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Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: CharChar on August 22, 2017, 11:37:05 AM

Title: I can't stand my job - Rant/Advice
Post by: CharChar on August 22, 2017, 11:37:05 AM
I work in Property Management. I like the work itself, but I work for a very large corporate company that is VERY corporate. I manage a very large property of over 500 (50 year-old) homes. On one hand I am getting yelled at and walked all over by these residents and on the other hand I am getting a brick wall built in front of me by the company when trying to get anything done about their issues (Mainly water & therefore mildew/mold issues - which if you are familiar with property management, any little bit of mildew = BLACK MOLD according to the residents). I am overloaded with reports & ridiculous tasks that quite frankly are a waste of time AND money or items that should be handled by someone from the corporate office. I understand sometimes this is a required part of being a property manager but they just do things bass-ackwards. For example, they do not check rental references upon move in, they do not send move out charges or outstanding rent balances to collections, and they hired a "designer" to pick out new flooring for our office without them visiting us to physically see our office and btw it does NOT look good. Not to mention the people who work in the department that processes our applications are EXTREMELY rude to us and I would go as far as saying that they are pretty incompetent. I mean they just can't figure anything out on their own. And of course this burden falls on us.

Anyway, I do not want to continue to fill my days with the most unreasonable, ridiculously rude people, while working for a company that is inefficient without any care for their residents nor their employees. I work at their busiest, most difficult property. I have been here for 5 years and never had these problems before this current company took over. It is getting to the point where I am having a hard time keeping my composure in stressful situations or when getting verbally attacked by residents. Which, btw I have been physically assaulted at this job before. Last year, I had multiple tests done to see if I had thyroid issues, diabetes etc. Turned out it was just stress. I am NOT an over reactor and have never had any major health issues or stress related issues. I am in my early 30's.

I know property management is naturally a stressful job and I don't want to seem like I can't handle it because I am very good at what I do and until recently I have always loved people and always done well in busy & stressful situations. This is not me and I am concerned for my health. The problem is, from the research I have done, there are no other similar positions in my city that would pay me what I currently make. Nor are there many other job options in my city besides truck driving, retail and medical stuff which I know I don't want to do.

I'm sorry for the long rant but I am putting myself out there trying to get any and all advice. Has anyone worked in a property management position like this? Has anyone transitioned from property management to another line of work and if so what did you do? Any general advice for what to do in my position?

I am not against taking a pay cut or moving to another location (actually this is a goal of mine)once I sell my house and have cheaper living arrangements, but I can't say for sure when that will be. We are doing a lot of the work on our house by ourselves (my bf & I) and I don't really have any savings because I am pouring all extra money into paying off my debts, which should all be paid off by mid next year. I do have good credit and access to emergency funds totaling about $15-20k in CC's (I keep them paid off), Roth IRA & home equity. My salary + commissions for this job come out to $50-55k/yr.

Thank you to anyone who is willing to chime in.
Title: Re: I can't stand my job - Rant/Advice
Post by: TartanTallulah on August 22, 2017, 02:51:22 PM

Anyway, I do not want to continue to fill my days with the most unreasonable, ridiculously rude people, while working for a company that is inefficient without any care for their residents nor their employees.


Change "residents" to a different customer group, and you have the main reason why I plan to retire early from a job that I used to love, and the reason why many people step aside from roles that should, in theory, deliver endless job satisfaction in return for hard work. Often the more you give people, the more they feel entitled to take from you.

If you're forbidden from setting reasonable boundaries with either residents or paymasters, you're going to end up crushed between them.

I have no advice beyond, "Put your health first," but am chiming in to say I hear you and I hope venting about your situation has, in some way, helped you towards finding clarity and peace.
Title: Re: I can't stand my job - Rant/Advice
Post by: NeonPegasus on August 22, 2017, 03:30:01 PM
I work in Property Management. I like the work itself, but I work for a very large corporate company that is VERY corporate. ... I work at their busiest, most difficult property. I have been here for 5 years and never had these problems before this current company took over. ... I am very good at what I do and until recently I have always loved people and always done well in busy & stressful situations. ... I am concerned for my health. The problem is ... there are no other similar positions in my city that would pay me what I currently make. Nor are there many other job options in my city besides truck driving, retail and medical stuff which I know I don't want to do.

I am not against taking a pay cut or moving to another location (actually this is a goal of mine)once I sell my house and have cheaper living arrangements, but I can't say for sure when that will be. ... I don't really have any savings because I am pouring all extra money into paying off my debts, which should all be paid off by mid next year.

I am tried to pull out the main themes that I saw.

You like your occupation but your company got taken over by shitty corporate mega monster and your job is now so shitty that it's affecting your safety and health. You don't like the jobs available in your area and are willing to move but don't have any savings.

I think it's time to move and find a better job doing what you like to do under better circumstances.

Now that you have your end goal, you need to work backwards to figure out how to make that happen. If you got a great job offer tomorrow, what would need to be done to allow you to take it? How long would it take to do that?

It sounds like you need to focus on getting your house ready to sell and to save money to help you cover moving costs. I don't know the interest rate on your other debts but it sounds like it's not credit card debt so hopefully the interest rate isn't too high. I would form a plan B in case you can't get enough saved before getting a new job. Then, I would start the job hunt. If you find a new job before you've amassed the savings you want, consider yourself lucky for getting a job so quickly and revert to plan B.

Future you will thank present you for bucking up and getting yourself out of this situation.
Title: Re: I can't stand my job - Rant/Advice
Post by: Goldielocks on August 22, 2017, 05:45:07 PM
You know that this is not in your head, because you have worked this location with different management successfully.   I concur -- get your numbers together and figure out a move to a new location.   In my experience, you can change one aspect of your current job,such as getting a manager to change how they assign work,  but there are several different departments that are a major source of pain.
Title: Re: I can't stand my job - Rant/Advice
Post by: MVal on August 22, 2017, 06:02:51 PM
I also work in property management and my boredom in my job is what is pushing me to FIRE. Granted, I have a much easier time than you I'm sure because I'm only dealing with under 100 commercial tenants and not as many headaches as residential, but I also work for a very large corporate company that has its share of redundant and tedious paperwork and menial tasks. I get stressed out too and I have zero interest in climbing the ladder in my line of work. Is there any chance you could demote yourself to a slightly lower ranking job? For instance, my position is kind of like the assistant to someone in your position. I'm fine with where I am and would never attempt to be the actual property manager because it is much more responsibility than I want. I don't mind making $10K less than I could just so I can have a life outside of work.
Title: Re: I can't stand my job - Rant/Advice
Post by: CharChar on August 23, 2017, 10:13:45 AM
Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement! I was worried I would come off as a bit of a complainy-pants but this is something that I have been dealing with for quite some time. What makes it so difficult I guess is that (I'm over thinking it and..) I live in a very low cost area so anywhere I relocate to will be more expensive. This may not be such an issue if I stay in the same line of work and get discounted housing or if I consider an alternative living situation - 5th wheel maybe :D?

My debts basically come down to my car (face punch) and a mattress (double face punch). But I want to keep them both, at least until I figure out what I'm doing & where I'm going. Maybe I should see about refinancing my mortgage to lower my monthly payment. I'm also considering renting it out if the numbers work out in my favor.

So I'm trying to stay positive. I mean, I have no kids and I have tons of options. But I MUST get out of this job. I know I am very valuable to the company. The reason for this is that my property is SO different than their other properties and I know it like the back of my hand. The last time I considered taking another job (which was a slightly lower salary) my company offered me an $11k raise. Of course I took it. But at this point, my health and happiness is suffering and that $11k is not quite making up for it. And although I could threaten to quit and try to score another raise, I don't have enough saved up to support me if that doesn't work out in my favor. So maybe that's not the best idea.

Thanks again everyone, it means a lot just to know that I'm not just being a weenie. Although, this shitty situation is doing wonders for my motivation!
Title: Re: I can't stand my job - Rant/Advice
Post by: mc6 on August 23, 2017, 12:10:25 PM
Keep us posted please.  It sounds like a miserable situation right now.  Your 30s is not too late to make a career change if that's what you want to do.
Title: Re: I can't stand my job - Rant/Advice
Post by: JoseS on August 23, 2017, 01:08:27 PM
I would start looking for a new job immediately. At the same time, start building up a true emergency fund. CCs are not good for emergencies at all. Shoot for $1000 first,  then 3 months of expenses, and finally 6 months in liquid cash.

Find out what your true emergency expenses are and only spend that. Save all the rest of your income until you have reached these goals.

Even if you stay at this job, if you have a nice cushion, you'll start to feel more in control. You will be able to, respectfully, speak your mind to your bosses and tell your customers when they are over the line. You will not need the job and that will show as a boost to your confidence. You might realize that you like the job after all, it was just the fear of the lack of options that was coloring your perception.

Now, since you still will have to deal with your situation I would present these two thoughts:

It is not personal. http://www.toltecspirit.com/ "Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering."

And assume good intentions. https://www.inc.com/bill-carmody/assume-good-intentions.html "The next time you feel slighted or bristle at a comment from one of your colleagues, stop yourself from taking offense and instead hear the underlying comment for what it was intended to be."
Title: Re: I can't stand my job - Rant/Advice
Post by: bognish on August 23, 2017, 01:34:39 PM
If you are thinking of quitting, then there isn't much to lose by trying to change your current job to make it better. What are the most annoying/stressful parts of the job that could be potentially changed?  Put time and effort into improving your current role and you might not need to quit after all. It doesn't sound like you have a big risk of getting fired for pushing back against crap from the current company while you get out of debt or save an emergency fund. The grass is not greener at every new job and the interview process and first few months will be stressful if you change jobs or move.
Title: Re: I can't stand my job - Rant/Advice
Post by: patchyfacialhair on August 23, 2017, 02:51:33 PM
I used to work in property management! The customer base is what drove me away for the exact reasons you've mentioned, plus many more! I ended up moving to a very large financial services company, and took it because it's consistently a "great place to work."

Here's the thing: different management companies run things very differently. You can have some that delegate a bunch of busy work to the site level (you), and some where the property manager is a glorified assistant manager (receivables, leasing, and that's pretty much it).

My advice is to just start sending your resume out and pounding the pavement with other management companies in the area. Since you have a 500+ unit property under your belt, you'll be a hot commodity. In your resume, highlight improvements to NOI, decreased expenses, and successful resident satisfaction metrics.

If you want to stay a property manager, please understand that not all properties are like yours. I've seen some super high maintenance ghetto properties and super high maintenance lease ups and everything in between.
Title: Re: I can't stand my job - Rant/Advice
Post by: CharChar on August 23, 2017, 05:26:22 PM
Keep us posted please.  It sounds like a miserable situation right now.  Your 30s is not too late to make a career change if that's what you want to do.

I definitely will! I have so many ideas running through my head. The general message I am getting is that I need to take action and I agree and will be the 1st to admit that it is typical for me to hesitate a bit when it comes to the action part. Mostly because I don't do well with "too many options".

I would start looking for a new job immediately. At the same time, start building up a true emergency fund. CCs are not good for emergencies at all. Shoot for $1000 first,  then 3 months of expenses, and finally 6 months in liquid cash.

This is something I'm struggling with. Do you think I should stop paying extra on some of my bills to create an emergency stash? I've gone back and forth on what to do about this. Also thank you for the suggestions, I will definitely be checking those out tonight :)

It doesn't sound like you have a big risk of getting fired for pushing back against crap from the current company while you get out of debt or save an emergency fund. The grass is not greener at every new job and the interview process and first few months will be stressful if you change jobs or move.

Well for this reason I was hoping to not have to change jobs until I could have a game plan for moving to another area but that will only work if I can make that happen within a fairly short amount of time.

I used to work in property management! The customer base is what drove me away for the exact reasons you've mentioned, plus many more! I ended up moving to a very large financial services company, and took it because it's consistently a "great place to work."

Here's the thing: different management companies run things very differently. You can have some that delegate a bunch of busy work to the site level (you), and some where the property manager is a glorified assistant manager (receivables, leasing, and that's pretty much it).

My advice is to just start sending your resume out and pounding the pavement with other management companies in the area. Since you have a 500+ unit property under your belt, you'll be a hot commodity. In your resume, highlight improvements to NOI, decreased expenses, and successful resident satisfaction metrics.

If you want to stay a property manager, please understand that not all properties are like yours. I've seen some super high maintenance ghetto properties and super high maintenance lease ups and everything in between.

I'm pretty sure ANY property would be easier to run than this one. Not just in my area either. It is not only large, but also very unique for several reasons I won't go into here. But ya you are right. I need to just get my name out there I guess! It is just so difficult to let go of a good salary & job security! But the productive challenges of working at this property have come & gone. Now its just constant BS and therefore time for something new. Even if it is just the same thing for another (better) company.

I know one thing is for sure...when I go in for interviews I will definitely be interviewing them as well!
Title: Re: I can't stand my job - Rant/Advice
Post by: Carless on August 23, 2017, 09:25:32 PM
Selling the house would give you money and flexibility.  Renting it out would be more stress and uncertainty which you really don't sound like you need right now.

You don't sound complainy-pants, more like 'so stressed I'm about to explode'. 

My advice? Sell the house, pack up and get out.
Title: Re: I can't stand my job - Rant/Advice
Post by: CharChar on August 24, 2017, 11:19:08 AM
Selling the house would give you money and flexibility.  Renting it out would be more stress and uncertainty which you really don't sound like you need right now.

You don't sound complainy-pants, more like 'so stressed I'm about to explode'. 

My advice? Sell the house, pack up and get out.

I wish there were an EASY button for this! I'm going to have my favorite real estate agent walk through it with me so I can get an idea of what I might be able to sell it for. It will most likely sell it to either an investor or a first time buyer, which might mean having to meet FHA standards :/

Hi!
I am a properties and contracts manager, but I work for a religious organization.  I manage the property that our offices our housed in, event contracts and certificates of insurance, and our fleet property (ministers that have company cars, etc).  There's a lot more to it, but in a nut shell- that's what I do.
Now granted, I want to retire as early as possible because I do not want to work for a religious organization (I am not religious, AND I take some issue with their principles)- but it pays well for what it is, and the stress is fairly low.  I am a high high high stress person, and it's gone down A LOT since I took this over as my main job (outside of side hustles, 2nd job, etc). 
Would you be open to looking into something like what I do?  Or a Custodial Manager for a school, or property manager or office manager of a church or organization of churches?

Residents are ROUGH, and I can't imagine having to deal with them.  My sympathies.  I don't know where you live, but I'd guess there's some variation of what you're already good at that you could morph into?  What do you think?

Yes I would be open to something like this and I've looked for something similar before but not had much luck in my area. I think I need to explore more options that are distantly related to what I do though. I am currently scoping out jobs in other states to see what kinds of options there are :)
Title: Re: I can't stand my job - Rant/Advice
Post by: JoseS on August 28, 2017, 08:28:23 AM
This is something I'm struggling with. Do you think I should stop paying extra on some of my bills to create an emergency stash? I've gone back and forth on what to do about this. Also thank you for the suggestions, I will definitely be checking those out tonight :)

I would first get a small emergency stash of $500 ~ $1000. Then pay off any debts as soon as possible. Then continue to build a 3 to 6 months worth of true expenses emergency fund. These are the first steps from Dave Ramsey's baby steps program.