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With the heightened pressure on agents showing no signs of abating in the wake of the pandemic, the Real Estate Institute of NSW is stepping up to support the industry’s mental wellbeing by entering a partnership with RiSE Initiative.
As part of the tie-up, every real estate agent and property manager across NSW will now have access to the Real Care mental wellness app — which was developed for real estate professionals in Australia and New Zealand.
Developed by Utility Creative and recently optimised with a new feature in November 2022, the mental health-focused app recognises the specific stresses and issues faced by agents and property managers.
It aims to help real estate professionals manage anxiety, deal with anger and overwhelming emotions, identify destructive thought patterns, create good habits around sleep, exercise and health, and manage finances.
One of its defining features is a free employee assistance program (EAP) that offers up to three free and private phone counselling sessions, courtesy of Domain.
While focused on ways to maximise good mental health, the app also has emergency features to get urgent assistance in a time of crisis.
In addition to promoting the Real Care app to members, REINSW will be sharing additional RiSE Initiative mental wellness educational resources with the industry.
REINSW chief executive Tim McKibbin said the pressure and demands imposed on agents and property managers both in their personal and work lives have “never been higher”.
“During COVID-19, agents and property managers, in particular, were called upon to absorb the financial pressures and frustrations of their clients and tenants. One cannot be in that space day after day without it impacting you,” Mr McKibbin said.
While the pandemic is largely behind us, the executive said that the pressure on agents persists and is showing no signs of easing.
“It is my hope that we can educate people that it’s OK to have a mental health issue as too many people suffer unnecessarily and alone for years,” he added.
RiSE Initiative interim president John Cunningham said there was now tangible proof that real estate offices with strong cultures of mental wellness and care performed better than those businesses that saw the issue as something “soft”.
“Real estate teams that have poor mental health are not as productive, have higher staff absentee levels and struggle to retain and find new people to join them,” Mr Cunningham said.
Following “a hectic couple of years” due to both the pandemic, the market and natural disasters in some areas, Mr Cunningham underlined that principals need to be “particularly vigilant” in watching out for signs that their team members are struggling.
“But equally, when you get it right, the rewards are both financial and enormously personally satisfying,” he commented.
Mr Cunningham said the collaboration between the RiSE Initiative and REINSW equips principals with the tools and resources to start the workplace conversation in “a positive and supportive way that was also very respectful and private for individuals”.
Notably, the Real Care app is just one of the series of initiatives rolled out by RiSE aimed to continually improve mental wellness not just for real estate agents but also for the industry as a whole.
From July to November, the organisation also launched a national mental wellness peer support, education and certification program called Mental Wellness in Real Estate.
The online 45-minute masterclasses covered relevant topics, including overcoming limiting beliefs, disclosure at work, boundaries, finding your words and advanced listening skills.
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