2021 FM TRAINING OUTLOOK SURVEY KEY FINDING 4
PIVOT TO REMOTE WORK
Facility managers who transitioned to remote work were more aware of skills
gaps and the importance of professional credentials.
gaps and the importance of professional credentials.
SURVEY STATISTICS
Facility management is largely a hands-on job. While many facility managers were able to work from home a few days a week through the pandemic, the majority had on-site responsibilities, evaluating and adapting their facilities to new health and safety protocols and keeping their organizations operational.
The role of the workplace is shifting as remote and hybrid models gain traction. This new frontier is creating new responsibilities and challenges for facility managers to navigate.
How did the pandemic impact the jobs of facility managers, and how did workplace shifts influence FM training priorities?
For the 47% of FM professionals who remained on site, communication was the top team training priority. Those who worked remotely identified emergency management as their teams' top need.
72% of remote FM professionals said that credentials were more important now than in past years.
- FM Professionals Experienced a Mix of On-Site and Remote Work.
of FM professionals transitioned to remote work for at least 1 day/week during the pandemic. Of those who transitioned to remote work, most split their time between remote and on site.
INDUSTRY REACTIONS
Join the conversation by reviewing some of the additional insights shared on this topic or by sharing your own.
What Industry Experts Are Saying
A large percentage of facility managers that remained on site during the COVID pandemic typically worked for essential businesses and remained on site out of necessity due to unprecedented challenges. These FMs were executing business continuity plans, expanding sanitation services, performing temperature screening services, augmenting site and furniture configurations to accommodate social distancing, and more.
John Hajduk, ProFM
Vice President Facilities Services Sodexo
Facilities management is truly coming of age in part due to its growth internationally but also in part to the growing competencies, skills, and awareness of those that are serving within the sector.
Stan Mitchell
CEO Key Facilities Management International
Our FM industry has changed dramatically over the past decade. Not only are we seeing a knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) gap, as seasoned professionals leave their organizations, but we’re also seeing FM professionals being asked to take on more strategic and business-oriented functions. With new ISO standards, regulatory changes, and redirection of business objectives, FM professionals are facing a spectrum of responsibilities that require a broad set of skills.
Stormy Friday, MPA, Hon. FMA, IFMA Fellow
President, The Friday Group
As an FM leader responsible for the execution of services at multiple properties, I feel it is imperative that our team members on the front line be equipped with the tools and skills necessary to perform successfully. In today’s busy climate, time is a high-priced commodity; team members would benefit from an efficient method to fill their toolboxes, and enhance their skillsets in short order.
Darrell X. Rounds, FMA®, C.E.M.
Operations Group Manager GM Sustainable Workplaces
When you support your team to earn a holistic FM credential, you get everyone speaking the same language, moving in the same direction and working as a team. I chose to pursue a credential, and asked the management team to do the same, because I don’t want to ask my team to do something that I’m not willing to do myself.
Keith Tate, ProFM, AIA, CPM, LEED GA
Facilities Management Director, Polk County BoCC