Recently in Burlington, NC a maintenance man was accused of going through a customer's things while he was supposed to be fixing a shower. The apartment owner decided to turn on his camera before he left for work and caught the maintenance man.
“His camera caught a lot more than someone fixing his bathroom. There he was. The maintenance guy. He went through every drawer, all my personal belongings, he was all over my computer. In the video, you even see the man sitting on the bed and sucking on Stewart’s vape device.”
While this is not a crime of theft or anything like that, it is most certainly an invasion of privacy. You might think that it would be common knowledge not to rifle through a customer's things while on a job but it is still important to set boundaries and make sure that they are enforced.
Here are a few tips on setting boundaries:
Have it in Writing
Sometimes it can be as simple as having a rule in writing. By having a rule in place where an employee can read it, there shouldn't be any issue later and you can save yourself from looking like the bad guy.
Make Responsibilities Clear
Make sure that you have a clear set of responsibilities for each person. Having Facility Management Software helps you achieve this since you can easily set up tasks and schedule them in advance.
Communicate
Communication is important in all aspects of life and especially on the job. Make sure that each employee knows what is expected and what the rules are so that there are no questions later. It is okay to allow your employees to disagree with you as long as you maintain the hierarchy. Let them know that you will take what they have said under consideration and actually do that; sometimes an alternate way of doing things will work out better.
Read More: Consider Background Checks For Employees
These are just a few tips on making sure that your employees know their boundaries and what is expected of them. Common sense should tell them it's not okay to go through someone's things but it's never a bad idea to have rules in writing.
.svg){kind=small}