Shifting Gears

Millennials Set to Become Leaders in Facility Management

For many years, the facility management industry appeared to be immune to the millennial shift that is impacting other economic sectors. One in three people working Americans, roughly 35%, are millennials. At the conclusion of 2017, 56 million millennials were working or looking for a job. When this number is compared to Gen Xers (53 million) and Baby Boomers (41 million), there’s no denying that the shift toward a more millennial-based workplace is well underway.

Millennials are Defined as Those Born After 1981 through 1996

The millennial shift is defined as, “the reshaping of everything from communication and technology to innovation, both inside and outside of an organization, driving new social and operating norms in line with the expectations of the millennial generation.” Some of the brightest minds in the world reside in this rapidly expanding demographic—and the time has come to tap into it.

The demand for Facility Management-related professionals continues to rise as executives continue to value their physical assets. This means facility management will need to begin tapping into this segment of the population. To begin building a plentiful talent pool, several strategies need to be employed including the following:

• Build career awareness: In most cases, Millennials and others simply are not aware of the professional opportunities offered through Facilities Management. Programs that build awareness at the secondary and high school levels will help the industry find suitable replacements to the key members of the facility management hierarchy, set to retire.
• On-campuses: Building a presence on campuses throughout the nation including the community and junior college levels will be essential to the Facility Management career path becoming more mainstream.
• Technology: Millennials are known to be some of the most technological savvy consumers in the entire population. Making sure that they know that Facilities Management is more than screws, buckets, and mops will endear the industry more to this next all-important segment of professionals.

Some of the best and brightest minds can be found in the millennial population segment. They’re creative, engaging, out-of-the-box thinkers…the kind of people who build and run facilities. When the time comes to staff your next group of facility leaders think outside of the box…and think Miillenial.

Settembre, Jeanette (2018 April 17) New York Post