Fellow New Yorker? You probably rely on a team of hard-working building staff to help you live your best building life. Your super who’s the quiet team leader and building health overseer that ensures everything’s working like clockwork. Your doorman whose smile is the ray of joy you see in the morning on your way to work, who’s always ready and willing to call you a cab and lend you a helping hand with your groceries and shopping bags. Your maintenance team, aka your building heroes who keep the boiler running at its best, shovel snow off the sidewalk, and come to your rescue when an emergency hits in the middle of the night. Your porter who stops by every week (many times unnoticed) to keep all your common areas looking spotless and take out the trash. 

Keeping your building running smoothly takes a dedicated team (whether big or small). You appreciate them, care for them, and want to give them the recognition they deserve this holiday season. Yet, you may be asking yourself that age-old question, "What or how much should I tip or gift my building staff?"

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Tips for tipping your onsite team 

Like an end-of-year work bonus, holiday tips are a great way to thank your building staff for everything they’ve done for you and your building the past year. It shows that you not only see them but applaud them for the amazing job they’ve done.

When it comes to showing you care, there are no hard-and-fast rules, but we’ve got a few tipping guidelines to help you out:

1. Check your building bylaws and house rules: Confirm if there are any rules or stipulations that you need to be aware of - like if your operating funds include a staff tipping line item. No one likes to break rules accidentally. 
2. Account for the type of building: A full-service luxury condo provides a very different experience than a smaller co-op with a part-time super or porter. Both deserve heartfelt thanks, but the gift doesn’t need to look the same. 
3. Confirm how your building approaches tipping: Do residents pool tips, tip individually, or use a combination of both? You don’t necessarily have to follow the pack, and you can definitely give a little extra to your favorite doorman, but it’s good to understand the status quo. 
4. Stay within your means: You want to make your onsite team feel appreciated and special but not at the expense of your own personal finances.
5. Tip according to service: Tips are all about rewarding amazing service. A big family that relies on staff help or an online shopaholic who receives multiple packages a day may tip very differently than a young professional who tends to spend most of their time away from their building. Additionally, the level of service plays a factor. You may tip a doorman who’s been working at the building for years and goes out of his way to make your life better significantly more than a new doorman who may just do the bare minimum. 
6. Don’t forget about inflation: We’re all feeling it - the dollar just isn’t going quite as far this year. If you can cut it, adding a little bonus this year will be much appreciated. 
7. Tips versus gifts: Cash reigns supreme as it goes straight into their pocket to use as they see fit, but gifts are also very much appreciated, particularly if they're customized. Is your doorman a sweets connoisseur? Give him a generous gift card to a staple New York bakery (or a few). Maybe your super's a big camper? Gift him a new YETI mug to take on his next adventure. 
8. Give a card with your tip: Everyone loves to hear those two words, “Thank you.” A few heartfelt sentences in a handpicked card (or handmade if you’re crafty) will go a long way.

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....Or - save a trip to the stationery store and use a Daisy thank you card!
Thank you - hearts
Thank you - cat
Thank you - flowers
Thank you - daisy pattern
Many thanks

Final thoughts

We believe onsite teams are the backbones of every residential building - they’re key to making buildings run efficiently and residents’ lives amazing. By providing them with the recognition, encouragement, support, and tools to be at the top of their field (during the holidays and all year round), we all win. To learn more about Daisy’s approach to building strong relationships with onsite teams, visit our website here.