Your employees are reaching out for enhancements in certain aspects of their work.

Like many residents, multifamily housing professionals choose to share feedback about their work experience on review sites. What compels a team member to express a positive or negative opinion about their company may vary, but how it impacts a company’s ability to hire and retain top performing talent cannot be ignored. 

The recent units article, “Leading, Listening and Keeping your Employees Satisfied,” reviewed the top five compliments given by property teams on a variety of review platforms. But it is also important to listen to the opposite side of employee feedback to understand sources of discontent that could lead them to seek employment elsewhere. In the J Turner Research study, “Cracking the Performance Code: Insights from Multifamily Employees,” statistics revealed that the annual average for employee turnover in the multifamily industry far exceeds the national average. Therefore, “investing resources in improving employee satisfaction can help companies retain employees, improve their performance, and reduce turnover.” 

By assessing negative feedback, in particular, leaders can take the first step in improving their employees’ experience. The following are the top five complaints compiled from an examination of over 500 negative reviews shared by property teams. 

Support 

One of the top complaints expressed by multifamily housing employees centers on a lack of support from leadership. While team members want to do quality work, they don’t always feel properly trained or equipped to excel. This can be exacerbated in situations where a team has experienced recent turnover or is taking over a new property. The impact of high turnover and a lack of adequate training of the new staff is also seen in reviews by residents where they express their frustration with the lack of knowledge about the property among new team members. 

Review: "Pros: A good learning experience and an opportunity to grow knowledge and confidence within the field of property management. Cons: Fails to provide the support and/or guidance necessary to truly excel in your role. Training and guidance, especially when taking over new properties, could be greatly improved." 

Consider prioritizing opportunities for training and advancement for your employees. Not only will this help them succeed in their current role, but it will also help them to feel valued as they are equipped to take on greater responsibility with their company. 

Culture 

Similar to training and empowerment, employees yearn to feel happy, heard and secure in their jobs. A culture of positivity, empathy and open communication is critical in earning employees’ satisfaction, and without it, feelings of confusion and distrust can take root.   

Review: "Advice to Management: Management is seriously lacking in fostering a supportive and respectful work environment for employees."

Leaders should be visible to their team members to hear their feedback, and they should foster a supportive work culture by modeling and prioritizing open communication. Celebrating wins, recognizing quality work and fostering a sense of community among your team members will go a long way in enhancing your work culture and, in turn, better serving your residents. 

Lack of work-life balance 

In “Cracking the Performance Code,” work-life balance was rated as the top challenge to employee satisfaction. Online reviews certainly echo this sentiment, especially when it comes to long onsite hours with increasing pressures or lack of boundaries during time off. Challenges can result in decreased job satisfaction and employee burnout, further exacerbating the issue of employee retention. 

Review: "Work-life balance was nonexistent. My property manager would send text messages for non-emergencies for things that could’ve easily been handled during normal work hours."

Think about the benefits offered and the example set by leaders in your own company. Do you prioritize mental and physical health for your employees? Do you offer flexible work schedules but send a different message to your team members by regularly working overtime yourself? Consider how the processes and benefits you prioritize can help boost your team’s satisfaction and loyalty. 

Pay 

While satisfaction through work-life balance, leadership and development opportunities is critical, fair and competitive compensation cannot be ignored. In both positive and negative reviews, employees comment on how valued they feel based on their pay and leadership’s efforts to review and improve compensation policies. 

Review: "You can gather time off quickly which is good but getting anywhere with increased pay is a struggle and a major con. During the 2 years with the company, I was never offered a raise. I performed well, was never written up, had no issues. The commission structure is ridiculous."

“Cracking the Performance Code” echoes this sentiment, revealing that “the biggest contributor to low satisfaction for all groups of respondents was adequate pay.” So, assess your pay structure, benefits and policies to ensure they are up-to-date and competitive. 

Favoritism 

Finally, a good deal of employee feedback—across industries—relates to favoritism. Regardless of whether these feelings are perceived or based in fact, team members need to know they will be valued on their quality of work and not based on personal relationships or preferences. 

Review: "Based on my opinion, the company I worked for seemed to prioritize connections over qualifications. It often felt like success depended more on who you knew rather than merit alone. There were instances where favoritism seemed prevalent, with certain individuals receiving preferential treatment over others."

Comments regarding favoritism can be alarming, so it is important for leaders to seek out and listen to feedback from their employees. It is also imperative that leaders promote a culture that is inclusive, fair and respectful. Not only will this help in fostering a sense of camaraderie among team members, but it will also establish a cultural habit of promoting based on merit. 

Conclusion 

It is critical to practice active listening and always know how your employees are feeling. While negative feedback can be uncomfortable to hear, it is a must for understanding how to reroute some of 
your practices and processes to better support your team members. From an analysis of over 500 employee reviews, it is evident that feeling supported, heard, well-compensated and a sense of work-life balance are the areas where employees are hurting the most. Online reviews are not disappearing anytime soon, so make sure your company is reflected positively by cultivating an empathetic, encouraging and rewarding work culture. 

Priyanka Agarwal is Director of Public Relations with J Turner Research.