You’ve heard about The Great Resignation (also called The Talent Tsunami), and now everywhere you turn “Quiet Quitting” is making its way into the mainstream. With the talent war heating up, talent retention is quickly becoming a key factor in a successful property management company.
In most cases, quiet quitting doesn’t involve quitting at all, but rather opting out of “hustle culture.” Doing your job but not living your job. Quiet quitting is by no means a bunch of slackers who are willfully underperforming, instead, it’s really a kind of psychological shutdown and a way to avoid burnout. It’s happening across all industries, including property management, which can be a dynamic and on-the-go business.
According to a Gallup poll from last month, quiet quitters make up at least 50% of the workforce. Another 18% are “loud quitters,” meaning they’re actively disengaged.
So how can property leaders ensure that their key talent is engaged and productive, and that their organization is a “company of choice” among potential hires? Beyond “pay and perks,” there are many ways a property management company can harness technology to help engage and empower employees.
Put Your People First
As property professionals we need to rethink what it means to be productive. “Busy work” like rekeying in tenant information between systems, or manually collecting rent should never be confused with productivity. It’s the work that busy property professionals shouldn’t be doing at all. Instead, give your marketers, leasing agents and all property professionals collaboration tools so you can drive productivity across everyday interactions. When you automate low-value repetitive task, it cuts down on mental fatigue and means that your teams can focus on more purposeful higher-value work that not only makes a difference to the company’s bottom line but is more personally fulfilling.
Deliver on Work-Life Balance
Lack of work-life balance is a major employee complaint across all industries including property management. Our industry is demanding; weekend unit tours and emergency maintenance requests are part of the norm. It’s easy to understand why employees get overworked and overwhelmed. Since the pandemic, people are now considering what life they want and how their work will fit into that.
Technology, like a communication portal, gives us the flexibility to allow property professionals to take control of their life and work from anywhere, switching on/switching off when needed while still providing transparency and boosting communication and task coordination amongst team members. For instance, at Property Vista, a healthy work-life culture is part of our DNA. See how our Customer Success Specialist, Benjamin Septier, was able to spend a summer travelling across Canada, while still delivering top-notch customer service.
Bring People Together, Wherever They May Be
No matter where your people choose to work, they need ways to collaborate, share information and ideas and, at the end of the day, get work done. This means leveraging mobile, automation and cloud solutions so everyone can communicate and be aligned on any given project. When your teams can stay connected, it builds bonds and creates a stronger, more engaged property management team.
Reduce Stress
The biggest way to prevent disengagement, stress and burnout is to improve the employee experience. Quite simply, quiet quitting is a response to stress and burnout at the individual level. By giving your people the tools to streamline and simplify their jobs, you are going a long way in reducing workplace stress.
Future-Proof Your Organization
Property management companies that want to remain competitive and grow will need to invest in attracting and retaining talent. As the talent war continues to ratchet up, PM orgs will look to technology to help their employees carve out more time in their day and to boost communication across all functions. Harnessing technology can help keep your employees productive, connected and centered. And remember… your team is your greatest resource.
How Property Vista Helps
Web-based and simple to use, Property Vista’s robust suite of tools reduce vacancies, cut risk and increase cashflow and improve tenant relations, giving you the sturdy foundation you need to start building opportunities and growth. We offer a range of packages so that our software will scale up with you, making Property Vista an investment for both now and the future of your company. Smaller portfolios will run more efficiently, while larger holdings can capitalize on our full offering to centralize and automate their complex structure. See pricing and get a demo.
