HR

Turning Parking Experience into Career Momentum

Five years later we are still feeling the effects that COVID-19 had on our staffing. Prior to the pandemic our operation had about fifteen full-time and part-time employees. Due to attrition and turnover, we are just barely functioning today with ten full-time and part-time employees. We’ve learned to function very lean, but it is not the standard we have come to pride ourselves on. It is also eating our current dedicated employees alive. We’ve hired several people to try and bring our numbers back up, but we are experiencing turnover at an unprecedented rate. Prior to the pandemic, turnover was very uncommon for our department. So, what has changed and why have we been unable to retain who we’ve hired? We currently have two full-time positions we are actively recruiting for, and we are reflecting on this very question, so the constant cycle of recruiting and hiring can hopefully end for a period of time and our service delivery can become stable once again. Here are a few thoughts we’ve had on our retention issues and how we are planning to solve those issues moving forward. Money. As a public servant, salary is expectedly lower than the private sector, but since the pandemic the gap became a chasm. We have lost several employees due to the below average wages. For the two positions we are currently recruiting for we knew we needed to pivot our compensation strategy to be competitive in today’s market. We were able to work with our compensation department to change the job titles to reflect the current needs of our operation and to compensate fairly. Expectations. We’ve had a few employees leave due to a lack of understanding of job duties. During the interview process and initial onboarding, we plan to take the approach of verbally explaining our job expectations and providing written documentation outlining the job duties and expectations. While this may not solve our retention issues, we’re hoping this will help alleviate them. Meredith Garrett, CAPP, is the Assistant Director of Public Safety, Parking & Transit Services for Kent State University. Meredith can be reached at mgarre12@kent.edu.

It has been said that adults do not need to be taught what to think they should be taught, but rather how to think.  How does this apply to the parking and mobility industry?  My answer would be significantly!  We all employ adults, whether part-time or full-time, that need to be onboarded and be expected to work independently.  Often these are the very people that make the difference between out one star and five-star ratings. Adults should be approached in a different way than children and we manage parking considerations for adults.  When we are onboarding new employees, we often don't take the concept of education into account.  We tend to think about training.  This approach may have worked well when most parking was  gate controlled and paid for in cash.  Today's parking patron expects so much more.  Not only do they expect a wide variety of services and payment options, but they also expect the people servicing them will have a higher level of technological understanding.  The industry continues to evolve to more reliance on technology. Managers would be wise to invest some time in their orientation programs.  Standing in front of a group of new employees and asking them to recite facts or memorize policy manuals.  I suggest that the social experiences that an employee has encountered allow them to observe other students' attitudes toward information and successfully emulate good practices through dialogue and observation. We are really in business for two reasons, customer service and problem solving.  As professionals, we (and our staff) need to be good at both. I will continue this discussion in my next blog. Scott Rohde, PECP, PTMP,  is the Director of Public Safety for Wesleyan Office of Public Safety. Scott can be reached at srohde@wesleyan.edu.

Why Onboarding Shapes Success

As a Parking Operator, we pride our team on the ability to adapt over time and to be flexible with an ever-changing environment. Whether due to advances in the technology related to our parking operations or due to more specific needs and directives over time, we flex with the needs of our stakeholders. From the hiring process through training and development, we try to cultivate this concept with our teams and enrich in employees this sense of being flexible. Providing the team with project specific goals, to assist all to understand the soul of the project, we can try and help the team to understand the importance of adapting. Presenting those who may not like the idea of change with opportunities to experience more facets of the operation, to give employees the opportunity to see more than what is presented to them as the baseline of their job, we may enlighten and create more open-mindedness to change. We also pride ourselves that we have a dedicated and long-standing staff, who have seen change first hand, multiple times, and have adapted as needed to maintain value for the operation and for the self. For whatever reason that any individual may assign their self adaptability as their skill, we as leaders nurture that and lead by example. Adam Feller, PTMP, is an Operations Manager for LAZ Parking. Adam can be reached at Afeller@lazparking.com.

Managing Motherhood + Leadership

Managing Motherhood + Leadership

No, you aren’t imagining it. It’s true. Hiring is more challenging than ever.

As business’ grow and corporations take over the Mom and Pop Organizations, where are the companies that used to promote themselves as a family? In the parking and transportation industry we seem to have lost the family feel in the last few years. As companies are expanding, and bottom lines are scrutinized more than ever, what are you doing to ensure your employees are happy? What are you doing to support your employee’s growth and expansion? With major parking and transportation companies growing and expanding the amount of employees they have, how is it possible to treat your team as you once used to? I feel this is an ever growing topic that is harder than ever to compare how it once was. As inflation has hit and the price of items have changed, things are no longer appreciated the same way they used to. A $5 Starbucks gift card only goes so far and often a pizza party is under appreciated. What solution do you see in the future to bring back the family in corporations without breaking the bank or budget? How can we appreciate our employees in a way that personally and economically effects them? Tate Misiaszek, CAPP is a Project Manager for LAZ Parking. You can reach Tate at TMisiaszek@lazparking.com.

Hello, IPMI Community! Parking & Mobility magazine seeks parking, transportation, and mobility professionals interested in authoring our standing monthly columns. You do not need to be a writer; you just need to be a thought leader! I am happy to work closely with those who want to share their expertise but may not be confident writers.  Columns that are still available for 2025 magazine editions include: Business of Parking - Marketing/BD Marketing and business development experts from inside and outside the parking and mobility community provide expertise on topics impacting the financial outcomes of organizations and providing best practices to implement for success. Business of Parking - Finance Financial leaders from the parking and mobility community provide expertise on matters affecting our financial bottom line. From spending to funding, get the most current information on the dollars of our industry from those who know it best. Looking for CFOs, accounting leaders, and strategy officers to contribute! Business of Parking - Legal The legal landscape for parking and mobility operations is changing at an unprecedented rate. Our industry's top legal minds will give insights into the most current legal and regulatory factors impacting our industry. Looking for both in-house and outside legal professionals to lend their expertise! The Green Impact Share stories of the impacts of sustainable parking and mobility. What are the continued impacts of the "greening" of our industry? How are parking and mobility professionals responding to the need for sustainable solutions? HR Perspective Human resources professionals take the lead in sharing vital information on organizational success. Experts in managing our most important resource - our people - speaking on relevant HR or human capital topics. Looking for industry HR leaders to share their expertise! Leadership Moment Share the voices of your organization's C-Suite or senior leadership! Industry trailblazers share insights on leadership and organizational success. When possible, the topic should be matched to the monthly issue theme. We are looking for C-Suite, Executive, and Senior Leadership to contribute. Parking Spotlight Opportunity for planning, design, and construction firms to highlight a completed parking project. Ready to contribute? Email editor@parking-mobility.org, or click here to submit your pitch. Please share your knowledge and help advance our industry! Melissa Rysak is the Vice President, Communications for IPMI. Melissa can be reached at rysak@parking-mobility.org.

Confronting the Invisible Burden of Advocacy: Why Organizations Must Act to Support Those Who Support Others

Balancing Organization, Compliance, and Employee Satisfaction