The Behaviours Wearing Down Australia's Strata Managers
New research shows what's really wearing strata managers down — and it's not always about the big blow-ups.
We see the signs in the shops. We hear it on public announcements on trains and planes. ‘Please treat our people with respect. Aggressive and abusive behaviour will not be tolerated. Our team is here to help, not to be hurt’ or words to that effect. But the signs and the announcements are not quelling the violence towards front line service providers, and strata management is no different.
Catherine Bell in her paper on incivility, ‘Strata without the Sting’ (Strata Impact, 2026) quoted alarming statistics from the retail workers union survey (December 2025) that framed her paper. One in four retail and fast-food workers have been the subject of physical violence with that number doubling between 2023 and 2025. Further, 88% of workers reported being verbally abused in the last 12 months.
A more recent survey for the same union published in May 2026 proves this is not just an aberration in the minds of front-line workers. 71% of shoppers have personally experienced or witnessed abuse directed at retail or fast-food workers; 60% saw verbal abuse; 28% physical aggression; 20% sexual harassment; and 13% threats involving weapons.
Bell’s paper previewed the first raw numbers from Dr Nicole Johnston’s latest research which is still in progress. In a survey of 280 strata managers who self-selected to take part and are therefore more likely to have experienced this conduct, 23 types of strata specific uncivil behaviour were evaluated. The top 5 will not surprise any strata manager -
- Demanded immediate attention (74%)
- Blamed me for things beyond my control (69%)
- Unreasonable or excessive demands (68%)
- Ignored / dismissed my advice (58%)
- Addressed me in unprofessional terms (53%)
By themselves and on isolated occasions, these things might seem trivial. However, it’s the sustained nature of these attacks that leads to excessive, constant and extreme stress. The cumulative impact on strata managers is severe, as shown in the following slide from Bell’s paper.
For corroboration of these results go to the online strata chat forums - some more responsibly moderated than others - but still the visceral anger in the comments is shocking. For the consequence of this behaviour, see the strata manager turnover; strata managers are leaving jobs at roughly 60% above the rate of the general Australian workforce. (Macquarie Benchmark 2023; 2026).
Read: Winning the Strata Talent Wars
Now that we have proof of the effects of this behaviour on strata managers we must consider both the cause and the cure. These are weighty matters that will invariably illicit extreme positions. Owners will say it’s the manager’s fault. Managers will say it’s the owner’s fault. Moving beyond blame will be the challenge.
As to the cause we need to review the way we provide strata management services. Is what we are doing and the way we are doing it making things worse? Probably.
Read: Why Strata Managers are Slow to Respond to Your Calls
As to the cure, Safework Australia (see below) says the most effective way to eliminate risks is to eliminate the communication channel - do not deal with aggressive or violent customers or outsource 100% to AI or Chatbots.
In strata, where one owner might be the aggressor, it’s hard to turn your back on the others that might be quite manageable but, as I have argued before, something we must do when necessary. What’s new is Safework’s recommendation about using AI to protect us from the attackers.
*Correction to previous publication: Last week this newsletter referred to the failure by strata managers to use AI as unprofessional. That was a mistake and we extend our apologies to those who choose not to use AI.
