required to respond effectively to members’ and residents’ requests, inquiries, and complaints.
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Book Code: CAMFL1524
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