Without question, employees who are happy and engaged are much more productive, which means a better bottom line for your business. But what happens when it seems your team just isn’t plugged in? In many cases, qualified and highly valuable talent ends up disengaged, which can lead to higher turnover and an overall drop in morale. If you’ve noticed the mood around your office hasn’t exactly been uplifting, here are five things that might be at the root of the problem.
Management is out of touch.
You don’t have to know about every single thing happening in the lives of your employees, but you should at the very least know what they’re up to and, more importantly, what matters to them. When management is out of touch and distant employees can feel disconnected and unappreciated. Make sure leaders in your firm are actively engaging with employees on a daily basis.
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Employees aren’t being heard.
You hired your property management team for a reason. They’re obviously talented, highly skilled and valuable members of your organization. So why aren’t you and the other managers regularly asking for their input and opinions? By including employees at every level into decision making, planning, measuring and celebrating, the workplace becomes much more dynamic and collaborative, which breeds innovation.
Feedback isn’t being utilized.
Sometimes the problem isn’t so much that management isn’t asking for input from employees, but rather that the feedback they’re receiving isn’t being put to good use. Encouraging team members to share their thoughts, opinions, ideas and suggestions won’t effectively foster engagement unless employees can see those thoughts and ideas actually being put into action. That’s what will truly make them feel like they’re involved, valued and that they make a difference.
Honesty isn’t valued, it’s punished.
When employees feel that they’ll be penalized for coming to their manager or someone in HR about a particular situation, it will quickly lead to frustration and resentment, which isn’t good for the employee or anyone around him or her. Instead, foster a culture that values, promotes and celebrates openness and honesty – starting from the top down.
Related Post: 5 Tips for Developing a Successful Property Management Team
Praise is a rarity.
When someone works hard, they want to be recognized for the effort they’ve put forth and the outcome they’ve achieved. In turn, that positive reinforcement will encourage ongoing productivity and top performance. If the only time management speaks up, however, is to reprimand or correct, it will have the opposite effect. It’s ok to coach when needed, but remember to also celebrate a job well done, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem.
Few companies purposely take measures to disengage employees, but many are doing so without even realizing it. If any of the above scenarios are playing out within your property management company, the sooner you address the problems at hand and work toward a solution, the better. Your team (and your bottom line) will thank you.
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Get the full scoop on How to Build an Extraordinary Property Management Team. Download our FREE RESOURCE GUIDE.
