Serving on a homeowners association board is satisfying and rewarding. There are many reasons why serving as a board member is good for both you and your community. It’s nice to have a say on where the HOA should be headed and what steps need to be taken to get there, for instance.
Nevertheless, being a member of the board comes with its own share of stress and headaches. For one, there’s so much work to do, so it’s inevitable that you’ll start to feel the impact of burnout. It affects your capability in the role and in your personal life.
What is burnout anyway?
This is when you’re exhausted emotionally, mentally, and physically due to prolonged and chronic stress at work. It usually happens when you feel drained, overwhelmed, and tired over the constant demands of your job. It creates a sense of helplessness and hopelessness, which may eventually lead to depression.
Like with full-time professions, board members may experience severe burnout. It may cause them to be detached from vendors, colleagues, tenants, clients, and even loved ones. As it worsens, it’s only a matter of time before they enter a downward spiral towards self-destruction.
Keep board members from burning out
When the World Health Organization declared a pandemic in 2020, some associations flourished while others had to go on lockdown. With changes related to social distancing, mask-wearing, and frequent hand-washing, board members faced intense pressure to adapt.
It comes as no surprise that there is rising fatigue and stress amongst them. This has prompted many to attempt resignation from their posts. Appointing other members to replace them is never easy and you might have to take on more tasks in the interim.
Prevent them from being overcome with the pressure by trying these tips:
1. Establish guidelines
Define the role of each member and inform them of their responsibilities from the get-go. A common reason why members need HOA assistance is they have no idea what they’re getting into. Rather than the workload being too much, they simply didn’t understand what they had to do.
2. Set up committees
When administrative assistant hiring isn’t possible at the moment, consider making committees to help with enforcing policies and working on projects. This reduces the workload while allowing others to assist minus the pressure of being part of the board. Committees may also arrange for events for engaging with neighbours.
3. Focus on governing
The HOA board was chosen to set policies according to the governing documents as well as state laws. However, they shouldn’t feel compelled to enforce the rules and regulations. Now hiring an administrative assistant ensures daily operations proceed smoothly on your behalf.
4. Change the schedules
You might think that monthly meetings are enough to get things done in your community, but change to bi-monthly sessions if possible. This provides board members more opportunities to seek help, make proposals, and negotiate projects. When you hire a property manager, they may also facilitate these meetings for you.
5. Have office hours
Establish the business hours of your homeowners’ association and expect board members to be available only during those hours. For instance, your office hours might be on Mondays and Thursdays from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. Remember that your board are volunteers and have other commitments.
6. Pick reasonable objectives
By ensuring that your goals are realistic and practical, you avoid pushing your board too hard to meet them. Have a community poll to know what is most important to the residents so the HOA may focus their efforts there. They might prefer to have children’s playground before the community pool, for example.
7. Enable learning
Newly elected board members must take the time to learn about their roles and responsibilities. The good news is that there are plenty of resources available online to know more about HOA administration. There are even materials on how to hire a property manager for Airbnb units and more.
8. Boost the engagement
If you’ve bothered hiring a rental property manager or any other virtual professional, you want the board to rely on them for information, advice, and direction. Sometimes, board members feel the need to do everything themselves so you have to remind them that you’re paying for people who’ll help them.
Bonus tip: Admin assistant hiring
It takes a lot of work to keep your association board members from burning out, so be careful that you don’t experience burnout yourself. If you need help with HOA administration and governance, hiring an administrative assistant is a good idea.
Choosing to hire a property manager for rental properties eases the burden on both you and your board. Hiring a property management company is also an option but it might be too pricey for your first time getting HOA assistance.
Either way, having an offshore specialist means the association is working even while you and the board sleep.
When you’re ready to hire a virtual executive assistant, give the button below a click to contact us.
