A New Plan

At the top of the list for many, though, is the never-ending skilled labor shortage. The age-old remedy of time and patience has not proven effective for facilities managers seeking skilled laborers, as contractors, electricians, and other skilled workers remain in short supply. Worse still, if current reports are to be believed, there is no respite in sight.

A recent Paychex survey of leaders of American skilled trades companies found that hiring and retaining employees was a top challenge (second only to supply chain concerns), with more than half of respondents (52 percent) saying staffing was either very or extremely challenging. Globally, reporting on industries that rely on skilled tradespeople reveals that they face similar challenges in recruiting and maintaining skilled staff.

While discussions of the skilled labor shortage’s impact have been confined to heavy industry, construction and consumer-facing businesses, they reveal the extent of the issue and speak to similar challenges facing other industries that rely on skilled laborers. The reasons for the gap vary wildly—from the mass exodus of baby boomers from the workforce as they hit retirement age to increasingly digitalized manufacturing environments, a lack of interest from graduating students and more. With so many nuanced contributors, there is no easy solution, which means the effects will continue to impact every corner of the globe for some time.

To stay competitive, skilled trades leaders have been forced to adapt and innovate to control costs, find and retain qualified workers, and simplify HR tasks from recruiting to training, scheduling and managing benefits.

The skills to source skilled labor

Not every maintenance team has a large crew of full-time skilled laborers, but they must find ways to get people with both technical and site-specific knowledge on their payroll—and keep them. Doing so helps to ensure that, when they are needed, the job can be done right every time.

To overcome this exceptionally difficult moment in the skilled labor market, managers will need to update their staffing practices, and many are ready to direct resources toward the endeavor. In a recent survey of workers in skilled labor roles, 42 percent said they anticipate their companies’ budgets will focus on increased hiring to replace or add workers in 2023. However, investing in existing teams and local communities may prove more effective in today’s market.

In the current market, recruitment cannot be FMs only path to building out skilled labor on their teams. Yes, hiring efforts will continue, but spreading resources across initiatives that help retain employees and develop skills internally and in the community, will yield better results.

There are not enough qualified laborers to go around. FMs may need to redefine “recruitment” and redesign their staffing strategies by focusing as much on retention and skill building as they do on finding already-trained candidates.

To succeed in today’s market, FMs must pursue more holistic strategies by:

• Providing training. For managers who cannot find candidates with the necessary training, supporting existing staff through trade school and apprenticeships can help. While many employers view these efforts as added expenses, they can provide a significant return. Paying for training, certifications and other upskilling methods may ensure that there are reliable and knowledgeable people to work in the facility while encouraging retention and supporting recruitment efforts.

  A recent study about the benefits and programs that keep workers in their roles showed that 76 percent of construction workers and 59 percent of workers in retail, trade, transportation and utilities would be more likely to stay at their company if it offered better educational and upskilling opportunities. This can also translate into a compelling perk for job seekers, particularly those in Gen Z. These workers tend to seek out employers that offer workers opportunities to grow their skills and explore new or more desirable roles.

• Promoting trade careers in the community. Skilled labor opportunities provide young people with a direct career path, often with paid training, lucrative wages and a stable job market. Those are all things Gen Z is looking for, yet there is still a lack of interest in trades among Gen Z and millennial workers. Though Gen Z has shown more excitement about careers in skilled trades, their numbers do not make up for years of millennial graduates that opted for college degrees over trade school.

  For both groups, the perception of these roles as a “lesser” option compared to office work no doubt drove the trend, but perceptions can be changed. Careers in skilled labor offer many benefits to young people embarking on their careers, many graduates just do not know it. FMs wanting to build their local talent pools may want to consider engaging with organizations that promote these careers in their communities.

  This can also help with retention as tapping talented staff members to act as the face of the company at local high school, community college and university job fairs can show confidence in employees and commitment to staff growth to both prospective and current employees.

• Building their employer brand. Hiring managers are looking for qualities that make a candidate stand out from the rest—and job seekers are doing the same. When there are more openings than workers, it is up to employers to promote what makes them unique. They should use what makes them different to their advantage and set themselves apart from the crowd.

  For skilled workers looking for new roles, being part of a facilities team may offer unique benefits compared to customer-facing work, like stability, consistency and regularity. For those coming from heavy industry or other high-risk environments, it may offer a safer option with fewer on-the-job hazards. For others, the prospect of learning a new role in a new sector may be an exciting way to expand their skills. Playing up the business’ unique traits can help management stand out from the crowd among job seekers and remind tenured employees who may be exploring other options of the unique benefits they enjoy.

• Curating a values-led culture. Company culture plays a significant role in employee satisfaction and can be a big draw for workers. Developing a set of core values helps employers engage employees excited by those same ideals, and those are the people more likely to stick around for the long haul.

  This is particularly effective for Gen Z candidates, who are more likely to seek out employers that are inclusive, diverse, and engaged with the community. This demographic—and their millennial counterparts—will often choose companies with robust environmental, social and governance (ESG) programs and a proven record of commitment to doing good in addition to doing well financially.

• Reconsidering compensation and offers. Naturally, the biggest draw for many workers is the paycheck. HR and FM leaders must ensure that skilled workers’ pay keeps pace with the market. Equally important is reviewing benefits offerings for employees across the facility to ensure they align with what other roles offer and the market to stay competitive. The Paychex survey of skilled trade leaders referenced above found that 52 percent of respondents are likely to increase pay to reward their employees for teamwork, with 39 percent of respondents planning to improve the benefits they offer as a retention strategy.

  Re-evaluating compensation packages for both new hires and tenured staff is an important first step toward getting new talent in the door and keeping experienced staff on the payroll, even if it means making changes to the overall budget. No business can succeed without a solid crew, so paying them what they are worth must be a top priority.

• Leaning into technology. With so much on their plates, FMs have limited time to devote to thinking about staffing strategies. Managing a large facility is an always-on-call role and downtime during work hours is rare. Investments in technology can lighten the load on facility managers and workers while improving employee satisfaction. For example, by enabling fintech options like earned-wage access or same-day pay and leveraging collaboration technology to encouraging relationship-building among staff through digital communication tools. The NFPA’s survey of skilled laborers found that 68 percent of respondents want to work with innovative, non-traditional tools on the job and 40 percent shared that technology that supports communication is the biggest opportunity for their employers to improve experiences.

  Tools that support communication, help ticket tracking and self-service resources can help free up workers from tasks that are easily handled by computers so they can focus on issues that require their expertise. In the same vein, HR platforms that handle payroll processing, streamline onboarding, automate scheduling and more can help managers find time to focus on strategic planning.

A balancing act

If FMs are to succeed in their roles, they must find reliable tradespeople to maintain their sites—and they have been trying. As in other industries, many FMs have given in to the natural temptation to prioritize recruitment, snapping up all qualified tradespersons that cross their path.

It is a logical reaction, but that does not make it the best option when the market is tight. And in this case, it is a choice that can set f FMs up for failure—especially when the focus on recruitment comes at the expense of existing staff, and often those who are talented, tenured, committed and eager to learn.