The second trend from the Community Pulse survey emerged loud and clear. HOA staffing shortages of a historic nature are wreaking havoc for growing management companies. How can you take on new communities and scale without the community managers in place to handle the day-to-day necessities? Serving more communities with fewer staff is a tall order, no matter how efficiently you run.
Multiple external factors are contributing to the talent scarcity, from rising inflation to fluid decisions around hybrid and remote work, which complicates efforts to find and retain qualified association managers. These new dynamics are compounding a long-standing issue, which is a shortage of candidates with previous experience in community management. The industry is starved for new talent.
Two thirds of respondents (65%) identified filling open roles as one of their top three challenges. We shared this finding with several association management veterans, and none were surprised.
Cat Carmichael, former CAI National President, and current CEO/Founder of Strategy 123 had this to offer: “The HOA staffing shortages are real, and it must extend beyond your HR staff. Every employee in your company should be able to name at least one person who would be a great fit for the team. Think about hiring in terms of culture and values, not just who can get the tasks done.”
In summary, recruiting community managers was difficult before the pandemic, before surging inflation, and before the talent crunch. Current economic conditions have worsened the challenge. Management companies must focus on operational efficiency to continue growing successfully. The right HOA management technology can reduce the volume of homeowner demands and automate more tasks to help your lean team provide better service with burnout.
Download the full report to learn about other pressing challenges.
