Supervisor Resistance, Overtime, and a Struggling Leasing Consultant
Summit Ridge is a 260-unit community with a 10-person on-site team. Ray, the maintenance supervisor, has 14 years of service and strong technical skills but refuses to use the new mobile work-order system. On-time completion is 62%, 18% of tickets are overdue, and maintenance overtime was $9,800 last quarter against a $4,500 budget. Two technicians say Ray reassigns jobs verbally and closes tickets without notes; one has given notice. Maya, a leasing consultant hired eight months ago, has missed 30% of follow-up tasks and is late on application processing; she recently used unpaid leave for a family medical issue. The regional manager wants accountability, better work-order data, and reduced turnover. Training budget is $3,000. The company policy requires documented coaching before formal discipline and prohibits retaliation.
1. Diagnose the people and process issues. Which should be addressed first, and why?
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Address Ray first because a supervisor's behavior multiplies across the team: verbal assignments, missing notes, and closed tickets without documentation explain the overdue rate, overtime, and technician turnover. The 62% on-time and 18% overdue figures are not just a software problem; they are a process and accountability problem. Stabilize by requiring all assignments and notes in the system, providing training and devices, and setting weekly targets. At the same time, meet Maya privately. Her missed follow-ups and lateness may be performance issues, but the recent unpaid family medical leave means the manager should ask about barriers and accommodation without assuming. Do not delay the Ray conversation until the team quits. Use data, not personality, and involve HR before formal discipline.
2. Outline a 60-day coaching and accountability plan for Ray that complies with policy and reduces legal risk.
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Meeting 1: state the specific data, listen to Ray's concerns, and clarify non-negotiables: every work order in the system, notes before closing, no verbal-only assignments. Ask whether the barrier is skill, device, time, or resistance; offer training, a peer mentor, and admin support. Set 60-day targets: 85% on-time, under 5% overdue, overtime below $4,500 per quarter, and complete notes on 95% of tickets. Put the expectations, support, and review dates in writing. Hold weekly check-ins and review dashboards. If no improvement, follow the company's progressive discipline policy with HR, using consistent documentation. Address the technicians' concerns in a team meeting and protect them from retaliation. Do not promise confidentiality you cannot keep, and do not discipline Ray for others raising complaints.
3. How should the manager handle Maya's missed follow-ups and leave, and what metrics should be tracked for the team?
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Meet Maya confidentially. Explain the specific gaps (30% missed follow-ups, late applications), ask what support would help, and do not inquire beyond what is needed about her medical situation. If her leave is protected, evaluate performance only during working time and do not count the leave against her. Provide retraining, a daily follow-up checklist, call audits, and a 30-day improvement plan with weekly reviews. Document expectations and results. Offer EAP or scheduling flexibility if appropriate. Team metrics: lead follow-up completion, application decision time, visit-to-lease and application-to-lease conversion by consultant, work-order on-time and overdue rates, overtime, technician turnover, and resident satisfaction. Review them weekly and recognize improvement. Consistency matters: apply the same performance standards to all consultants.