Internal employee communication is essential to keep an office running smoothly and fair housing compliant. Without proper internal communication, staff can find themselves struggling to know what to do. Consider the following scenarios.

Maintenance Work Request

We all know that fair housing best practice is to complete maintenance requests in the order they were received except in the case of emergencies. But did you know that what can be considered an emergency can significantly vary from property to property? As a result, a new hire can quickly become confused as to how to properly handle maintenance work requests if the property’s policy isn’t clearly communicated. This could result in work orders being handled out of order and open the property up to a discrimination or fair housing complaint.

Internal communication of policies and procedures is an absolute must, especially when it comes to new hires. Supervision is also a key component; making sure that if a staff member has a question, there is someone there to help. Along with this, every staff member should have access to adequate documentation as well as regular training. Keeping these lines of internal communication available, aids in workplace compliance. 

Callback Policies

Callback policies are another place where fair housing compliance can become an issue if there isn’t proper internal communication. Today’s properties face the challenge of sorting through multiple contact points, and phone, email, text, and web-based communication are all part of most properties’ daily communications. 

Just as with maintenance requests, fair housing best practices dictate that calls should be handled in the order they are received. Does your property have a policy in place that clearly establishes every communication touchpoint? Has this policy been effectively communicated to all appropriate staff? 

Your policies and procedures could be tested at any time, and this is why communication and training with staff are so important. Without it, you are once again opening yourself up to a fair housing complaint. 

Strategies For Better Internal Communication

Documentation - Documentation is a necessity and an excellent point of reference. Documentation can include but is not limited to: internal policies and procedures, as well as employee interaction with residents. 

Oversight/Guidance - Fair housing best practices need to start at the top. Managers need to be available and approachable if a staff member has a question. Having open and regular communication can only help ensure compliance.

Fair Housing Training - Part of good internal communication is regular training. Think beyond handouts and lectures. Get your team together to talk about real-life situations they have been faced with, and then brainstorm and role-play the solutions together to have a lasting imprint. 

Internal Employee Communication For Better Fair Housing Compliance

We have only touched on a few scenarios, but many other situations can arise, as you know. Whether your property is big or small, using a CRM or another workflow program, internal communication needs to be on everyone’s mind. Staff should always feel that they can go to supervisors with any questions. Supervisors and management need to provide clear policies and fair housing training. Having an environment that encourages active communication will yield the best results.