Facilities Managers want Financial Rewards

There has been a lot of hype around non-financial benefits such as flexible hours, advanced training, innovative workspaces and health perks. These factors are still important, however, as these factors are becoming somewhat expected, higher earnings are coming back into the spotlight.

In the May 2019 edition of Facilitate magazine, the IWFM pay and prospects survey results were published. The report uncovered that 67% of respondents place salary at the top of their priority list when looking for a new role.

It was encouraging to see that 83% of respondents received a pay increase in their last salary review and 12% more respondents than 2017 expect an increase in their next pay review.

The role of a Facilities Manager is changing, this has become clear from the development of one of the industry’s biggest associations, BIFM (business institute of facilities management), changing the name to IWFM (Institute of workplace and facilities management). Facilities Managers core duties have expanded considerably over recent years to become more much more customer facing. In addition, the responsibility for sustainability and environmental strategies has increased massively, and improving the wellbeing of the building’s tenants has become a core element.

With the developments in the sector, there are plenty of opportunities to upskill and ensure a request for a salary increase is quantifiable.

• Technology savvy – technology has delivered new ways of managing and maintaining building services. Facilities Managers need to be confident using SMART technologies and building management software.
• Data analysis – understanding data and analytics to improve procedures. Technology led solutions offer greater efficiency, real-time asset data to aid decision makers and allows for further advanced sustainable design and procedures.
• Soft skills such as communication, emotional intelligence and influencing, to ensure they can build relationships with tenants, understand their working environment and adapt environments to meet their needs, whilst supporting occupier wellbeing.
• Leadership and change management – with the developments in technology changing day-to-day procedures and sustainability policies heightening, facilities managers need to have leadership skills to successfully implement new ways of working, train staff and manage change.
• Sustainable engineering is becoming increasingly important with buildings required to reduce energy consumption, water and non-recyclable waste to respond to global challenges.
• Security – Counterterrorism is playing a growing role for individuals within the facilities management sector, so upskilling and developing these teams cannot be overlooked. The technological, economic and political landscapes (among others), present an ever-changing range of threats, meaning security professionals cannot afford to be complacent with current systems and procedures.

The shift in expectations has resulted in Facilities Managers needing to upskill and develop, which in turn, has resulted in increased salary expectations to match their increased responsibilities and capabilities.

The risk of low salaries can be detrimental to employee engagement and loyalty – ultimately, critically impacting staff retainment.