Temporary employees in the professional apartment community can be a fantastic resource to keep-up productivity on your property. One position that this can be a huge benefit in is your maintenance staff. A good maintenance employee can make all the difference to your property’s upkeep and your resident’s happiness. A temporary maintenance employee can also be essential in times of increased workflow for your property, such as mass move-ins and property-wide revamping.

Below are five great ways on maximizing your temporary maintenance help:

1. Determine the Type of Person You Need and Define Required Skills

Not all maintenance employees are the same. Top-level maintenance professionals need a wide range of skills, but sometimes you only need a skilled painter or electrician. This is where a professional apartment staffing company delivers real value. Your staffing coordinator can match your specific skill set needs with their vetted employee database, ensuring you get the best return on your time and money.

2. Work with an Experienced Staffing Companies

Just as maintenance employees have different skill sets, not all staffing companies are the same. Many agencies staff for a wide range of industries. While it’s clear you need an apartment-industry specialist when hiring a leasing professional, the same applies to your maintenance team. Working with a staffing company that focuses on the apartment industry ensures they understand property workflows and how they differ from other maintenance roles.

3. Provide a Solid Orientation and Training Program

Many communities take for granted the knowledge of their maintenance staff and do not keep up on documents that explain the layout and technical specifications of their property and the individual units. An ideal temporary maintenance person would arrive on the first day of work having studied information on the layout of the property and the type of appliances and systems the property has. By providing your staffing coordinator with this information, you can ensure that the temporary employee is prepared to work. This information will also help the staffing coordinator place the right person with your company.

4. Communicate Clearly and Openly

This may seem obvious, however many times temporary maintenance employees come into a situation where their services were needed yesterday. The work environment may be hectic because there has been a lack in the permanent maintenance department of the property, because of illness or vacancy. Make sure that the temporary employee is caught up on what your needs are in a clear and easy-to-understand manner. By taking the time upfront, you can avoid frustration later.

5. Check in Regularly

Temporary employees need more supervision than permanent employees, because they are getting to know the property and may be afraid to ask too many questions for fear of disappointing their staffing company and temporary employer. Be sure to take a minute or two at several points throughout the first day to check in and gauge progress. Set specific days/times you plan to check in throughout the week to answer any questions and monitor progress.

Bringing a temporary maintenance employee on-board at your property can offer a host of benefits — as long as that employee is managed properly. Hard-working and properly managed temporary employees often become leading candidates for full-time openings.