Property management has long carried a reputation as one of real estate’s most demanding disciplines, defined by relentless workloads, emotional labour and a level of urgency that leaves little room for error or recovery.
For many business owners, the challenge has shifted from simply managing day-to-day pressure to something more fundamental: how to retain experienced property managers in a sector where burnout and staff turnover remain stubbornly high.
Ashleigh Goodchild, founder of PM Collective and director of SOCO Realty, believes the industry has reached a point where surface-level wellbeing initiatives are no longer enough.
“A lot of business owners are trying to keep their teams and reduce staff turnover, so they’re always looking for new initiatives,” Ashleigh says.
“But what I see is that many default to textbook ideas, birthdays off, extra leave, that sort of thing, without really thinking about what will make a difference week to week.”
Last year, SOCO Realty trialled a $1,000-per-employee annual wellness allowance, designed to give staff flexibility to spend on personal care such as massages or facials.
While the initiative was well-intentioned, Ashleigh says it failed to address the deeper issue.
“There still wasn’t any tangible change. There was still burnout. There was still that underlying pressure.”
This year, the business took a different approach, focusing less on lifestyle perks and more on access to basic healthcare.
Four weeks ago, SOCO Realty rolled out Updoc, a telehealth service across its onshore team, giving staff free, on-demand access to doctors for consultations, referrals and prescriptions, without the need to leave work or book ahead days in advance.
The uptake, Ashleigh says, was immediate.
“In just four weeks, we’ve had five team members book doctor appointments. When you consider we’ve got about 20 onshore staff, that’s roughly 25 per cent of the team using it within the first month.”
Importantly, the service is confidential, with employees required to register using personal email addresses rather than work accounts.
“I don’t know what anyone is using it for, and I shouldn’t. What I do know is that people are actually accessing healthcare, and that tells me the barrier has been removed.”
For property managers, that barrier is often time. Ashleigh says it is common for staff to push through illness because taking time off to sit in a waiting room feels unrealistic, particularly when portfolios still need managing.
“They think, by the time I get into the doctor, I’ll probably be better anyway. So they just keep pushing. But it catches up eventually.”
The ability to secure a telehealth appointment within an hour has changed that behaviour, particularly for working parents.
“The service also covers children who are on their parent’s Medicare card. That means they don’t have to take time off work or add another layer of stress. They can get a script, deal with it quickly and move on.”
While the initiative is framed around staff wellbeing, Ashleigh says there is also a clear business case.
“If someone is unwell for too long, someone else has to pick up their clients. If people can recover faster, that’s better for the business and better for clients.”
She believes accessible healthcare should be viewed as a leadership issue, not a personal one.
“There’s still a mindset that says health isn’t the employer’s problem. But if your team is constantly taking time off, dealing with sick kids or pushing through illness, it does become a leadership issue.”
Ashleigh argues the focus needs to shift away from reactive wellbeing programs towards preventative measures that reflect how property managers actually work.
“It’s not about perks. It’s about removing friction from everyday life.
“Everyone goes to the doctor at some point. Whether you’re an introvert, extrovert, receptionist or property manager, this is something that actually applies to everyone.”
As conversations around wellbeing become more common across real estate, Ashleigh believes accessible healthcare will increasingly sit alongside remuneration and flexibility as a baseline expectation, particularly in high-pressure roles like property management.
“We can’t just keep talking about wellbeing. At some point, leaders have to act.”
