Gaps in training and education for property management’s newcomers leads to “bad habits” picked up from experienced team members and a high staff turnover rate, says a prominent PM trainer.
Founder and managing director of ireviloution intelligence Jo-Anne Oliveri said property management’s high employee turnover rate is due to a lack of proper training offered to new recruits before they enter the industry.
“There is a gap in learning between the theoretical legislative training newcomers undertake to get their registration and when they are actually hired – they are not taught ‘property management processes’ until on the job,” she told Residential Property Manager.
“When newcomers get their registration, they get a job, a desk, an existing portfolio to manage and are then left to learn – or make up – these processes as they go, which usually means picking up the experienced team members’ bad habits.
“After only months of employment, these tired, stressed and overworked new recruits literally sink, so it’s no wonder they leave their job, or in some cases the industry,” she added.
Ms Oliveri said this ‘sink or swim’ practice creates a cycle of bad habits, burnout, job dissatisfaction and consequently, high employee turnover.
She believes agencies’ revolving door of new property managers breaks service consistency and leads to lost managements, reduced productivity, increased conflicts and brand damage.
“The lack of proper training offered to newcomers at the outset, coupled with business owners’ need to fill their high number of vacant positions, means the negative cycle of poorly trained property managers and resultant high employee turnover continues,” she added.
To help address this issue, Ms Oliveri developed a university-style online property management training platform.
“This is what the industry has been missing – online training that bridges the gap between the required theoretical legislative training and when newcomers actually get a job,” she said.
According to Ms Oliveri, by understanding both the theoretical and practical side of property management, new recruits have a better chance of turning their job into a prosperous, long-term career.
“This means the employee turnover rate will reduce, business owners will spend less time and money having to replace team members and property owners and tenants will receive a more consistent and professional service,” she said.
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