What are the best tactics for bringing a younger generation to FM? We think it begins with your leaders.
Industries with an ageing workforce, such as Facilities Management have always had a hard time connecting with a younger workforce. And this is problematic as far more people are ageing out of FM than entering it.
But there are important ways to attract the younger generation to the sector, and help them to see the myriad of opportunities available to them within the industry. And believe it or not, it’s not via creative social media posts.
In fact, the key to engaging younger people, is organisational leaders. When leaders (especially when those leaders represent a diverse section of society) step out of their offices and use the platforms they have available to them, those entering the workforce are given a glimpse into a possible future – one that is aspirational, that shows them just how high it’s possible for them to climb, that gives them a goal to aim for.
Speaking engagements
C-suite leaders have large networks. Use those networks to find or set up speaking engagements. These could be at universities, talking to those who are about graduate, or it could be a cross sector event that invites those entering the workforce to come and hear from a number of different voices and organisations. Either way, having a CEO, COO, CFO stand up and talk about their career is a great way to inspire people to think big and see what the potential end game could be.
And this, of course, gives a double whammy of benefit to your company – not only are you peaking the interest of a new generation of workers, in a post-Covid world face to face networking events are more popular than ever, so setting up these kinds of engagements can offer great PR and marketing opportunities for your brand too. Invite local press, or send a press release to industry magazines about the event. You’ll get better attendance and even more coverage.
Job Fairs
While plenty of companies do attend job fairs to try and drum up interest, how often are these left to the HR, recruitment, and marketing departments? While it may seem to make sense to leave it in their hands (they’re meant to be great at selling the company), they usually don’t actually have any hands-on experience of working in Facilities Management. They work for an FM company, but their careers are tangential to that – their primary experience is in HR, recruitment, or marketing.
Sending leaders to job fairs changes the conversation. Instead of it being a sales pitch, it becomes a chance to explain a range of different career paths within the sector. Facilities Management has so many interesting facets to offer the younger generation – whether it’s around tech and innovation, energy management and net zero, workplace design and employee wellbeing – there is so much more the FM than cleaning and engineering.
It’s not just job fairs either – Pride events, BAME events, trade events and even sporting events can be great places to chat to invest in a stand to chat to young people about the opportunities to excel with the sector. Think outside the box, but make sure you’re sending the right people!
Internships
And not the unpaid kind where people are given ‘busy work’ to do for 12 weeks. So many internships and entry to work schemes are unsuccessful – but is it any surprise, when they often give very little real-life insight into what it would actually be like to join the company or the industry?
If someone in a leadership position were to take a young intern under their wing, let them shadow members of the leadership team, get them involved in meaningful projects, and give them responsibilities that could actually impact the company, the outcome of the internship would probably be considerably more positive. Instead of reinforcing the idea that FM is a boring career choice, you’d have a facilities management convert who is excited about the contribution they could make to the sector, and the potential growth they could experience if they rise to the top.
Done right, internships are the perfect way to funnel motivated, talented people from a younger generation into your company. You build loyalty from day one. If they are directly involved with leaders, you infuse them with ambition and work ethic, and you can scope out their strengths and weaknesses, to make sure that if they end up staying, they’re given the right position, in the right department for their skill set.
What's next for bringing young talent to FM?
While the majority of FM companies leave the acquisition of young talent to their recruitment teams, you have the opportunity to get one step ahead. If you really want to entice the best quality young talent to your business, make sure your leadership team are involved. Get creative about the way you engage with them, but show that you take them, and their potential, seriously.
This is where your EVP could come in handy. While you may think you have your Employee Value Proposition sorted, it’s worth taking another look through the lens of a new entrant to the workforce. Do you talk about career progression, routes to leadership, employee impact? If you haven’t yet looked at your EVP, make sure that when you’re building it, you consider the career paths of a younger generation.
