Almost one in three property professionals took time off work due to heavy workloads during the pandemic property market boom, with some needing as long a week to recover, according to a survey from YourBusinessNumber.

The study by the second business number firm found that 30% of those working in the industry took time off work over the last two years, not due to illness, but because they felt burned out. 

It said the main reasons for this fatigue were: “A heavy workload, often leading to working longer days, along with a lack of clear boundaries between their personal and professional lives.”

Other reasons behind this burnout were “dealing with clients” as well as “workplace expectations, such as hitting sales targets”.

A quarter of those who took time off needed just one day before they were back at their desks, with another 25% taking two days to recover.

But as many as 17% took five to seven days off work, with a further 13% saying they were out of action for over a week.

The report found that the instance of severe fatigue “was fairly limited”, with 48% burning out just once a year. Another 28% took time off to recoup twice in a single year, with 17% taking burning out three to five times a year and 7% doing so more than five times a year.

YourBusinessNumber co-founder George Lineker says: “It’s only really now that mental health within the workplace is getting the attention it requires and one of the biggest issues faced is fatigue or burnout.

“Whether it’s a mammoth workload, hitting high performance targets or having no clear switch off button when you do finally make it home, people across the nation are all suffering due to the same work-induced stress and expectation.

“This can have a serious impact on their wellbeing and the property industry is no different. Like many professions, the pandemic has caused a considerable increase in the workload of the average property professional and, as a result, one in three are having to take time off as they’ve reached breaking point.”

The YourBusinessNumber survey was conducted by ProperPR who contacted 777 property professionals online on 17 June.

YourBusinessNumber’s founding investors include former England striker and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, who is the father of George, as well as former Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward.