Ok, ok...most of us had to work from home during the height of "Pandemic". It was unavoidable! Some people were already used to it...and it was also new territory for others, especially Employers...
Now the cat is out of the bag...will it ever go back?
Let's face it, Employers would much rather have you "in the office" under their watchful eye than at home, but they realised something during the lock-downs that surprised them. Productivity was equal or better than before...
It's not surprising to me...as I sit here writing this article at 5:30am on a Thursday with my hot coffee and a quiet house. I do more from home in less time than I ever did going into an office and it will be similar for many of you out there also...but this is where experience from the last 25 years being trained-up in an office comes into it's own right?
If you're not used to it, and get distracted easily...working from home can be career ending. Real Estate, like Recruitment, is an activity sport. The more calls you do, the more listing presentations you get, the more property you list, the more sales you make...yea, yea, yea...we know all that right, but for some, doing all this stuff consistently, away from the motivating eye of your team members and Principal can leave some people facing a crossroad.
Property Management has also seen a big shift to "work from home" options, but as the pandemic subsides and things go back to normal, there seems to be a big pushback from staff to stay put and demand to stay at home rather than go back to the office...
It's all about activity, systems and process...
In this day & age, Employers who have their remote systems in place already, are the ones retaining staff and growing their teams. Online accessible database's, collaboration tools, video calls, scheduled team hook-ups, chat rooms, social media, marketing...we have the tech available and it's cheap, it's how it's put together that's important...
Some Agencies are successfully using the "Work From Home" strategy as a Recruitment tool to exponentially grow their business and attract top candidates, even during lock-downs. With work from home policies, guidelines and clear expectations already drafted, the Employers that don't have this all set-up and in place, and still rely on people "coming to the office", are simply losing good people to the Agencies offering this flexibility! We know, because we're recruiting them...
Working from home is definitely shaping up to be the new norm in Real Estate and many other indutries...in fact...candidates are digging-in and demanding this flexibility while assessing new Agencies to join...but is it realistic? Can it last? The simple answer is no...
A candidate given the option to work in an office 6 days a week from 8:30am onward or work from home...will choose the "work for home" option 90% of the time... It's what they want and catering for this will increase your candidate pool significantly...but you have to be careful you are not attracting the "dead wood" of the industry...
People are genuinely concerned...
A candidate asking if they can work from home is totally understandable. People want to limit contact with others as much as possible. The added pressure of potentially home schooling kids is pushing most working parents into a corner also...
Most of the time, office workers are not thinking of themselves, they are thinking of their family and don't want to risk bringing any nasties home because they were forced to go to the office. It's just the way the world is right now...undeniably! This view from workers in the industry poses an entirely new set of challenges. Who is in the office to train new staff?
COVID-19 has a lot to answer for! The way we work fundamentally changed during the lock-downs & Employers and Workers were forced to adapt quickly, and it's happening during one of the fastest paced Property markets we have seen for some time...
Property still sells and gets rented...lots of it! It's just the way it's sold & rented and the interactions between the vendors, buyers & sellers that change slightly...and everyone realised...it's very doable! Everyone is onboard with new ways of tackling the transaction...
What Employers are looking for in return...
It's one thing to have candidates demanding options to work from home...but what about the Employers? Having people working from home represents an entirely new set of challenges for running, managing & growing a successful Real Estate Team.
It's true...there is an Agency Principal/Manager up right now, while I'm writing this, still working out a plan to have more Agents performing at their best while working remotely. It's no longer a "nice to have" strategy...more so, a "must have" strategy...
Employers are definitely favouring candidates that have had experience working from home before the pandemic or have enough experience that they will be ok on their own for a while...and still get the job done...and still get results!
What does this mean for new-to-Real Estate candidates?
I completely understand what the Employers are saying when I speak to them about new Agents wanting to get into Real Estate and how they plan to grow their teams... and for some Agencies, it simply not an option right now...
In the new remote operating environment, experience matters...big time! If the Agency is willing to let-go of some visibility of your day-to-day activities, having green Agents who need all the hands-on-training they can get, is not exactly ideal under a "work from home" scenario...
Traditionally, partnering-up green agents with other experienced team members, in the office, is the fastest way to train them up, but, in this new world of "work from home", employers find themselves having to stick with experience over eagerness...
This is creating a huge gap in skills that the industry will surly pay for down the track...
If new people are not being trained...the talent pool will reduce, creating a talent bubble that will send the industry into a spin in the years to follow...
The simple fact of the matter is, there are not enough "experienced staff" to go around. Employers understand they need to bring fresh blood into their business to keep growing...but many are still struggling to work out how to do this effectively in our current climate, but they are on it...
Placed Australia Real Estate Recruitment founder, Andrew Turnbull said: "We have seen an huge spike in Agencies offering a "Work From Home" option for both Sales & Property Management roles, but it comes with clauses..."
"Agencies need Experience Agents/PM's that can hold their own if they need to...and there is definitely a growing reluctance from Employers eager to take on new trainee's" he said..."
"If Agencies don't work out a way to bring in new trainee's and skill them up, we could be facing a talent crisis in Real Estate like never before" Andrew warned.
"We represent some amazing "Big Brands" & "Boutique" Agencies willing to take on experienced Agents & PM's who are capable of working from home, but they need to perform too. If you are a top-performer with a verified track record and looking for that flexibility in QLD Real Estate, and many are, please give us a call and we can discuss different options" he encouraged.
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