A policies and procedures manual is a vital tool for every employee in your self-storage operation. Designed to keep your business running as expected, this governance document is invaluable. It not only helps guide new hires through the onboarding period, it creates ongoing consistency for all team members. Here are a few things a well-crafted handbook provides:

Your manual can also act as a record of acknowledgement and understanding, which is important if an employee ever winds up violating a policy and needs to be disciplined. All team members should sign an acknowledgement-of-receipt page that states they understand what they’ve read and don’t have any questions regarding job expectations or the material provided. You can use this page when conducting corrective action.

Now that you see how very critical this written document is in self-storage, let’s talk about the difference between policies and procedures, what your manual should contain, and how to make the best use of this precious resource.

Policy vs. Procedure

A policy is a rule you expect to be followed. For example, you might set a policy that all self-storage rent is due on the first of the month, or that you don’t allow refunds, or that all past-due tenants should be contacted at least once per week but no more than three times. In contrast, a procedure is a guideline for how to achieve work responsibilities. For example, you might set step-by-step instructions for how to execute a unit rental, conduct a facility walk-through or complete the lien-sale process.

When I work on my company’s manual, I like to start with the policy, provide the reasoning behind it, and then list the procedures that align with it. This helps the document flow and provides employees with an understanding for why something is done a particular way, which leads to consistent results.

Contents

Ultimately, your self-storage policies and procedures manual is a central repository that helps your team perform their jobs and do them well. It should be easily accessible to all employees, so it can be referenced when needed. We keep a digital version on Google Docs, so it can be edited when necessary, and then any new information is immediately available.

Again, the manual should include company rules and expectations, step-by-step instructions for completing key tasks, and anything else your team needs to know. Following is a sample outline of content and how it might be organized. You’ll notice there’s a section for every aspect of the business. Each should contain information on how, why and when something needs to be done as well as an overview of situations that may not occur frequently but are still important to note.

Company Overview

Day-to-Day Operation

Tenant Issues

Marketing and Engagement

Site Upkeep

Employee Roles/Discipline

Risk Management

Training and Acknowledgements

Putting the Manual in Play

There are many ways for self-storage ownership, supervisors and staff to leverage the usefulness of a policies and procedures manual. One of the ways we use ours is as a guide for site audits. We go over multiple sections of the manual during each property visit to see if employees have questions or concerns. When inquiries arise, we direct staff to the section of the document where the answer can be found and ensure they’re comfortable with the information.

In fact, our audit reports contain a section regarding policies and procedures, and the person conducting the review checks for compliance to ensure they’re being followed. If an employee is in violation, we follow the steps outlined under the corrective-action section, and discuss what can be done to help the person or team complete their duties correctly.

Any time an employee has a corporate-level question, we direct them to the manual. If the issue hasn’t been addressed there, we’ll update the document right away, so it contains the most current information. We then let staff know there’s been a change. We also perform a complete review of our manual annually to ensure all the contents are still accurate and we haven’t missed anything along the way.

If you’re just building a policies and procedures manual for your self-storage operation, start small and use an outline. It took me four months to write our version, as I wanted to ensure it was accurate and comprehensive. If you have difficulty getting started, many state associations offer a template you can edit to fit your needs.

A well-crafted handbook is essential to any business. Keep it up to date and make good use of it. It’ll help you train new employees and ensure consistently positive performance from existing team members. Happy writing!

Allicyn Bowley is director of policy and procedures for Self Storage Science LLC, a provider of auditing, consulting and property-management services. With 10 years of industry experience, she’s responsible for minimizing liability, ensuring policies are up to date and overseeing the company’s Colorado locations. To reach her, call 720.707.9277; email [email protected].