HOA board members have a lot to juggle. From their personal life, professional life, and volunteer position on the board, it can be a lot of responsibility for some to manage. It’s important to keep board members enthusiastic and passionate about serving the community rather than feeling overwhelmed. In order to do so, you’ll need to know how to keep your HOA board members from burning out.
What is Burnout?
Burnout means you’re mentally exhausted, lacking motivation, and drowning in responsibilities. Burnout is common during peak times of stress, and it can be damaging to an HOA board. It can come in many forms, including:
- Board members no longer participating in discussions or missing meetings.
- Board members are extremely negative about the progress of projects or new ideas that are brought up.
- Board members fall behind in their duties. Often if someone is overwhelmed by the amount of work there is to do, they’ll opt not to do any of it.
Tips to Keep Board Members from Burning Out
- Outline expectations – It’s important to let board members know what is expected of them before they take on the position, so they can decide if they have the time and energy needed to complete the role.
- Form committees – When all of the responsibilities of taking care of a community fall on the board, the whole board is at risk of burning out. Get the HOA more involved by forming committees that can help with certain tasks and roles.
- Recognize hard work – Being a board member is often a thankless job, so be sure to recognize the hard work that your board is putting in and congratulate them for their efforts.
- Listen and talk about needs – If a member is struggling, work together as a board to see how you all can help. Working as a team could help you from losing individuals from the board.
Hiring an association management company is also another great way to reduce some of the HOA board’s stress and keep members from experiencing burnout. To discuss the benefits of an association manager, contact Prism Realty Management. Give us a call at 512-676-5842 — we’d be happy to talk to you about who we are, the services we offer, and our process.
