You Are Not Burned Out, But Your Team Might Be

Sometimes I walk into a property office, preferably someone else's property, and just feel that something is wrong, you can even get that feeling before you walk in the office. The problem and fix is either people or product or both in extreme cases. I see this most often on REO assets where the managers job is to babysit the property that is really distressed.

I have notice over the years that a staff gets burned out by having one bad apple among the staff. It is like magic when the problem employee is removed how quickly the staff can turn around. The cause can also be from not properly operating the property, if the asset is financially stressed the problem can easily burn out the staff. Example: If the property does not have the funds to make needed repairs and the staff has to deal with unhappy residents over and over, a most difficult situation

I usually diagnose Burn Out when work product becomes sloppy and people start calling in sick or tired, or sick AND tired when the norm is just the opposite. I agree that sometimes it is because there is one "Negative Nelly" in the bunch that just stirs up bad feelings with his/her gossip, innuendo or backstabbing. Staff turnover can be very damaging to a team, leading to Burn Out, especially if there is a vacant positon for an extended period of time that causes the team to be short staffed for months.

I try to give extra time off to team members who do go above and beyond (and yes, sometimes, to me, that means those who show up every day with a great attitude who does his/her job well.) Special recognition in the Newsletter helps, too. I have found that the Maintenance Team members like seeing their contributions recognized and publically respected. I like using the word team instead of staff, too, so that Residents understand it isn't just one person who keeps the community humming along. I also feel it is nice to send someone off site for training - being with peers helps. Sometimes people may get the feeling no one understands their particular job responsibilities or appreciates their efforts, so it is fun to be with others who may share your point of view (especially in leasing and maintenance.) Having lunch brought in and my favorite - making breakfast in the morninings is a nice change of pace!

Sometimes, if you just can't figure out why someone is burned out, it is nice to have lunch with that co-member off site and informally bring up the subject of their unhappiness. This has worked for me - people like to feel valued for their input into a problem. Many times this will make them recognize their feelings and help change their attitudes becoming part of the solution.

I am not naive - it would be nice if everyone got periodic raises and bonuses, too!

Totally agree with the previous posts! Yes, burnout does happen, and karma or lack there of, is evident the moment you enter a leasing office. The burnout often comes from the same agents doing the same tasks, day in, day out. When I have the opportunity to work on site, I quickly relieve the poor sole who's been constantly walking the morning vacants, put out balloons or take messages off the service. It's amazing how immediately refreshed the agent becomes that doesn't have to do that same, mundane task that day! If you have steady routines at your property, switch it up! Let everyone change hats; maintenance, marketing, manager, etc. even just for a day!

Mindy, I think you are on target the way you handle it. I work the same way. I also had employee of the month and to get employee of the quarter you have to have been an employee of the month. To get employee of the year you had to have been an employee of the quarter. There were bonuses in either cash or time off. There was also an annual attendance award. Our team had a weekly meeting where we could discuss our areas good and bad. We had quarterly townhall meetings with the tenants where they could talk to all of us. If there were things that needed fixing, I did the easiest first and worked my way up to the harder ones. Easiest first so tenants could see immediate results. Tenants were treating the staff nice and the staff responded by exceeding tenant expectations. The occupancy went up because of word of mouth. The team that knows they are appreciated and recognized for the work they do, from my experience thrives and you do not see burnout. But, I know it is a reality and it is alive and well in many communities!