Resignations, workplace perks & staff retention . 

Did you return to work in January to find a white envelope on your desk? The start of a new year often prompts change and there are probably a few lettings directors and property managers out there smarting over a resignation letter (or two).

If an envelope on your desk has rocked your team dynamic, or the thought of an employee handing in their notice leaves you in a panic, it might be time to think about your business operation.

HR managers and business owners who successfully retain staff have probably given careful thought to employee benefits – those little perks that keep moral high and team members loyal. Professional, experienced and qualified property personnel are hard to find so it’s worth holding on to the ones you do have – we should know, as we work hard to attract the very best lettings professionals to our outsource business. Rewarding staff with more than just a monthly salary is the key to retention and some lateral thinking might make you the employer everyone wants to work for.

In days gone by a gilt-edged pension and car allowance was standard when it came to employee perks but every-day benefits – those that make a difference on a weekly basis rather than in the long term – can pay the biggest dividends.

Some suggestions include:

  • Continually stocking the fridge with food and drink so employees can make their own lunch at no expense. You could even have a weekly food shop delivered to your office door.
  • Paying for a monthly team breakfast or lunch, fostering a good office spirit
  • A pass for a local gym or a de-stressing massage paid for every staff member once a month
  • One ‘leave work early’ or ‘start work late’ IOU for every team member, every four weeks
  • A choice of training/courses, to be taken every six months
  • A compressed hours option for staff – handy if you have extended opening hours and workers with children
  • A commission structure that is regularly reviewed to keep staff motivated
  • Commission-sharing – to include administration and weekend staff

Some of the best benefits are small but regular gestures; those that improve the skill set of staff and perks that help employees with time management. Of course, these ideas all need an investment from management but recruitment can be an expensive and time-consuming exercise, with the pool of genuine property talent seemingly smaller and smaller every year.

It’s better to concentrate efforts on your best staff and treat them like VIPs on a daily basis. Consider outsourcing elements of the business if someone resigns or retires. Outsourcing will often save businesses money, which can be ploughed back into staff benefits.

* Simon Duve is the Managing Director of ARPM Outsourced Lettings Support

 

ARPM

Simon Duce is the Founder and Managing Director of ARPM Outsourced Lettings Support - a business designed to help small and start-up letting agents/property managers offer a full suite of property management and tenancy administration services through outsourcing.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Housing Ombudsman’s report demonstrates necessity of vibrant and growing private rental sector

Following a recent report from the Housing Ombudsman titled ‘Spotlight Report: Repairing Trust’, which revealed that 2024/25 witnessed a 474 per cent surge in complaints about poor living conditions compared to 2019/20, Propertymark has stated that this demonstrates the necessity for a vibrant and growing private rental sector. Referencing the UK Government’s ambition to construct…
Read More
Breaking News

Inheritance Tax Receipts raise £1.5 billion in two months

Inheritance tax receipts hit £1.5 billion in the first two months of the current tax year, according to data released by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) this morning. This is £98 million higher than the previous tax year, and continues an upward trend over the last two decades. Nicholas Hyett, Investment Manager at Wealth Club…
Read More
Breaking News

Propertymark Responds to Boiler Scheme Consultation

Responding to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme and Certification requirements for clean heat schemes consultation (England, Wales and Scotland), Propertymark has stressed the concerns of property agents that landlords are struggling to afford energy efficiency improving measures and warn that the scheme must evolve to protect the availability of…
Read More
bank of england interest rate
Breaking News

Industry Reaction to Bank of England’s decision to hold interest rates at 4.25%

Following a previous cut in May, the rate has today been held at 4.25%. This comes as a result of inflation easing slightly to 3.4% (May 2025), but remaining higher than the Bank of England target rate of 2.0%. The decision to hold the base rate by the Monetary Policy Committee was the result of…
Read More
Breaking News

Rents Climb as High as 17.4%

The latest market analysis by London lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, has found that rents across Britain have surged by as much as 17.4% in some areas since the Labour Government adopted the proposed Renters’ Rights Bill which is likely to become law later this Summer after the Bill enters the House of Lords…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 19/06/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Cloud-based practice management platform launches at Taylor Rose Taylor Rose parent AIIC Group rolls out cloud-based practice management platform AIIC Group (“AIIC”), the legal group behind law firms Taylor Rose, FDR Law and Kingsley Wood, is rolling out a new fully cloud-based practice management…
Read More