In the face of more compliance risks in 2019 and 2020, it’s imperative that companies combine training on what their employees and supervisors can’t do, with what they can.
Keeping your compliance training current can be a struggle. With states and localities passing new laws on sexual harassment and fair housing every few months, it’s no wonder that property managers often overlook some of the most important lessons they can pass on to employees.
It’s an understandable predicament. Property management companies are already struggling to squeeze training time into the busy schedules of their employees. And it’s no longer sufficient to focus only on federal housing and employment rules.
States and local governments are stepping in with their own legislation on issues like sexual harassment, fair housing, rent control and marijuana, creating an increasingly fragmented regulatory landscape that only complicates the learning process for those working in the property sector. In the past year for instance, three states — New York, Connecticut and Illinois, have passed significant new sexual harassment legislation that reduces the threshold for illegal behavior and increases employer liability.
In this context, executives are well-advised to hew to more restrictive procedures to offset any potential for mistakes in record-keeping and interactions with residents. That’s especially true given other trends.
We surveyed property management executives and found an increase in “drive-by” litigation on minor issues, as well as residents aggressively researching to see what improvements or remedies they may be entitled to.
This helps explain the increase in trainers and training ……