Other Service Managers
This unit group covers Service Managers not elsewhere classified. It includes Boarding Kennel and Cattery Operators, Equipment Hire Managers, Retirement Village Managers and Security Managers (non-ICT).
A day running a village
You are the manager of a retirement village on a Wednesday morning, with a full diary, a resident who needs help and a family waiting to see you. It is 8:30am. The community centre is setting up for the weekly morning tea, a maintenance request has come in and the phone has already rung twice. Three people need your time.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
The light outside my front door has been out for a week, and I'm worried about walking in the dark. I've asked twice already. I don't want to be a nuisance, but I do think someone should look at it.
Apologise, get it fixed today and tell him when it will be done
The light is fixed by afternoon and Brian is delighted. A promise you keep is how residents learn to trust you. Safety lights matter more than they seem.
Tell him it is on the list and the maintenance team will get to it soon
Three more days pass, and Brian trips on the step in the dark. A request about safety is not one for the end of a list.
Fix it yourself that afternoon without telling the maintenance team
The light works, but the maintenance record shows the request still open and the team goes out to do it again. Doing the job is good, and telling people matters too.
Mum has fallen twice this month and I am worried she is not safe on her own. She insists she is fine and she doesn't want to move. I need you to tell her she has to go into care. Can you?
Tell Mrs Carrington that she needs to move, because her daughter is concerned
Mrs Carrington feels ambushed and angry, and the relationship with her daughter strains. It was never your decision to make. Residents have the right to make choices about their own lives.
Meet with Mrs Carrington, listen to her wishes, and offer to arrange an assessment and support options with her family involved
Mrs Carrington agrees to an assessment and some extra help at home. She stays in her unit and feels in charge. You helped everyone talk instead of deciding for her.
Tell Tess that it is a private matter and you cannot get involved
You respect her privacy, but Tess is left feeling nobody cares. There is a way to be supportive without breaking confidence.
A few residents want to start a Friday night social with wine and cheese. Others say it will be too noisy, and I have heard some do not want alcohol on site at all. How do you want to handle it?
Say no to avoid any argument
There is no argument, but the residents who wanted the social feel ignored, and it creates a quiet resentment. Avoiding a conflict is not always the kind option.
Ask Pam to survey the residents, trial a short event with clear hours and see how it goes
Most residents are happy to try it and the trial works well with an early finish. The few who were worried see their concerns respected. A small trial can settle a big argument.
Let the group go ahead without any rules, as they are adults and can sort it out themselves
The first night runs late and noisy, and two neighbours complain. The residents are adults, and a village still needs a few shared agreements.
How it went
By late afternoon, the light is fixed, the morning tea is cleared and the family meeting has a plan. Running a retirement village is about homes, community and respect for the people who live there. Do you think you could be a good neighbour and a good manager at once?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The neighbour dispute over the hedge
A fictional case set in a fictional retirement village with independent units, a community centre and a small care team.
The situation
Gwen Abara managed the Sunridge Village. Two long-term residents, Mr Dawson and Mrs Lim, had stopped speaking after a disagreement over a hedge between their units. Mr Dawson thought it blocked his light and had trimmed it himself. Mrs Lim was upset that he had cut it without asking. Both came to Gwen separately and asked her to take their side. Other residents had begun to pick teams.
What they did
Gwen did not decide who was right. She listened to each of them on their own, then asked if they would meet at the community centre over a cup of tea with her present. She suggested a gardener come and look at the hedge and offer options. She also reminded both that the village had a simple process for shared boundaries, which neither had known about.
How it turned out
Mr Dawson apologised for cutting without asking and Mrs Lim agreed the hedge could be lower. The gardener trimmed it to a height both liked. Gwen put the boundary process in the next newsletter so residents would know where to start.
What would you do?
- Why did Gwen choose not to take a side?
- How would you speak to someone who feels strongly that they are right?
- What do you think is special about managing a place where people live?