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Increasingly hostile interactions and ballooning hours are just some of the realities uncovered by a recent report into the job of strata managers.
Released by MRI Software, the inaugural Voice of the Strata Manager report provides insights from professionals across the country to gain an understanding of the challenges and perks of the role, as well as the way it’s changing.
MRI’s research showed that nearly 60 per cent of strata managers work more than the 38-hour week that is prescribed by Australia’s National Employment Standards as full time, with one in five working 51 or more hours per week.
On top of that, strata managers say that dealing with angry owners and tenants is the most challenging part of the job, as well as time consuming – 58 per cent identified dealing with conflict as the most challenging part of their job. For one-fifth of strata managers, client communication takes up 80 per cent of their day. A third said that it takes up more than half, or 60 per cent of the day.
It is perhaps then unsurprising that 43 per cent said they are struggling with mental health, even as they overwhelmingly said the job offers a comforting level of security (76 per cent).
David Bowie, MRI’s senior vice president and managing director in the Asia Pacific, said he hopes these findings will be the first step in ensuring that strata managers are offered the resources to improve their mental wellbeing.
“We want Australians to better understand what life looks and feels like for strata managers. They are such a critical part of the Australian economy and property industry ecosystem, and are often unsung heroes. Our hope in releasing this report is to trigger productive conversations and solutions to support them,” Mr Bowie said.
Moreover, Jessica Kaye, a strata industry specialist for MRI Software in the Asia Pacific, commented that with building trending upwards, the strata management industry is predicted to undergo a period of rapid growth, meaning the time to address inherent issues is now.
“The amount of stress that strata managers experience is profound. With hundreds of thousands of new lots planned in coming years, the pressure and responsibilities of the role may shift but will definitely grow,” Ms Kaye said.
The report highlighted various areas of opportunity to help address some of the innate workload and mental health challenges of the role, notably through training and tech support.
While strata managers are offered ample educational resources in topics like technology, legal compliance, and systems and processes, demand exists to increase “soft skills” training on topics such as conflict resolution, stress management and leadership, with coaching and mentoring an as yet untapped resource.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
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