How a Sydney Independent School Had a Maintenance Officer on Campus Within 5 Days, Then Took the Roles In-House 14 Months Later
Key facts
- Client: An independent school in Sydney
- Building: Independent school campus · Sydney, NSW
- Services: Facilities maintenance management · two supplied maintenance officers
- Commenced: October 2022
Results at a glance
- Maintenance officers on campus: 0 (recruitment stalled) → first officer within 5 days, full team within 4–6 weeks
- Leave cover: the school's problem → replacement staff on 48 hours' notice, for the whole engagement
- Employment admin for the property team: payroll, super, workers comp and leave → none, for 14 months
- Ownership of the roles: supplied by PlaceHQ → employed directly by the school when it was ready
The challenge
The school's search for maintenance staff hadn't found suitable candidates. The campus still needed weekly building and plant inspections, contractor supervision, grounds care and set-up for school events throughout the term.
The property team was small and led by the school's Property Manager. It needed officers who would fit the school community, take direction from the Property Manager and be covered during leave. It also couldn't take on recruitment, payroll and leave management on top of running the campus.
Why they chose PlaceHQ
The school's main worry was that outsourced staff wouldn't work like its own: they would answer to someone else, not fit the community, and leave the school tied to a provider for good. PlaceHQ's model met each of these. The officers took day-to-day direction from the school's Property Manager, the initial term was only six months, and the school could bring the roles in-house whenever it was ready.
The first 90 days
PlaceHQ handled employment, payroll, superannuation, workers compensation, insurance and leave cover. The school assessed and allocated the work, and the officers reported into its property team.
- Week 1: a temporary officer was on campus from 31 October 2022 while PlaceHQ recruited the permanent officers
- Weeks 4–6: both permanent officers in place
- Month 1: the school's draft scope of works was reviewed and confirmed with PlaceHQ. The officers' duties covered weekly building and plant inspections; corrective and preventative maintenance not requiring a licensed trade; checking contractor work and following up outstanding jobs; keeping plant and switch rooms clean and safe; grounds duties, the daily mail run and set-up for functions and major school events; and work health and safety compliance.
The results
- Cost: One monthly fee covered wages, super, payroll tax, workers comp, insurance and sick and holiday pay, so the school had no surprise employment costs. When its needs changed in May 2023, the service was scaled back and the fee reduced to match.
- Compliance and risk: Weekly building and plant inspections and WHS duties continued without a break, including through leave periods.
- The Property Manager's time: The Property Manager kept full control of priorities and workload without spending time on recruitment, payroll or leave rosters.
Because the officers worked as part of the school's team and to its priorities, handing the roles back changed who employed them, not how the campus was run.
What's next
The school now employs its maintenance roles directly, and they are already embedded in how the campus runs.
