First Published in ACMOs “Condo Manager”
A lot has changed for condominium managers in the last generation. In addition to a new set of laws and regulatory agencies, managers now have dozens of new technologies and tools at their disposal. If you could go back in time and explain to a manager in the 90s what amazing time-saving devices would be available to them in the future, most of them would probably imagine spending their days relaxing while their tasks were reduced to the click of a few buttons. They would probably also wonder why you were using your time travel powers to go and speak with a condominium manager from the 90s rather than, you know, explore the universe, but let’s try to stay on topic.
Of course, much like their haircut and love of boy bands, the imaginary free time of our 90s friend would soon prove to be very, very wrong. Despite having some incredible time saving tools at our fingertips, managers today are just as busy as ever before. The problem is not that the tools don’t work. Having an e-mail server obviously saves a lot of time when compared to the task of printing, stuffing envelopes, making labels, and going to a post office. The problem is that expectations have risen just as fast. Managers today are far more productive than ever before, but are being flooded with more and more requests from boards and bosses who know they have the tools to handle it.
Let’s look at the average day of our friend from the 90s compared to today
Our friend from the 90s wakes up and puts on a ripped pair of jeans and a baggy t-shirt before heading off to work (I know, it was an embarrassing time for fashion). They make it to their building on time and start their day. On the plate for today is a budget letter that needs to be sent out, a plumbing renovation project that is underway, and some heavy rain which may mean some minor leaks coming in from the roof. After opening the office, our manager gets to work Xeroxing and preparing the budget. They are interrupted by the foreman of the plumbing job who comes in saying that they found a problem and that this may delay the project by a couple of days. After a quick call to the board president, it was decided that it would be too difficult to produce new notices and push everyone’s schedule back, so only the first two days get moved. Phone calls are made and voicemails are left on their answering machines. Our manager continues with the mailing and is again interrupted by a call from someone in the penthouse with a leaky ceiling. The manager goes and sees the unit, then calls the roofer’s office and schedules a visit for the coming Friday. Finally, as the day winds down, the mailing is finished and on the way home the manager stops at the post office to send out the notices.
Fast forward 25 years and here is what this may look like today.
Our 2020 manager wakes up to the sound of their phone buzzing. It’s a text from the boss reminding them that the budget letter needs to be e-mailed out today. After putting on some work clothing (at least some things have improved since the 90s), the manager heads to work and gets stuck in an hour of traffic. On the office computer are 15 e-mails from various owners and contractors, which our manager quickly checks and marks down for later. As the manager starts putting together the budget e-mail, he receives a WhatsApp message from a board member saying that they ran into the foreman, and that there is a major problem with the plumbing project! A quick call to the foreman, and our manager learns that yes, the schedule needs to be delayed by a couple of days. As he hangs up, he sees a dozen more WhatsApp messages from the board, and a text from the boss. It is quickly decided that a new schedule must be e-mailed out to all the owners pushing everyone’s schedule back by two days. The Google Drive needs to be updated, notices also need to be printed and posted around the building, and the budget still needs to be checked and emailed out, not to mention the paper copies for those who still won’t use e-mail. Just then another call comes in about a roof leak, so the manager stops what they are doing and sends the roofer a text to come by as soon as they can. While they are sending the text, they notice another batch of e-mails sitting in their inbox, which will have to wait until tomorrow. The roofer responds that they cannot make it until Friday, which the homeowner is furious about. It’s 2020 and we can’t even stop a drip from the ceiling! The day wraps up late in the evening with the changed schedule finished, the budget almost done, and an inbox of unchecked e-mails. At least rush hour is almost over…