Are you aware of biases on your HOA board? Some issues can arise on an HOA board or within a community when members develop biases regarding residents.
This bias can go either way. You may find an HOA member form a positive bias about someone simply because they’ve developed a friendship with that person. Or you might find that an HOA member has a negative bias against a resident because that resident’s interests are different than their own.
Negative and positive biases can both equate to tension among the community. This is because the residents may start to feel like they’re not treated equally. Certain residents may get away with things that others do not. And, some residents may even feel like they are criticized for every little thing, where others are allowed to do whatever they wish.
Every person has some biases, it’s only human nature. However, it’s important to keep these biases in check, especially on an HOA board, because these biases can get you into trouble. Left unmanaged, biases may cause unnecessary conflict between board members and residents.
Any rules that you set into place need to be followed across the board. Every community member should be expected to follow those rules and it’s important that everyone on the HOA board acts professionally, treating everyone equally. This is not only ethical, but this behavior can also help negate potential legal issues that could arise from favoritism.
If it’s evident that this behavior is happening on your HOA board, it’s important that it be addressed. The person may not even be aware they are showing favoritism or maybe they don’t realize the seriousness of the matter. Either way, the board should work together as a whole to revise this behavior as it occurs.
If you find this is a problem on your board, it’s important to talk about the topic. Let the board know that you want to make sure that no one is showing favoritism and that all residents are treated equally. Making sure to address this with the group as a whole may negate you having to point fingers.
Running an HOA is a lot of work. We want to help make the job easier. Contact us at PMI. We regularly help HOAs in a number of ways from improving communication to helping with financial reporting and delivering transparency. You can learn more about us by visiting our website: https://www.pmiprincewilliam.com/.
