Valunation Blog
Parting is such sweet sorrow....
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Parting can be a sweet sorrow
It is inevitable that there will come a time when someone will leave their employment, whether through retirement, redundancy, or because their circumstances have changed and they need to find a new job.
Employment is a relationship, and like all relationships it requires commitment and respect on both sides. From the employer’s perspective this means always having your staff and team members’ best interests at heart. If you do then their confidence and trust levels will be enhanced, they will enjoy their work more, perform better – and when it is time to part ways, they won’t feel intimidated or vulnerable when letting you know they are thinking of leaving.
It is as important to be a good leaver, both as an employee and an employer as you never know when your paths will cross again. If you have left a job previously how did your employer behave? Ideally they will have marked the occasion in some way, thanked you for all you’ve done, then wished you well - and meant it. An employer who actively and genuinely supports their employees in their careers will not see a resignation as an act of disloyalty.
Career support needs to be dynamic and sustainable, regardless of the career stage the employee has reached. If leaving seems to be the right thing for the employee then they will thank you if you show magnanimity. You will recover and so will the company. Build a bridge, and get over it. The now ex-employee, is likely to only have good words to say about your company and may even refer other people as new recruits.
Some leavers of Valunation even leave testimonials for example; one ex-employee said:
“I have been very impressed by the setup and professionalism at Valunation and I would have no hesitation in recommending the firm to any valuer considering joining.
“The fact that you recognise that stress can be a problem for valuers working the modern way and are trying to address it is very reassuring. I also think that the cluster meetings are a very good idea, allowing valuers to get things of their chests, talk issues through with one another. Getting to know one another also makes it easy to pick up the phone and talk in between such meetings.
“In conclusion, thank you again, and very best wishes to all at Valunation.”
How many leavers at other companies would be so complimentary? It raises the importance of being kind whenever possible – not only when someone is leaving but throughout their employment. This is a key priority at Valunation.
All surveyors are now home based and their feedback told us that isolation and lack of contact was a challenge for many. As a result we have been working hard to address this and have invested time and energy into actively supporting our surveyors.
Last year our theme was “Performing Well” with a particular emphasis on personal well-being. This year, we have further developed this with a focus on supporting our surveyors to achieve their maximum potential, not just through training and development, but also through a genuine interest in, and respect for, the individual. The thread running through our 2017 conference was “A commitment to excellence” and several conference sessions paid attention to how we can all reject mediocrity and achieve greatness by making that commitment to excellence.
We do this through a relevant and personally delivered induction programme when someone joins, then ongoing training, support and CPD from strong, experienced and accessible senior managers. We also provide an industry leading, online training and content management platform to deliver and manage team member’s continuing professional development.
When someone has gone the extra mile we then celebrate that success including congratulation cards when great customer feedback is received. We also make awards and give annual recognition at our conference for top performers measured on quality, and productivity.
While it can be sad when someone leaves, investing in the individual is not a wasted effort and can only ever be the right thing to do.
Hero today, in trouble tomorrow
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I read recently an article from renowned Ciaran Fenton who was a divisional manager at ITN, and is now a management consultant and mentor. He was talking about how in the fast moving world of news you are only as good as your last story, so you could be a hero one day and in trouble the next.
It made me reflect that the world of a valuation surveyor is not that different. While there are no news items to get out, the short delivery cycles that an individual surveyor works to, may well make them feel they are in a similar situation.
The work of a residential surveyor can have its ups and downs as everybody involved will know well. There are the good days when everything goes to plan: the appointments are booked with a comfortable route, there are no keys to collect from agents and the occupants are all at home and have a kettle on the boil!
The not-so-good days can involve collecting keys from agents, only to find that one of the keys doesn’t actually fit the lock. Other scenarios can include a tenant forgetting a booked appointment, the simple job on the modern estate is found to have four extensions, while the dog in the muddy rear garden keeps on jumping up at you while you are trying to view the roof.
Surveyors have built up a degree of resilience and can cope with most of what is thrown at them. Fortunately, the bad days are usually few and far between while the good days make it all worthwhile. On the occasion when positive feedback is received whether through a customer feedback form or verbally it always puts a spring in the step.
There are more serious situations though that may take a good surveyor from hero to zero – such as when a surveyor’s competence is brought into question. At this point, your report, site notes and site photographs are put under scrutiny and, despite the fact that 99.9% of jobs you have completed have been issue-free, you begin to realise that the term ‘you are only as good as your last survey’ can ring true.
It is comforting to know that most claims are successfully defended, however, this is the time you need to know you have a good management team around you who will support and defend you. Such a claim can knock a surveyor’s confidence, but an experienced and supportive management team will deal with the claim on your behalf, investigating the issues, responding to the claimant and corresponding with insurers, solicitors and sometimes the Ombudsman, to reach a successful conclusion.
As a surveyor, you need to ensure that you are with a company that will take this as a learning opportunity, supporting you through the process and providing you with training to help you to learn. The last thing you need at this time is to be beaten, metaphorically, with a big stick making you feel even worse. What is crucial at times like these is being given enough time to learn and develop as a surveyor as continual improvement makes us all better surveyors, whereas those who are not given the time and support may go on to make further mistakes. Taking on learning points and corrective, preventive actions are part of the restorative process to make sure errors are not repeated.
A claim, or even a criticism, can knock anyone's confidence, so the benefit of going through the restorative process really helps a surveyor to learn what they can do differently. More importantly, it builds confidence back up again. This means the surveyor can move forward knowing that not only do they have the support of the whole business but they know how to do things differently in the future.
Valuing the valuers – what we can learn from the junior doctors
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Read more: Valuing the valuers – what we can learn from the junior doctors
