Yelling and screaming. Being called stupid, lazy, or even worse. Threats to report you to the board of directors, your regional manager, to the CMRAO, all to get you fired. Threats of physical violence and even death. The phone isringing off the hook. You are getting fifty emails a day about the same thing.
This is harassment. Every experienced manager has dealt with it in some format some point in their career. Anecdotally, the problem has gotten worse since the pandemic, with our office now fielding a seemingly endless series of concerns from property managers facing abuse and intimidation.
It is trite to say that property managers are people, entitled to the simple dignity of being able to go to work without fear of harassment. Yet, they often encounter various forms of harassment, both from the owners they serve and the directors they answer to, causing some to leave the industry and others to consider leaving. In addition, horror stories about the relentless pressure and lack of support can dissuade potential candidates from joining the profession. As a result, the number of qualified property managers is dwindling, and the problem is only expected to worsen.