The New Generation of Facilities Managers

As the facilities management sector develops, so do the people within it. We are finding the skills and knowledge required by our clients for new employees are changing and developing quickly.

Due to Facilities Managers having more involvement with clients, they need to have communication skills, be personable and outgoing. They need to be knowledgeable about the asset and be able to ‘sell’ and ‘promote’ the services they offer. Facilities professionals are becoming much more visible to visitors, tenants and customers so they need to have exceptional customer service skills and be prepared to interact, help and develop the guest experience. We are finding our clients are starting to look at different backgrounds for new employees such as hospitality to gain these skills.

Facility Managers need to think outside the box; create new strategies and be willing to trial new technologies. Not only this, they need to have an awareness of the developments in technology, understand what opportunities are available and be able to recommend products to invest in to improve performance.

There is an abundance of new building management systems (BMS) available, new programmes being developed and used in many aspects of the role. Individuals in the sector need to be tech savvy and able to utilise the information available from the digital platforms effectively.

There is a lot of opinions regarding Facilities Management teams working closer with HR and IT professionals. Earlier this month at a Facilities Event in Birmingham, this topic was discussed and concluded departments should communicate and share knowledge to get a better understanding of the business, to support making more informed decisions and increase productivity. This has resulted in professionals within the sector needing better teamwork, communication and presenting skills.

It is a responsibility of Facilities Managers to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and offer advice to both occupiers and owners. The sustainability and environmental performance need to be monitored and processes or systems implemented to reduce energy consumption. The importance of this is growing so professionals need to be knowledgeable about this and able to offer recommendations.

Workplaces need to be more than just the best price or size, they need to embrace modern technology, increase productivity, be comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. BIFM have suggested a name change to demonstrate the skills and impact the facilities management sector has on this. They are supporting members to improve skills to ensure professionals are able to reflect the name change and support the workplace accurately.

People within the sector need to react quickly and calmly under pressure. The role can be demanding and have security or health and safety concerns that need to be dealt with professionally and without hesitation to ensure the safety of guests/tenants.

Facilities Management is quickly becoming an all-encompassing profession to maximise efficiency and develop an asset. The skills and knowledge desired from future employees are changing and becoming much more rounded. The industry is developing and expanding its capabilities rapidly, it really is an exciting time to work in the sector!