Workplace Stress: Rental Housing Employees Agree Workload More Manageable in Q3 2023

The stress related to employees’ workload has been a point of serious concern since 2021 when the Swift Bunny and NAA Mental and Emotional Health Study was conducted for the first time for the rental housing industry. The study revealed that only 34.6% of rental housing employees could agree with the statement, “I rarely feel stressed about my workload.”
Similarly, the Q3 2021 Swift Bunny Index showed an AIQ score of 80/100 on the topic, “Work can typically be completed in the time allowed.” With mental health gaining more attention and as short-staffing became a consistent source of frustration leading into 2022, many organizations took the opportunity to gain a better understanding of all of the factors contributing to this sense of overwhelm, particularly at the on-site level.  Through the Swift Bunny Ingage solution, which is currently utilized by over 500,000 units across the country, both the Annual Employee Engagement Survey and the Onboarding Survey, capture ongoing data on the perception of work being able to be completed in the time allowed. As this topic arose as a top opportunity for improvement in the industry, the Swift Bunny Team provided coaching and action steps for clients that encouraged a deeper dive into a better understanding of their employees’ concerns.   Actions included using the Inquire custom-survey solution to conduct focused, deep-dive surveys to identify specific resources, tools, technology, or support that would be most beneficial for addressing their day-to-day tasks and responsibilities. This allowed leaders to identify the needs of Property Managers, versus Leasing Consultants, versus Maintenance Team Members, to ensure the right support was provided for the right employees. Often, the tools or resources were low or no cost solutions, such as streamlined approvals or removing redundant processes or technologies.   As a result of so many leaders being willing to ask for employee feedback, receiving coaching and recommendations from the Swift Bunny team, and putting tangible actions into place, the Q3 2023 Swift Bunny Index revealed a 5-point increase in the perception that work can typically be completed in the time allowed since the close of 2021.   While staffing continues to be a challenge, our data shows that companies who are willing to invite feedback from employees on an ongoing basis and are committed to acting on that feedback in practical ways, are able to make tangible, positive improvements in the employee experience.