Simon Duce Blog

I smell fire! Is that a colleague burning out

An article entitled 'Five ways to avoid burnout at work and find inner peace' naturally caught my eye when it appeared recently on the Daily Telegraph's online edition.

We are all guilty of working too hard at times (OK, all of the time) and the very nature of my business at ARPM means I'm in daily contact with agents who are overburdened and/or stressed.

Winter is often the most hectic time for letting agents and property managers, with increased unplanned maintenance and emergency situations, so read on if you're beginning to feel frazzled.

So what did the feature suggest I was expecting to read about cross-legged meditation on the boardroom table or yoga poses behind the desk (downward dog between market appraisals anyone). The advice was actually surprising, suggesting how we think busy, stressful work days need to be counterbalanced by periods of complete inactivity.

The article's author, Matias Dalsgaard, says our quest to switch between calamitous and calm is actually causing us more stress, and that we should not fear hard work.

Dalsgaard also suggests that we fill our downtime with activities rather than aim to do nothing other than completely switch off. He suggests reading, watching movies and even studying a new topic when not a work.

All good so far but how would you feel about encouraging your staff and colleagues to basically day dream Dalsgaard says we should take time off - not in the conventional sense of a vacation or duvet day - but letting our minds wander on a daily basis.

This state of free thinking is a sign of rude health, apparently, but I'm not sure how a busy lettings department would function if everyone was just kicking back thinking about blue skies and distant shores on a regular basis.

It begs the question, is it actually possible not to work hard in lettings The very nature of the business is unpredictable and every day brings unscheduled challenges that test us all. However, managers should be vigilant for signs of burnout among colleagues (and themselves) as overworked employees can make errors or miss opportunities.

Working hard for justified rewards is great but everyone has a threshold that, when reached, has an impact on a company's performance. However, our culture is to shoulder the burden and plough on.

Perhaps the biggest challenge is not studying Buddhist teachings or reading every Shakespeare play on our days off but actually spotting the signs that a colleague is about to crash.

* Simon Duce is the Managing Director of the ARPM Group, which provides national outsourced lettings and property management services.