I work at a budget student accommodation property management company. I love the day to day of my job, but head office don't have a clue what they're doing.
To give you an example, they are haemorraging staff. There are half a dozen sites in my city. Since I started a couple months ago, 2 site managers – including my own – have left, and 2 more have handed in their notice, and one site soon won't have any hospitality staff as the receptionist has handed in her notice too.
My building is an absolute shithole and the owners are cheap bastards who won't pay for much needed repairs and improvements, and my employers wouldn't dare try to force them to. The building gets so hot and the air quality is shit, but God forbid they shell out for air con. It's fairly easy to get inside, even if you don't live there, but security is too expensive. The drains around the back of the building are collapsing because rats have burrowed into them, but they won't be dealt with until they start causing serious structural damage.
I have essentially been left responsible for my building as my regional manager hasn't found a replacement site manager yet. Not a single person has come to check on us or help. I only work mornings and there's no staff in the evenings or at the weekend. I have a maintenance operative who's split across 2 sites and a 2 part time cleaners for a 150 room building. The cherry on top is that we're all making minimum wage.
We've all had enough. I've updated my CV and have already had some promising calls from recruitment agents. One of the cleaners, who has worked there for over a decade, is seriously considering doing the same. It's such a shame because as I said I do actually enjoy the job – the residents are, on the whole, really lovely, and I like how varied the role is (I do everything from admin to unblocking sinks to conflict management). The hours are also perfect for me, but I can't let this corporate incompetence slide. I can see the writing on the wall and I'm not about to pick up any slack for this failing business, not for £9.50 an hour.
I'm currently trying to convince my colleagues to join my union – I think if we could organise effectively it could lead to some real improvements, and make it a nice place to work AND live. I think it's the least we deserve considering we're the ones making all their money. I'm not optimistic though, the people running the show seem to be on another planet.
There's not really any point to this I just needed to vent! Thanks for your time 🙂