A webinar focussed on staff retention in the property industry will be held by tm:tv next week.

The ‘Top 5: Ways to improve staff retention in property roles’ webinar is part of a six-part series called Achieving Change: Think tomorrow, act today!, which is taking part across Spring and Autumn this year.

The ‘Top 5: Ways to improve staff retention in property roles’ webinar, which will take place at 12pm on Tuesday 26th April, will feature a panel of guest speakers who will share their thoughts on everything from finding the right people and training them, to wellbeing, flexible working, staff retention strategy, and more.

Host, Dan Creed, HR Director at tmgroup, will be joined by:
• Claire Smith, People & Culture Director at Mortgage Advice Bureau
• Charlotte Jeffrey-Campbell, Director – The Able Agent
• Rebecca Kibby, CEO Conveyancing Services at Foot Anstey LLP
• Glynis Frew, Group Training and Development Director at Hunters
• Natalie Moore, Director and Licensed Conveyancer at Aconveyancing

Joe Pepper, CEO of tmgroup, said: “Since being established in the midst of lockdown 2020, tm:tv has gone from strength to strength as an online debate series covering key topics impacting the property market – everything from market trends to the future hazards of climate change. It’s fantastic to see tm:tv continuing to bring so many property professionals together from across the industry to help drive positive change.”

Ahead of the webinar taking place, Creed asked the panel “What are the biggest challenges facing property professionals right now in retaining their staff?”

Glynis Frew, group training and development director at Hunters, said: “One of the biggest challenges facing property professionals right now in retaining staff is the fact they are being poached by other businesses. We were used to competitors taking staff but it’s different now as also other industries are poaching our staff too. Often they can also pay more. That is because, as we all know, vacancies are many and the workforce has contracted.

“Not only that, but many of the skills we have as professionals, and that we teach, are transferrable skills. This used to apply mainly to management, but currently it can be seen at all levels. Often though, these companies may promise more on the surface, but it’s the culture of a business and the level of trust between people that really makes a workplace a happy place to be.”

Natalie Moore, director and licensed conveyancer at Aconveyancing, said: “The challenges of the last two years have led to staff reflecting on what’s important to them – specifically the ways they work and who they work for. Our industry was pushed to its limit with the combination of the pandemic, lockdowns and stamp duty holiday. Conveyancers faced burn-out with unrealistic caseloads and many simply left the industry.

“The businesses that face the biggest challenges right now are the ones that are slow to listen to their employees and adapt to these different ways of working.  At Aconveyancing, the Investors in People accreditation and framework has supported the development of a more flexible workplace.  But we also recognise that the 9am-5pm model doesn’t reflect how people want to work in 2022, so we introduced a 4 day week to offer staff a better work / life balance. There’s not a ‘one size fits all’ model anymore and business leaders have to be prepared to adapt.”

Charlotte Jeffrey-Campbell, director- The Able Agent, added: “Job role progression is a key focus for most younger aspirational employees. It is not a surprise therefore that in a recent Propertymark survey, people signing up for qualifications are mid 20s-mid 30s. If you want to retain good staff you need to invest in them, by offering good training and understanding their career goals. Lack of opportunity will mean people leave.”