Category: announcements

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Meal Breaks

Managers:

We know things get fast and sometimes furious during the work day.   Priorities shift and the workload can seem to expand without warning or explanation.   As a way of managing all that can happen during the day, we remind all employees of the importance of scheduling a mid-day meal break to recharge, refresh and renew your drive to accomplish the tasks at hand.

In accordance with California Law for all employers, Cambridge is committed to all employees following these guidelines for a meal break:

  • A meal break MUST be taken no later than the start of the 5th hour of work.  The only exception to this rule is if the overall work shift is going to be six hours or less.   For shifts that last longer than six hours, the start of the 5th hour is a key deadline for starting your meal break!   So don’t delay; start your break promptly.
  • The meal break MUST be a minimum of at least 30 minutes.   Subject to coordination with co-workers at the site, as well as feedback from either your Portfolio Supervisor or Cambridge’s Human Resource Department, the meal break can be extended to an hour or even longer if that assists you in felling refreshed and ready to proceed.   So, give some thought to maybe an even longer break from time to time to perhaps schedule in a personal appointment, or tackle a ‘life activity’ during the middle of your day.  Whatever the case, make sure your meal break is no less than 30 minutes.

There are all sorts of ways to assure your compliance with the meal break requirement; an alarm on your phone, an e-mail notification, a note on your desk, etc.  However you create that important reminder, make it a priority to take a meal break for yourself.  And take this break away from your normal work space so that you eliminate the possibility of an interrupted meal break as that doesn’t achieve our shared goal of not only a restful break, but an uninterrupted one too!  Take a walk.  Take a ride.  Head off to a place where you can comfortably enjoy some ‘me-time’.

Following through on the goal of a meal break of 30 minutes or more during each work shift six hours in length or longer will help you see that your day goes faster, your work flows smoother, and your productivity increases when you are recharged and ready to conquer all that the second half of your work shift might bring!

Pass along this policy to all employees at your site.  And, join us in committing to make this  workplace requirement a part of our workplace culture.

Questions? Contact Angela Cooper: acooper@cambridgeres/com

Direct:  503.445.2793 | Fax:  503.450.0241 | Cell:  805.540.8310

 

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Timekeeping

Property Managers:

Cambridge policy requires employees to clock in at the beginning of each shift, clock in and out for the meal break, and clock out at the end of each day.  Many employees are not accomplishing this, however going forward please ensure you and your staff are in compliance.

  • Kronos Entries:  Kronos automatically rounds the clock ins and outs, therefore the actual start and finish times must be entered.  For example, If you start work at 7:54am enter 7:54am – not 8:00am.  Likewise, if you start work at 8:05am, enter 8:05 – not 8:00am, etc.
  • Meal Breaks:  Per law, must be taken no later than the start of the 5th hour of work unless the shift concludes in 6 hours or less and be an interrupted minimum of at least 30 minutes, therefore it is important that the meal break be taken in a place where Residents are likely to inadvertently disrupt the meal break.

Payroll will be periodically monitoring Kronos, so please meet with each staff member to remind them of the clock in and out requirements, as well as the meal break conditions.

Thank you for your support and be sure to let Angela Cooper, Director of Human Resources and Safety, know if you have any questions.

Angela Cooper

acooper@cambridgeres.com

Phone:  503.445.2793

 

 

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2018 National Night Out Recap Newsletter

Hello Cambridge Employees –

Please see the attached 2018 National Night Out Recap Newsletter! National Night Out is an annual national community-building campaign that promotes partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer, and enhances the relationship between neighbors and first responders/law enforcement.  Cambridge properties hosted great community activities, served delicious food, and had visits from local first responders to talk with residents about community safety.

We appreciate and thank all participating communities!

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Fall Into Action 2018

 

Hello Managers,

Fall is just around the corner, now is the time to review our Fall Into Action packet with your staff, and start preparing for the changing season. Please review the attached 2018 Fall Into Action packet which includes a fall maintenance checklist, fall maintenance uniform order information, maintenance and manager log information, and more.

It’s time to start preparing for Fall!

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4th of July Reminders

Hello Managers,

With the approach of the holiday weekend we have attached a couple of helpful flyers for you to utilize. Please remember that fireworks are not permitted on sites in our effort to keep the community and residents safe.

FIREWORKS

Also, many of you will experience high volume of questions regarding rent payment. The holiday does not affect the policy we have in place and rent is still due on the 1st with a 4 day grace period.  If a resident is unable to personally hand you their rent check they should all be aware of the drop box on site they can use to submit their payment.

RENT REMINDER

As always, communicating with your residents in advance can prevent a lot of confusion or frustration on everyone’s behalf.

Thank you and we hope you all have a safe and happy holiday!

 

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June/July Safety Training

Property Managers:

 Find attached the training handout Heat Illness Prevention, as well as a Safety Training Form (Sign-In Sheet) to present at your June/July monthly meeting.

 For additional training resources, see Grace Hill’s “Heat Stress”.  It is an approximately 40-minute training that you can assign to your staff.  The Grace Hill training is optional however will apply toward the elective training requirement for the quarter.

 The training must be completed with the Training Sign-In Sheet returned to me (acooper@cambridgeres.com) no later than Friday, July 13, 2018. 

 Be sure to let me know if you have any questions!

 Thank you,

Angela Cooper, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

Director of Human Resources & Safety

 

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Craigslist Tips

Below are a few Craigslist tips received from sites that we wanted to pass along to everyone.

  • Comments such as ‘walking distance’ or ‘short stroll’ etc. should be replaced with ‘in close proximity’ or ‘only two blocks away’.    Avoid using comments that may exclude anyone.
  • Try to avoid using specific unit numbers in postings especially if the unit is still occupied.
  • Be sure to include the property name in the body of your ad.   We’ve seen many postings that have perfect photos, description etc., but often times either the property name or contact phone number is missing.
  • Be sure that the first photo is always one that will capture the viewer’s attention.   Also, limit the number of photos and text as many will view your post on their phone or tablet.   The posting should keep them wanting to see more.
  • Utilize seasonally relevant amenity and common area photos.  Take advantage of sharp, flattering pool photos in the Summer as opposed to the Fall for example
  • Be creative with the title to grab the prospects attention and instill a strong sense of urgency (Don’t miss out!, First come first serve!, Before it’s too late!, Tour today!, Limited availability, etc.)