Dear John:
John Hammersmith answers your questions in this section.
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JB from Denver asked:
Recently, the Board of the high-rise where I live decided that our Association would join Hammersmith. As you can imagine, there's a lot of discussion about what will happen to the employees in the building. Will they still be here after the change? How will they be treated by Hammersmith Management?
 Dear JB,
First, our thanks to you, your neighbors, and your Board of Directors for their vote of confidence. We appreciate your trust, and look forward to many years of shared accomplishments.
Now, let's answer the important questions you've raised.
Hammersmith has a highly skilled Human Resources Department lead by a seasoned Director. Because of that, associations that employ staff regularly join us for the advantages that our HR Department brings. Among the advantages are:
· Our emphasis on and sponsorship of training for all our employees. Concierge Staff regularly receive Hospitality Training, Corporate Culture Training, and De-escalating the Escalated Inquiry Training. In addition, we just launched OSHA training for on-site staff and there are many other opportunities to grow and expand their abilities and service to their communities. That's true for your building's Community Manager and other staff, as well.
· The employee benefits that we can provide (health and disability policies, 401K, etc) are usually beyond the reach and budget of individual associations, and their administration is too cumbersome for most Boards and other management companies.
· Joining Hammersmith allows Boards to have access to analytical data such as comparative salary ranges, job descriptions, and regular performance reviews and documentation.
· Because we already have the HR expertise, the Board and owners can be confident that employment practices are in compliance with Federal, State and local laws.
· Hammersmith does all the paperwork. We file all required forms, deposit state, local and federal withholdings, maintain employee records, and in addition, we can recruit, hire and train new employees should the need arise.
JB, we know we are in a people-driven and relationship business. As such, you can be confident that your building's employees will be treated fairly with dignity and respect, that their benefits will most likely be better (and probably at lesser expense to the Association), and that their vacation and tenure will be properly accounted for.
Of course, all of this is contingent on each individual employee's ability to pass the usual tests, such as background, immigration status, and that their employment with us doesn't conflict with any currently in-force employment agreement.
We appreciate your concern for the well-being of your building's staff, and look forward to serving all the stakeholders in your community - residents, owners, the Board of Directors, and our new employees.
Welcome aboard! ~John | 
