The Staff-First Philosophy That Creates Better Buildings
The way a company treats its people tells you everything about how they'll treat your building.
This isn't soft thinking. It's not feel-good management philosophy. It's practical reality.
When building managers are overworked, unsupported, and undervalued, your building gets whatever time and energy they have left — which isn't much. When they're properly resourced, genuinely supported, and treated like professionals, your building gets their best.
The question isn't just "who manages my building?" It's "how does their company treat them?" Because that treatment flows directly through to the service you receive.
Building management in Australia has a people problem. It's an industry that often treats staff as interchangeable, burns through talent, and wonders why quality is inconsistent.
The average tenure in this industry is around 18 months. That's not a bug — it's a feature of how most companies operate. They hire, they churn through people, they hire again. The cost of this turnover is passed on to buildings in the form of inconsistent service and constant relearning.
Companies accept this as normal because fixing it would require actually investing in their people.
Building management can be relentless. After-hours emergencies, difficult residents, contractors who don't show up, committees with unrealistic expectations. Without proper support, it grinds people down.
Many companies respond to this by simply replacing burned-out staff rather than addressing the conditions that caused the burnout. It's cheaper in the short term — and devastating to service quality over time.
An overworked building manager operating without support doesn't have capacity for proactive management. They're in survival mode — putting out fires, responding to the loudest complaints, getting through each day.
The strategic thinking, the early problem detection, the careful contractor management — all the things that actually protect your building — those require bandwidth. Burned-out people don't have bandwidth.
Some companies have figured out that treating people well isn't just ethical — it's good business. Here's what that looks like in practice:
A building manager responsible for three or four buildings can actually manage them. They have time to walk the building regularly, build relationships with residents, stay on top of maintenance schedules, and think proactively.
A building manager stretched across eight or ten buildings is just trying to keep their head above water. Your building gets a fraction of their attention — and probably not when you need it most.
Staff-first companies deliberately limit portfolio sizes, even though it means they need more people and can manage fewer total buildings.
Building management is complex. Fire safety, WHS, contractor management, strata law, building systems — there's a lot to know. Staff-first companies invest in ongoing training and development, not just one-time induction.
Their building managers get better over time because someone is actively developing them. They're not just maintaining skills — they're building new ones.
When a building manager faces a difficult situation — a hostile resident, a complex compliance issue, a major incident — they shouldn't be on their own. Staff-first companies have support structures: senior managers to consult, clear escalation paths, backup resources for emergencies.
This support isn't just about helping the staff member — it's about making sure your building gets the right response, not just whatever one person can figure out alone.
Good people want to grow. Companies that offer clear career pathways — from building manager to senior manager to operations leadership — keep their talent. Companies without progression watch their best people leave for opportunities elsewhere.
When staff see a future at their company, they invest in their current role differently. They think longer-term. They care more about getting things right.
Staff-first companies have a defined culture — principles that guide how people work and how they treat each other. Not just words on a wall, but values that actually inform decisions.
When everyone understands what the company stands for, you get consistency. Different building managers, same standards. Different situations, same principles.
All of this might sound like it's about the building management company's internal operations. So why should a committee care?
Because every benefit flows through to your building:
Consistency: When staff stay for years, you get continuous improvement rather than constant restarts. Your building manager knows your building deeply — its quirks, its history, its needs.
Engagement: Staff who feel valued and supported bring their best to work. They go above and beyond because they want to, not because they have to. That discretionary effort makes a real difference to service quality.
Better Problem-Solving: Experienced, well-trained staff with proper support handle problems better. They've seen similar situations before. They have colleagues to consult. They make better decisions.
Reduced Risk: High turnover creates gaps — periods where no one knows what's going on, where things get missed. Stable teams don't have those gaps. Your building stays protected continuously.
When you're evaluating building management companies, it's easy to focus on price and services. Those matter. But culture matters too — maybe more.
A company with a strong staff-first culture will deliver more consistent service, attract and retain better people, and ultimately protect your building more effectively than a company that treats its people as disposable.
Ask about their culture. Ask about tenure. Ask what they do to support and develop their people. The answers will tell you a lot about what you can expect.
Because at the end of the day, your building is only as good as the person looking after it. And that person is only as good as the company behind them.
What kind of company is looking after your building?
Take the free Building Management Scorecard to assess not just your building's management — but the company behind it.
Dino Biordi
Founder & Managing Director, LUNA Management
25+ years in construction | NSW ABMA Independent Review Panel
A Building Manager oversees the safety, security and maintenance of designated properties and ensures that these properties comply with all applicable regulations. A Building Manager is also known as a Facilities Manager, Caretaker or Resident Manager. They are assisting the Owners Corporation with managing the common property, controlling the use of the common property by non-residents, arranging the maintenance and repair of common property.
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