Re: What do you do for a staff that is super burnt out??

What do you do for a staff that is super burnt out?? Our large community is basically a non-stop, revolving door of leasing and issues. The team is super burnt out. Any tips??

My employer did not allow work from home, so we went in every day. We also had riots in Seattle; one leasing agent trying to drive home got charged by rioters wielding chains. Everyone else was sitting at home posting memes about quarantine. The renter that emerged after Covid is far more rude and less understanding than what came before. We handle irate people, vagrants and violent threats on a daily basis. We’re underpaid and under appreciated. This is not good for anyone.

I feel this to my core. We are constantly trying to stay above water. We are doing the best we can with what resources and budget we have; meanwhile I make sure I’m realistic with my team on time off, & their personal needs, while slowly chipping away at “fixing the real problem”. Reality is, if you fix one thing (meaning bigger problem/ issue/ concern), now there is other areas that haven’t seen 100% so it’s a constant push & pull. Think finding the balance while not spiraling is what makes someone a successful manager, while making money and preserving property.

After dealingg with all the problems that came with Covid,we are all burned out.

Free PTO

I trust my team to know themselves better than I know them. If they are tired - whether they say directly or I see it - I listen to them.
▪︎ I take off their plate what I can.
▪︎ I send them home early without clocking out early.
▪︎ On our slower days, I send them for a 1.5 - 2hr lunch. They love being able to go home and make a real meal.
▪︎ After an exhaustingly miserable week, we'll close at 4 and grab a drink together before departing for the weekend.
When being tired is bigger than food and an extended break, I work with my regional to give them half a day or a full day off paid that doesn't go against their PTO just to give them a mental break. They get to choose when to use it but everyone can't use it on the same day (meaning we don't close the office). It's not hours they hold in their bank to cash out, it's something they have to use relatively immediately.
Frequent, small breaks have made a huge difference, and it helps that they don't have to stress about whether they have PTO.
When one person can only give 80% today, the rest of us pick up their 20%. And when I can only give 75%, they support me to pick up my missing 25%. We're a team and have learned to work together as a team. Sometimes office helps maintenance and sometimes the maintenance have helped us in the office.
My team busts ass, *especially in our busy season*, so I do what I can to be flexible and supportive so that they can have a balanced life and stave off burn out.
They don't worry about their pay when they don't have to clock out for these short breaks, and I don't worry about the rest. It works for us.

Hire temp help or floating team members and encourage vacation.

We don’t have a clock to clock in or out.
Anyone needs a day they take a day. No questions. But always mindful of colleagues and work load.
We don’t keep track of days off or sick days and not really vacation days.
No hourly employees. All salary which paid rain or shine.
That helps only a little, the real issues that cause stress are more in terms of communication, or process and inefficiency in the whole system…

Can you get approval to hire part time help? Or interns? Or any hope of adding some sort of AI leasing to take a lot of the follow up off their plates?

Dealing with a super burnt-out staff can be challenging, but there are strategies you can help implement to support and uplift your team in this demanding environment.
1. **Acknowledge and Validate**: Start by acknowledging the staff's hard work and dedication while validating their feelings of burnout. Let them know that their efforts are recognized and that burnout is a common experience in high-pressure environments.
2. **Open Communication**: Encourage open and honest communication with your team. Create a safe space for them to express their concerns, frustrations, and ideas for improvement.
3. **Manage Workload**: Evaluate the workload and identify areas where tasks can be streamlined or redistributed more evenly. Prioritize tasks and set realistic expectations to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed.
4. **Flexibility and Time Off**: Offer flexibility in work schedules when possible and ensure that staff members take their allocated time off to recharge and rejuvenate.
5. **Training and Skill Development**: Provide training sessions to enhance their skills and efficiency, which can lead to a more rewarding work experience.
6. **Recognition and Rewards**: Recognize and reward your team's efforts regularly. A simple "thank you" or a small token of appreciation can go a long way in boosting morale.
7. **Team-Building Activities**: Organize team-building activities outside of work to foster a sense of camaraderie and create those opportunities for relaxation and bonding.
8. **Mental Health Support**: Offer resources and access to mental health support services to help them cope with stress and burnout effectively.
9. **Delegation and Collaboration**: Encourage teamwork and delegate tasks based on individual strengths to promote a collaborative work environment.
10. **Celebrate Achievements**: Celebrate milestones and successes, no matter how small, to foster a positive and motivating atmosphere.
11. **Focus on Work-Life Balance**: Emphasize the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance and lead by example.
12. **Review and Adapt**: Continuously review the team's progress and implement changes based on their feedback and evolving needs.
And remember that each team member's well-being is essential for the success of the entire community.

Day off with pay. Team lunch on the company. Switch days each employee deals with issues and leasing to give them breaks.

Make sure they are taking vacation , pto , sick days all staff.

1) ask them 2) get help - more staff, temp helpers from other properties or temp agencies 3) contractors to help alleviate work load, ask corporate what can they do to help or do from corporate (such as taking leasing calls, returning emails, anything that can be done from corporate) 4) time off for the burnt out crew 5) better, more training to help eliminate problems 6) listen to ideas the staff have, try to help implement some ideas 7) make sure leadership is trying to lead by helping/ example
But pretty much more staff/help and time off and fix the issues so they are less frequent

I think the easiest thing to do is help with the workload in anyway you can. I also try to find ways to give them time for personal interests, whether its a concert or getting them a gift card to a place that sells crafts, etc. Also a genuine thank you and acknowledging what they do is important. Lastly, make sure to let executives and higher ups know what they have done and ask if the executives can reach out directly and say thank you.

An extended weekend. Arrange for vendors to handle after hours emergency calls.

Let them go home early With permission of course.
Do a work lunch.
Get them their favorite coffee or gift card to favorite restaurant.
A appreciation card goes a long way.

Take a look at your schedule is there a way to stagger the team to allow for long weekends alternating for each of them.
Utilize, systems you have in place. Make appointments for prospects.
Walks In welcome from 1-4pm only.
Processes changes as well as come off the recommend above items will help to minimize burn out.

When dealing with burnout, it’s important to recognize that it’s not solely about external circumstances but also a result of choices and habits. Supporting your team members experiencing burnout involves encouraging them to prioritize their well-being. Promoting good wellness habits, such as maintaining a balanced nutrition and incorporating regular exercise, can significantly help combat burnout and improve overall resilience and mental health. By making these positive choices, they can better manage stress and regain a sense of balance in their lives. What does your company currently offer you in terms of wellness resources?

Following to see if anyone has creative ideas. Fixing the issues is way easier said than done. We have the same - big property, lots of traffic, older so work orders can spike in a hurry. We let the maintenance staff change up the rotation for on-call to more frequent shorter stretches which seems to have helped. Occasionally, we’ll shut down for 60-90 minutes and have lunch together. I’ve bought ice cream and popsicles for everyone on the crazy hot days, and coffee & hot cocoa on big snow removal days. Maybe just poll the group to see what might be a little “pick me up”. If one person seems to be catching the brunt of the issue in the moment, maybe they get to pick lunch. Sometimes little distractions can make a big difference.

Karen! Good point! And it's summer, and hot, and people get cranky...and not just the residents! We sent SURPRISE ice cream sundae packages to all our properties this week, with a gift card to buy the ice cream to go with it. We told them to have a celebration, and to send us pics for us to post social media fun and post on their own social sites!

One of our Regionals had a contest among his portfolio for Barbie themed tiktok videos and the home office team voted on the winners! It was silly fun, and one team even ended by all their team members jumping in the pool fully dressed at the end! And we are playing them on this week's company-wide Town Hall so others can share the fun.

Doing something different, fun, celebrating your teams, acknowledging their hard work, so many little things add up every day.

Keep in mind, these things are great...if you're already helping take a little of the day-to-day load off them. Like when Mr. or Ms. Cranky-Pants comes in the office, offer to assist rather than watching them be fussed at. So many things you can to to help!