Inspiring new generations to pursue a career in facilities management will help tackle the skills shortage, says Steve McGregor, DMA Group
Recruitment has been an increasingly prevalent challenge for most businesses in the facilities management (FM) space over recent years. Back in 2008, companies were up against the wall. They had no choice but to reduce their headcount, and so lots of people ended up out of work, with employers ultimately able to have their pick of the available talent pool.
Today, however, that dynamic has flipped on its head. Instead, we can’t find enough people to do the jobs that need to be filled, with the competition for talent now rife as skills shortages continue to heighten.
Resultantly, talent has become a new frontier of competition in the modern era. If people aren’t happy, they will simply look somewhere else.
What has caused the trade skills shortage?
Covid-19 undoubtedly hasn’t helped. One of the new norms that emerged during the pandemic period included the democratisation of the workforce, with workers embracing greater flexibility and mass cultural change to speak their minds and voice concerns more openly with employers.
However, even before Covid arrived, 70% of CEOs were already concerned about the availability of key skills across the economy as a whole. Steve McGregor believes that the current trade skills shortage began decades ago with the demise of (proper) indentured four and five-year apprenticeships.
Through guided development, trainees were endowed with a mix of formal college qualifications and on-the-job training that built a strong enough foundation for young people to continue their learning alone once their formal training completed.
Given current talent-related challenges, however, businesses are once again recognising the vital importance of attracting, upskilling, and retaining key staff as they work to overcome the talent gap.
For this reason, we need to bring back schemes that provide similarly positive outcomes in a manner that is fit for the needs of the modern employee, and employer.
How to appeal to young employees
Ultimately, many organisations will need to completely overhaul their approach to talent management and recruitment.
Rather than accepting skills shortages as someone else’s problem or trying to poach talent from those forward-thinking companies who had made the investment, businesses must recognise the critical need and value of building clear pathways for individual career progress.
This needs to begin with understanding exactly what it is that both current and prospective colleagues want.
Albeit important, money is no longer the single defining factor, as the Deloitte Global 2022 Gen Z and Millennial Survey shows.
When it comes to what makes this generation choose a new organisation to work for, the report shows that good work/life balance and learning and development opportunities are the top priorities.
Equally, research from McKinsey suggests that younger generations are increasingly purpose-driven.
It confirms that Gen Zers have a greater desire to understand exactly how their individual contributions and role in the team help support the organisation’s mission.
With these motivators in mind, FM companies need to show they’re willing to invest in people, listen to their needs, and provide them with the support they need to achieve their goals.
Here, Steve McGregor outlines three key strategic levers that should be used to deliver this change in approach effectively.
1. Mentors
Connecting new trainees with a more skilled mentor can accelerate knowledge transfer and improve upskilling, as well as building lasting relationships. By spending the time to sit down with and listen to people, tailored career pathways can be developed that align with aspirations. Not only will this enhance engagement and retention of young talent, but it will break down siloes to foster a better workplace culture.
2. Remodelling apprenticeships
To encourage more diverse apprentices into the FM sector, a fresh approach must be adopted. We need to ensure programmes are relevant, valuable and engaging, providing the skills that young people actually need and want in order to futureproof their career in facilities management.
Technology must be front and centre in all programmes. Not only will this help to bridge the tech-skills gap, but it will also serve to enhance operational efficiencies, and play to the strengths of the younger, more digitally savvy generations.
As employers we need to be more open-minded to attract older millennials, and those seeking to retrain for new careers, as well as targeted upskilling of the people we already have. As a result, training models need to reflect both youth, and comparative maturity.
3. Diversity and inclusion
Critically, opportunities in our sector need to be inclusive and open to all. For example, a key factor in easing the skills shortage could hinge on attracting more women into FM. But there’s no silver bullet. Embracing and capitalising on greater diversity will only be achieved through a variety of more targeted recruitment, engagement and retention initiatives, rather than one size fits all.
These might include the implementation of gender-neutral bathrooms or development of internal groups and forums, diversity and inclusivity awareness days, among other ideas.
The importance of strong values and ESG strategies
While providing people with purpose and personal development opportunities are key, attracting, retaining and inspiring young people to pursue a career in facilities management depends on other factors too.
Critically, millennials and Gen Zers want to work for organisations that have a positive impact on the world, as KPMG’s recent research into “climate quitting” shows.
While one in five survey respondents revealed they had declined a job because the company’s ESG commitments were not in line with their values, this rose to one in three for 18-24-year-olds.
Equally, while 82% of respondents felt it was important to link personal values and purpose with the organisation they work for, this rose to 92% for 18-24-year-olds.
Be it ESG or otherwise, the ability to buy into the brand, values and mission of an organisation is a growing motivator.
Therefore, in the same way that FM firms need to clearly communicate an individual’s purpose in the wider organisation, they must also reveal how their organisation’s goals and operations have a positive impact on the wider world.
Making tangible measurable ESG commitments with demonstrable accountability and regular progress reporting must become a prerequisite.
The FM sector faces several challenges at present
Hybrid working has changed the way buildings are used and today’s FM professionals are tasked with adapting service provision to find smarter, more efficient ways to make their repurposed buildings work better.
The adoption of technologies that automatically monitor and adapt to how space is utilised, will become more prevalent. As will the automation of supply-side business processes to better deliver preventative and reactive maintenance.
Optimising cost and delivering better quality for customers whilst realising competitive advantage for suppliers will be the reciprocal outcome. Yet all these predictable solutions require greater digital skills.
At the same time, net zero pressures are becoming increasingly urgent, with FM professionals responsible for monitoring and optimising the operational carbon of existing buildings to enable companies to meet their sustainability objectives.
Fostering new generations of talent will be critical to addressing these hurdles and others, driving a new era of FM forward. Indeed, firms need to get the right people in the right places today to overcome the challenges of tomorrow, and that will only happen if recruitment and retention plans are adapted.
By meeting the demands of millennials and Gen Z for purpose-driven employment while providing opportunities for personal development, we can together futureproof this sector at this critical juncture.
Steve McGregor
Group Managing Director
DMA Group
