There’s been many acts of kindness on news feeds and social media during this pandemic. All of which helps to restore faith in the goodness of humans, particularly when times are tough.
We’ve seen photos of apartment residents joining together (at a safe distance) in the communal driveway at dawn to honour our Anzacs. We know of residents in our apartment buildings who continue to check in on each other, especially elderly neighbours who need help with chores, and neighbours with young children struggling to manage their own workloads with remote learning responsibilities.
One common theme we do hear is that people are lonely. Self-isolation has played a key role in slowing the spread, but at what cost to our mental well-being?
Company values that are practised, not just on paper
STM Senior Business Development Manager, Stella McWiggan, has an inbuilt flair for analysing body language and detecting temperaments from those she speaks with.
Working from home for almost two months now, Stella is definitely missing the human contact of her job but is fortunate that she could just relocate to her home office and carry on business as usual.
In fact, Stella and STM are busier than ever. The management of essential services is a necessity and high priority, as are scheduled meetings and the financials required for such meetings to proceed. Life goes on and STM adjusted to the restrictions quickly and efficiently.
Plus there’s also the human ethical element. Contacting clients and visiting them (practising physical distancing) to check they are ok, particularly the most vulnerable clients.
Without our clients we wouldn’t have a job. Our clients are the most important resources to our business.
Being compassionate is far more valuable than a contract
Having recently submitted a new business proposal for a property in Neutral Bay, Stella enjoyed meeting the committee via video conferencing to talk through her plan to guide the owners corporation through the next 3 years.
She took the time to answer any queries and to reassure the committee STM would be there to assist them and to make their lives easier, not harder, even with the current restrictions in place.
The conference call went extremely well, STM would soon be the appointed strata management company for this property. But regardless of the excitement of this incredible new business, one particular member caught Stella’s attention as he was notably quiet and distant.
After the meeting Stella reached out to check if he was okay and offered to visit and see the building in more detail with him. She’d then have the opportunity to really talk to him and make sure he was okay.
Long story short, he was lonely. He lived alone and his family lived out of town. Like many elderly folks, he didn’t wish to be a burden to his neighbours, so he kept to himself.
The next day Stella went to visit him. She walked around the building and then sat with him outside in his courtyard on a gorgeous sunny morning, drank tea and discussed the ways of the world with him.
Together they devised strategies to solve the world’s issues and laughed at some of the recent adjustments they both were making in isolation until the pandemic was controlled. Such as the elbow greeting they had both just given each other instead of the firm hand shake that was customary in the days gone by!
Above and beyond merely strata management
There’s so much more to strata than just management, there’s a whole building or community of people who each have their own private issues that no one knows about.
Being personable and kind is part of Stella’s nature and we are blessed to have her. At the STM helm is a highly productive and an extremely caring leader, Emily Doherty. The entire STM team possesses admirable qualities that make them the strata manager of choice.
If you aspire to work with our fantastic team at STM, contact Rebecca Henwood, Senior Business Partner – People & Culture at Smarter Communities for more details.
Our management goes beyond the everyday maintenance issues of the strata buildings, we care about the individuals that reside in the buildings and give the management a more wholistic approach to all influences in their lives.
At STM, and all the Smarter Communities group of companies, the emphasis on our clients includes their specific needs as the world, as we currently know it, slowly wakes up from this pandemic that drove us to the cave-dwelling lifestyle we’ve experienced in the last few months.
Don’t be shy to ask for help
Recognising the importance of mental wellbeing, Smarter Communities financially supported two organisations, $15,000 to Lifeline and $15,000 to Beyond Blue. Both organisations do fantastic work assisting people struggling with their personal circumstances.
Help and support is always available if you need. Contact Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
For the sake of all our well-being, stay connected and look after yourself, your loved ones and your neighbours. By giving your unconditional attention to someone who needs it could make such a difference to their world.
The Beatles knew it and wrote about it… all we need is love, love is all we need.
To discuss your property’s strata management needs or receive a FREE management proposal contact our friendly team. We also offer more helpful resources and community living news in our FREE newsletter.
