Many Paths To Facility Management?

By Anne Cosgrove
From the December 2017 Issue

The age of the “accidental facility manager”… Is it winding down? That paradigm through which so many in the facilities management profession have traveled as they establish their careers? There’s the carpenter who’s worked his way up to be vice president of facilities. And the office manager who’s now the director of facilities and real estate for her organization.

As most readers here know, there’s not often a clear path to a career in facility management — but that may be changing. Is a new era of facility management on the horizon? One that’s characterized by a more defined path compared to the traditional paradigm.

This was one of the questions discussed on October 3, 2017 in Chicago at the inaugural Facility Executive Live!, a conference and networking event held by Facility Executive magazine. During the closing panel discussion, “Next Gen FM”, a focus of the talk was the pending shortage of new talent coming into the facilities management profession. As Baby Boomers retire, who is taking their place? How can we make the profession more visible to the younger generation as they consider their higher education and career options?

One of the Next Gen FM panelists was Judie Cooper, associate director of organizational development, office of facilities management and reliability at Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Cooper made it personal when she visited her daughter’s high school one year during Career Day. She took the students on a tour of their school to highlight what facility managers do and how the job impacts the building those students occupy daily. Today, Cooper and her colleagues at Smithsonian work extensively with interns, both in college as well as in technical training programs, providing them with paid opportunities to work in a facility management organization. During the discussion in Chicago, she also shared insight into the succession planning framework at Smithsonian facilities department. They invest in the training of high performing staff so those employees have the opportunity, if they wish, to move themselves to the next level.

Jim Lord, managing director of Helbling Associates, an executive search firm based in Wexford, PA, provided during the panel discussion an example of an avenue one of his facility management clients uses to find new talent. This client teaches welding at a local college and keeps an eye out for star students who he might bring into the facility department within his organization. Specializing in securing executives for roles related to facilities management, construction, and real estate development, Lord has experience working with healthcare and higher education institutions, public agencies, design firms, contractors, corporations, and non-profit organizations in attracting talent for critical needs.

Meanwhile, panelist Jerry DiCola, director of facilities operations at Horizon Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company with U.S. headquarters in Lake Forest, IL, pointed to a number of reasons why a shortage exists. These include lack of training opportunities; facility management not recognized as a professional career; and that the general view of the facilities industry is dated. As such, the facilities industry has not adapted to the current generation, and appealing to that potential talent. And like the other panelists, DiCola asserted that partnership with higher education is one way to promote the facilities management profession to the younger generation as well as older job seekers.

Randall Niznick, facility manager for a Fortune 500 real estate and facilities management company and retired US Navy Seabee, brought another perspective. In the military, he advanced from the HVAC and plumbing trades into maintenance and facilities management. Since his transition from the military several years ago, Niznick has worked in several facility management positions. He sees many parallels between Seabee skillsets and those required in facility management and speaks to veterans about the career opportunities. He notes many correlate facilities management with maintenance management—not realizing the potential career growth available in the field.

During the Next Gen FM panel discussion, DiCola, who is also a past president for the Chicago chapter of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), shared that in 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will recognize “Facilities Managers” with a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code 11-3013.

Until now, facility management has not had its own SOC code, and rather may have been grouped under related codes—11-3011, Administrative Services Managers; or 49-1011, First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers, to name just two relevant listings.

In September 2016, BLS closed the public comment period on revisions to its 2018 SOC list. The final approval for the requested “Facilities Managers” SOC was passed in early 2017, and the 2018 update of the SOC code is scheduled to include SOC code 11-3013.

The new SOC code 11-3013 describes the profession, and reads as such—“Facilities Managers”: Plan, direct, or coordinate operations and functionalities of facilities and buildings. May include surrounding grounds or multiple facilities of an organization’s campus. Excludes “Administrative Services managers” (11-3011), “Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers” (11-9141), “First-line Supervisors of Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Workers” (371010), “First-line Supervisors of Mechanics and Repairers” (49-1011), and “Maintenance and Repair Workers, General” (49-9071).

In 2014, IFMA released a document describing the need for a dedicated SOC for facility management. One section reads: “A stand-alone BLS SOC designation not only reflects the reality of the occupational landscape, but it is a critical component of attracting appropriate talent to the profession to fill the labor gap. When educational institutions—from secondary school guidance counselors to post-secondary educators—consider vocation-based curricula, they often look first to the BLS SOC for relevant data. If facility management is not found as a separate occupation, they dismiss the need to train students to pursue the profession.”

IFMA President and CEO, Tony Keane, states, “We are pleased that the United States government agreed with IFMA and has recognized the facility management industry as a critical and distinct part of the built environment industry. This is testament to how far strategic FM has advanced in recent decades. Defining FM in the U.S. represents a huge step toward achieving a truly global FM community.”

Keane adds, “In 2017, we celebrated a growing unity within the fractured FM industry through the first three global ISO standards impacting FM. We also saw the first fruits of the landmark IFMA-RICS collaboration, demonstrating the integration of sound FM principles in the larger built environment conversation. The progress of unification and integration are propelling FM to new heights of possibility.

This recognition of FM by the Department of Labor will have another positive impact as well. A recent “Raising the Bar” report published by IFMA and RICS highlighted a shortage of FM talent entering the industry. A standalone listing in the standard occupational classifications means capturing the attention of career guidance counselors, educators, and students in a way that has not been possible before.”

Cosgrove is Editor-in-Chief of Facility Executive magazine and conference content coordinator for Facility Executive Live!. To find out more about the program presented at Facility Executive Live! 2017 and what’s in store for the 2018 event, visit FacilityExecutiveLive.com. Facility Executive Live! 2018 will take place on September 20, 2018 at the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia, PA.

Do you have a comment? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below or send an e-mail to the Editor at acosgrove@groupc.com.