5 Tips to Prevent

Property Manager Burnout

By Erica Rascón on Aug 3, 2020 in News

Property management staff members are burnt out. We hear your concerns: addressing financial issues, public safety and frustrated residents have added additional stresses to an already demanding job. As property management leadership, you play an essential role in preventing burnout for yourself and others.

Leasing agents are discouraged and need your support

Social distancing is dragging on and very, very few people are happy about it. Property management must decide how to reopen multifamily amenities and enforce social distancing policies—decisions that are bound to upset people. Additionally, while many employers are grasping for business as normal, others are closed or operating on a skeleton crew. This financial uncertainty is challenging for residents and the staff that tries to assist them.

Your staff members need your support and insights. Perhaps once a week at the end of the day, host a meeting that allows staff to share the challenges that they’re facing. This is an especially important time for you to listen as listening reduces the frustration of conflict.

To help you get started, we’ve identified a few common pain points that might arise and how to address them:

Help staff communicate a fair, consistent message for residents

Agents are receiving lots of calls and emails. Many are from residents who want refunds for amenities and services that they haven’t been able to use as expected. Encourage staff to listen and mirror residents’ concerns. Then ensure your staff knows how to address residents’ concerns and offer a fair response.

If you will be offering concessions, create consistent guidelines that staff can use. If you are not offering concessions, help staff craft the verbiage needed to explain why. When agents understand your expectations and know what to say, you can reduce the frustration of communicating with residents.

Give staff the tools needed to streamline tasks and stay safe

To minimize staff burnout, streamline duties to improve efficiency and reduce the daily workload. Multifamily marketing and leasing software can automate a variety of tasks including appointment scheduling, email and text responses, and ILS updates. You can even complete the leasing process online from start to finish. With these tasks out of the way, you can reduce tedious stressors. Additionally, your staff has more time for meaningful engagement with prospects and residents.

Safety concerns are also a source of stress for staff. Showing units is a time-consuming process that is difficult to do effectively during social distancing. Virtual self-guided tours can help save time, offer flexible online scheduling and reduce the risk of exposure for staff and prospects. You can prioritize safety with electronic ID verification, digital locks and motion sensors.

As directives from health official change, so will your community policies. It’s another thing for staff to keep up with, thus it’s a source of stress. As updates roll out, keep staff up to date with flexible, user-friendly online learning. Online classes can be easily updated by administrators, and admins can conduct learning checks to ensure that all staff members are on the same page.

Join a webinar to learn more about the benefits of online training during social distancing.

Acknowledgement and praise support retention

When things get tough, it becomes even more important to acknowledge the hard work and achievements of staff. This is an essential tactic for boosting morale and retention.

Research reveals that acknowledgement and praise result in staff that is better motivated, more engaged and productive. Additionally, 93% of staff member who receive praise from leaders strongly believe that their work is more meaningful and purposeful. That figure drops to 72% for workers who do not receive praise reports Workhuman, a performance management platform.

Your recognition, praise and support are more valuable than you think. They can help staff get through the toughest days. Not sure where to start? Read five tips to show staff appreciation. Most are easy to apply in a social distancing format.

Don’t hire out of desperation

Working conditions are less than ideal right now. If your budget allows, you are likely on the search for talent to help you and your team carry the load. Rather than hiring out of desperation, hire for keeps.

In a typical year, multifamily property management turnover ranges from 21-54%. Each time that a new person comes onboard, it’s a mixed bag for your staff: they may be happy for additional support, but they will be burdened by the newcomer’s learning curve and need to readjust to a new personality and work ethic in the office.

It’s important to hire with your long-term wellbeing in mind. Retaining a staff of vetted, experienced talent reduces the risk of burnout in your existing staff members.

Discover three vital and uncommon characteristics to seek in your next property management professional.

Delegate, delegate, delegate

You’re likely feeling burnt out yourself. When you’re feeling overextended, delegate responsibility to a promising member of your staff. Delegating responsibilities serves two purposes: first, your team member gets an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and excel within the company. Secondly, you reduce your workload so that you can focus on tasks that need a manager’s expertise.