Inspire, Integrate and Innovate – It’s FM Day!

Today is World Facilities Management Day. This year, 3 is definitely the magic number, with not 1 theme but 3

– Inspire, Integrate and Innovate: Ignite your career in FM.

To explore this theme and what it means to "ignite your career in FM", we asked 3 questions to 3 of our leading consultants:

1. How can we all inspire younger people to consider a career in Facilities Management?
2. How can we integrate a wider range of skills and backgrounds into Facilities Management?
3. How do we innovate recruitment strategies to attract top talent?

How can we all inspire younger people to consider a career in FM?

Josh says: “Young people are looking for progression. They need to see a route to the levels above them. Graduate programmes and apprenticeships get young people into FM. But they need to know where it can lead them. Everyone wants money, but progression will really get young people listening."

”Mansukh says: “Success stories are a great way to show how people grow in FM. Among our clients, it’s not unusual to see people in their 30s heading up whole divisions. We’ve got to showcase these stories.”

Amarah says: “Not enough people outside the industry know about Facilities Management. More people would be inspired to join the industry if they learned about FM careers at school. They learn about building sites and the public sector, but not the in-between part, which is FM.”

Key takeaway: Awareness of FM and career progression will inspire young people.

How can we integrate a wider range of skills and backgrounds into FM?

Mansukh says: “FM is more diverse these days but there’s some way to go. We need to empower more women to work in the industry and show the world that we are an inclusive industry. And we should consider hiring people from other sectors, who can bring valuable skills to FM industries. At Boden, we support businesses to create unbiased hiring processes, making recruitment fair for everyone.”

Amarah says: “Many global service providers have LGBTQ+ ambassador-type roles, bringing more diverse perspectives to the sector. Women are also breaking into traditionally male roles as clients are increasingly interested in working with a diverse range of talent. Our clients are all on board.”

Key takeaway: We all need to shout about our efforts to integrate more people in FM.

How do we innovate recruitment strategies to attract top talent?

Josh says: “Recruitment is all about people. We keep candidates in the loop so they know how hard we’re working for them. We stay close and we speak honestly if something isn’t working. We make sure candidates are prepared and we give them confidence.”

Mansukh says: “In today’s competitive FM job market, it makes sense to be proactive. If we find an outstanding candidate who doesn’t fit into existing opportunities, we may have an informal chat with clients about them. The client may even create a role for them – you never know.”

Amarah says: “We work together as a team. And we build lasting relationships with clients so they’re almost like friends to us. This makes us more consultative than other agencies. We’re a human-to-human business. Good recruitment involves listening to colleagues, clients and candidates alike.”

Key takeaway: Proactive relationship-building is how we innovate recruitment.

The future of facilities management is bright, brimming with fresh talent and innovative ideas. Are you looking to ignite your career in FM or bring new perspectives to your team? We can help! Get in touch with our experts today!