Like many other industries, facility management will see a significant shift as baby boomers head towards retirement. In fact, experts predict that when this happens, 50 per cent of the FM professionals will leave the workforce.
If you’re looking to hire as an exit strategy, retirement plan, or just want to get ahead of the game, there are a few ways to attract a younger pool of candidates for your facility manager positions.
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Use social media
We know that Gen Z spends an average of four hours per day on social media, so get their attention by meeting them where they are. Which platforms are the most popular? YouTube tops the list (88 per cent), with Instagram next (76 per cent), and TikTok (68 per cent) rounding out the top three spots.
Social media can be a great tool to get new recruits interested in your business. With a focus on authenticity, social media provides the opportunity for you to give a sneak peek into facility management. Creating instructional videos for YouTube, posting content and videos of ‘a day in the life,’ and encouraging questions and comments can help inform and attract the interest of the next generation of facility managers.
Create a culture
If you’re looking to attract millennials to your team, community is key. Collaboration is important to this age group, with 51 per cent preferring in-person meetings when working on projects. This translates to technology too, as many millennials prefer the ease of communicating and connecting with peers through instant messaging and group communication apps.
A progressive approach should also be a priority. 93 per cent of millennials surveyed said that the latest technology was important to them when choosing an employer. Making your facility “smart” can not only help to streamline your processes and better manage your inventory, but IoT (Internet of Things) automation, can also make your business more desirable to the next generation.
Know what’s important
No matter which generation you fall into, most of us want a company that aligns with our company values, prioritizes work-life balance, and encourages their employees to continue to hone and improve their skills. Because facility management can be an all-consuming job, being able to unplug is an important part of the job, prioritizing those things will pay off with productivity and loyalty.
As the older generation retires, it’s crucial that we create an environment that’s attractive for new recruits and maintain a welcome space for the next generation of facility managers to take over and fid success.
