Facilities management is a specialist industry that requires personnel to have specific interests and talents. Most facilities management positions demand a bachelor’s degree or above, as well as documented on-the-job experience.
Some facilities management career pathways, such as Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS), necessitate extra training and certifications in addition to the typical Certified Facility Manager (CFM) or Facility Management Professional (FMP) credentials.
Many buildings would quickly fall into disrepair and become unsafe, unclean, and unpleasant places to be without this knowledge. This emphasizes the importance of retaining your facilities managers’ knowledge while you still have the option.
According to research, employees take approximately 70% of company knowledge with them when they retire or leave a job, which is already concerning. Consider that facilities managers leave with a complex acquaintance with the physical workspace that has grown over years, if not decades, and you have even more cause for concern.
With the labor market tightening and Baby Boomers retiring in droves, firms must establish a knowledge retention strategy that targets not only knowledge workers but also hands-on professionals such as facility managers.
Here are three Flagship recommendations for facilitating knowledge transfer in your workplace.
Be Innovative
Facilities managers have a lot of tacit knowledge, which is knowledge gained through experience that cannot be easily transmitted. To avoid losing this type of knowledge, try capturing it in many formats. Many businesses have begun videotaping employees as they conduct manual chores in order to give future employees with a visual reference. Consider recording employee interviews, forming practice communities, or putting in place a knowledge sharing platform.
Create a Knowledge Base
Maintain a log of all daily actions linked with different assets using your facilities management software to create a knowledge database. This will allow users obtain relevant information in the future to prevent undesirable situations, in addition to providing a historical log of all maintenance and administration actions. When a new employee joins, he can simply look through the history of a certain asset to find the information he requires.
Create a Mentorship Program
Mentorship is one of the most effective methods for organizing, capturing, and disseminating institutional information, particularly in facilities management situations where tacit knowledge is dominant. A successful mentorship program not only prepares junior employees for future problems, but it can also boost productivity and camaraderie in the immediate term.
Provide Adaptable Retirement Plans
A rising number of professionals are choosing to ease into retirement rather than dive in headfirst. This is fantastic news for firms, who can profit from retaining facility managers as consultants or part-time employees. Phased retirement plans might be formal or informal, with short or long agreements. Create a procedure that works for your firm to eliminate knowledge gaps caused by abrupt staff departures.
It makes no difference the strategies you choose; the key to retaining facilities management staff and their knowledge is to be proactive in your efforts! Contact us today to discuss a knowledge base development strategy for your company.
