Inspection certificate Q.

[Joe.B]

I got to the last round for assistant building official at South San Francisco. The pay was huge and I would have to commute from Bakersfield.

That's a 5–6-hour drive so I assume you would have gone home for weekends and had a room in S. SF? That's about how far the Bay Area is from where I'm at, and I too have considered some positions in that area. I did the math, and I could afford to rent a room and all of the additional expenses and still come out ahead. I've still got 25 years or so before I get to consider retirement, so it's an open-ended idea, but as of yet I haven't gotten too serious about it.

 

[ICE]

That's a 5–6-hour drive so I assume you would have gone home for weekends

That was a me being facetious. It would take a court order to get me to live in Bakersfield.

 

[Joe.B]

I recently did a training and had some conversations with other building officials. The unfortunate reality is that the vast majority of inspectors don't go beyond the minimum job requirements. The conversation revolved around two basic reasons why this is. There are, of course, more reasons and variations on this, but the two we talked about were:

1. Lack of motivation. AKA complacency, laziness, or even contempt.
2. Challenges with tests and test-taking skills.

The debate was how much time and effort do you, as a manager/mentor, put into an employee who is not willing, or not able, to achieve higher than minimum requirements.

One side of the argument is that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink. Make the opportunities available, but if they can't, or won't, take the steps themselves, that's not your fault.

The other side is that we aren't talking about horses, these are people. As a leader it's our responsibility to work through these challenges. I fall on this side. Both of the reasons I mentioned above are things that can be resolved. I will concede that there will be extreme cases in which no amount of effort will solve, but I would argue that most cases are solvable.

The biggest tool I use for this is leading by example. I will never ask staff that works under me to do something that I couldn't or wouldn't do myself. Best way to do that is prove it by doing those things. When I took the role, I made a few changes to certification requirements. One change was to make the Property Maintenance and Housing Inspector certificate required for a few positions. The first thing I did was take it myself, then I could tell those staff exactly what to expect from the test, provide some advice for studying, and show them that I'm willing to do it myself.

What strategies would you (or have you) used to help people work through barriers to success?

 

[steveray]

The unfortunate reality is that the vast majority of inspectors don't even get close to the minimum job requirements.

FIFY....Or for ICE....

 

[Joe.B]

Okay fine, how about this:

:.. the vast majority of inspectors hired within the last 10 years don't go beyond the minimum job requirements."

 

[Joe.B]

Or:

"... the vast majority of inspectors hired more than 10 years ago have been doing it for 30 years, so...".

 

[steveray]

Okay fine, how about this:

:.. the vast majority of inspectors hired within the last 10 years don't go beyond the minimum job requirements."

Just busting....The reality is that I can't do the managerial stuff and the technical stuff and teach the stuff and inspire the people to learn the stuff and do the stuff, so I do what I can...If I have people that are way off the mark, hopefully I can build enough of a case to fire them or encourage them to leave...

 

[steveray]

Or:

"... the vast majority of inspectors hired more than 10 years ago have been doing it for 30 years, so...".

Sooooo.....combining those 2 we are back to my alteration of your original statement...

 

[Inspector Gadget]

I recently did a training and had some conversations with other building officials. The unfortunate reality is that the vast majority of inspectors don't go beyond the minimum job requirements. The conversation revolved around two basic reasons why this is. There are, of course, more reasons and variations on this, but the two we talked about were:

Solution 1: base pay on qualifications.

1. Lack of motivation. AKA complacency, laziness, or even contempt.

That's performance management. Set minimum competencies, quantify the results, and if they can't meet those minimum standards - offer them opportunities to seek employment in other fields.

2. Challenges with tests and test-taking skills.

Most people don't know how to take tests. I created mini-quizzes for my people so they would have practical examples of what tests would look like.

The debate was how much time and effort do you, as a manager/mentor, put into an employee who is not willing, or not able, to achieve higher than minimum requirements.

There's a point where it isn't worth the trouble.

What strategies would you (or have you) used to help people work through barriers to success?

One surprising issue I've encountered is that a lot of building officials have NO clue how they learn. Encountered one who just couldn't grasp a concept in a course we were taking. Instructor was doing their best. Turns out, I had a picture on file that illustrated the concept .... *bingo*. Buddy had no clue he was a visual learner....(!)

 

[ICE]

The reality is that customer service overwhelmed competence. Inspectors that generate few if any complaints are promoted. The management became a PR team that does not know what a real building inspection is all about.

A friend that is still working related a story about a recent Inspector's Forum put together by the county. During the three hours of whatever, there was a thirty minute primer given by a ..... well I know the guy and he has a nice smile and not much code knowledge... So his talk was titled How to Perform Inspections. It began with his site arrival and parking his car. He was telling 88 inspectors how to park their ride. One of the participants asked if the County will provide vehicles for the inspectors. He was reminded that virtual inspections are available.

Twenty-five years ago Billy Nelson told me that government rewards ordinary and punishes extraordinary. He could not have been more right. One glaring truth is the fact that once a person is turned loose as an inspector, nobody ever checks up on them. And if someone does look into what they do it is a someone from management and they are clueless.

 

[Joe.B]

Solution 1: base pay on qualifications.

Agreed, not my decision though. HR, politics, blah blah blah.

That's performance management. Set minimum competencies, quantify the results, and if they can't meet those minimum standards - offer them opportunities to seek employment in other fields.

If we were free to act more like a private company I would. Not a direct option, but if you're subtle about it, yes. Performance reviews are critical, clear expectations are better for everyone.

Most people don't know how to take tests. I created mini-quizzes for my people so they would have practical examples of what tests would look like.

I like that. I've also decided that certifications that aren't specifically required by the job description are now "training" in my book. I can't tell them they have to pass, but I can tell them they have to take the test so far this is working. Two for two.

There's a point where it isn't worth the trouble.

Bummer, but true.

One surprising issue I've encountered is that a lot of building officials have NO clue how they learn. Encountered one who just couldn't grasp a concept in a course we were taking. Instructor was doing their best. Turns out, I had a picture on file that illustrated the concept .... *bingo*. Buddy had no clue he was a visual learner....(!)

Knowing your learning style is very helpful. Good feedback.

 

[mp25]

In both municipalities that I have worked for (<65,000 people), we have had multiple architects on staff at the building department. Our current building inspector also comes from the architectural world, which really helps with providing plan review help, as well as already having pre-existing knowledge of codes. It may be worth asking people whom you have seen do a great job, whether as contractors on projects you have inspected, or architects/engineers who do work in town, to see if they would consider dipping their toes in municipal work.

 

[Joe.B]

In both municipalities that I have worked for (<65,000 people), we have had multiple architects on staff at the building department. Our current building inspector also comes from the architectural world, which really helps with providing plan review help, as well as already having pre-existing knowledge of codes. It may be worth asking people whom you have seen do a great job, whether as contractors on projects you have inspected, or architects/engineers who do work in town, to see if they would consider dipping their toes in municipal work.

They laugh at the pay.

 

[BN4537]

They laugh at the pay.

Good help is not hard to find, it's hard to pay.