Background
North44 Properties is a boutique-sized property management company operating out of Markham, Ontario.
Their journey began in 2006 from downtown Toronto and today, the company has locations across Ontario (London, Thunder Bay, Markham, Sault Ste. Marie) and even across the border – in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
North 44 Properties’ mission is to provide “the best rental housing experience” to their renters, existing and prospective, and make affordable urban accommodation possible.
North 44 Properties has been a Peninsula client since April 2021.
Challenges
HR
For Manuele Mizzi, director of property management at North 44 Properties, Peninsula’s services have been like a safety net.
“I was so used to doing HR documentation and anything HR myself so knowing that Peninsula was there was an added bonus. I didn’t know how much I needed this safety net until it was in place,” Mizzi says.
Mizzi says knowing that Peninsula’s expert HR advisors are always just a phone call or email away has been very helpful. “Any time that I had an issue with a staff member I phoned Peninsula. They walked me through the steps, they reviewed all documentation I had and wrote up new documentation for me. I’ve actually never had someone handhold me like this, which is what you need in cases where there is an issue that could become a liability to the company. That was amazing,” he says.
COVID-19
“COVID-19 was a whole set of issues that no one was prepared for,” says Mizzi. He says Peninsula’s support made a big difference in helping them navigate COVID-19 in the workplace.
“I think Peninsula was ahead of the eight ball. As soon as there was any change or update announced by the government, within an hour there was an email from Peninsula saying this is what was announced, this is what you need to do, which is good,” he says.
Mizzi says Peninsula helped them update their employment contracts, HR, health & safety policies, and workplace documentation.
The Peninsula Service
“Peninsula sets you up for success. You feel as safe as possible. You can’t stop everything from happening, but this [Peninsula’s support] really mitigates as much of losses as possible. This is the perfect HR program that anyone can get,” says Mizzi.
“If you think you don’t need Peninsula’s services, you’re wrong. We as business owners or business runners don’t realize how much everything is a liability,” says Mizzi. “Every single thing that we do, or our employees do represents the company either in a good or bad light. Having someone like Peninsula to walk along that path with you and make sure that we’re keeping straight on it is important,” he says.
“I was told it [Peninsula service] was going to be amazing when the product was sold to me,” he recalls. “I didn’t think I would ever use it as much as I have even in just such a short period of time,” says Mizzi.
