Understanding Team Disengagement in a Real Estate Office

When we consider the expense of losing a team member, we often see it as a black and white event where they have either quit and left the business or they have been exited by the employer. We often fail to take into consideration the disengagement cost and by that, I mean the expense associated with the decrease in their level of productivity in the lead up to them leaving.

In my experience, it can often be the disengagement period that has the potential to be the most expensive. The employment cycle within a business is typically comprised of three categories.

Category one is when you have a productive member of the team, on the right plane, with the right crew, and heading toward the right destination.

Category two is when they have become disengaged with the current destination, start considering alternatives and move themselves to the Transit Lounge. The Transit Lounge is where they sit and wait for the next plane, the one that will take them to a new destination. When they are in the transit lounge generating and follow up slows down.

Finally, they move into the Departure Lounge, where they know where they want to go but they want to maximise their departure by catching the right flight at the most suitable time for them. Sales team members care little if the sale is made because they won’t be getting paid for it anyway and why would a Property Manager bother to get accurate quotes to repair a heater for a tenant if they are moving agencies in 7 days’ time?

Business owners and team leaders need to be able to identify the seven signs that a team member will send that tells us that they are becoming or have become disengaged. My experience is that if detected early enough the issues can be addressed and the team member re-engaged. This would typically be in Category 2.

Once they have moved into Category 3 however, re-engagement is almost impossible, and the best solution is often to assist with their departure.

The 7 disengagement signs to look for are:

1. "It’s someone else’s problem"
2. Lowering of Standards
3. Communication breakdown
4. Lethargy
5. Push back
6. Lack of time detail, and
7. Vocal Disruptors

Over the next few weeks, we will be writing seven shorts articles that will identify each of the Seven disengagement signs to look for and some pointers on how to best manage them. Remember that the longer that it takes you to identify and manage a disengaged employee the more collateral damage is likely to occur with their colleagues and clients.

Identify, attract, recruit, train and retain the best people for your team. With a combined experience of over 40 years in the Real Estate industry, Julie and Neil are well suited to understanding the challenges of your profession. Thanks to a simple, logical, focussed and easy to implement system. Agent Dynamics has been able to assist over a thousand principals, business owners’ leaders and real estate professionals just like you to achieve the success you are wanting.

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