Where do I start?
-low pay for the industry across the board in maintenance
-senior leadership looks at maintenance as a necessary evil instead of the back bone of each site
-maintenance is responsible for EVERYTHING, yet has a say in NOTHING
-treated like second class citizens compared to office staffs
-work/life balance is a joke for maintenance staff members. Most sites you have to be on-call 24/7 every 2-4 weeks depending on the size of the site, and you get called in for everything/anything. There's your usual no heat/no hot water, leaks, fires, etc.; which are standard emergency calls. But, your getting called in for chirping smoke detectors, clogged toilets, malfunctioning stove/oven, and the most annoying, lock outs. Residents aren't charged for lock outs, or disciplined so it is completely abused by residents. Plus, they tell you they are only paying you for 30 mins (recently changed as it used to be 15 mins), which means I hope you live close to your site otherwise your getting the shaft on that. All this, and you're not being compensated to give up anywhere from half to a quarter of your life due to the heavy restrictions while on call (have to be within an hour of site, no drinking, etc.). This creates a heavy burden that upper management either doesn't understand, or flat out doesn't care, as all of these concerns have been voiced to them with nothing done to rectify the issue or better compensate the maintenance staff. Can't go to dinner while on call, or see a movie, or go to the beach unless it's near your site due to fear of being called in; get the picture? Some sites the lock outs are ridiculous, as guys are getting called in 3-5 times a weekend. As long as you're cool with all that, then you'll be fine. If not, think carefully.
