The UK workforce consists of over 30 million people [ONS], with facilities management (FM) jobs accounting for around 3 million of this workforce [CIBSE Journal], so as well as being vital for the ongoing performance of the buildings we use and occupy, FM also plays a pivotal role in the UK’s economy. However, out of all the high-level roles in property, FM probably faces the most significant challenges in improving employment conditions and addressing social inequalities.
The Challenges
FM is a diverse profession: roles range from highly skilled operatives to blue collar workers, often with lower education and income levels. For example, while the average wage for FM professionals is £50,000 per year, and 44% with healthcare benefits [Macdonald & Company], cleaners, for example, earn an average of £20,670 annually (£10.06 per hour – considerably lower than the UK minimum and living wages) with only 3% receiving healthcare benefits [PayScale]. How can this be the case and what can we do to stop it?
Many lower-paid FM workers are employed in and around built-up areas where rising costs, such as public transport and living expenses, only serve to intensify inequality. Other challenges include lack of training [CIPD] and an increase in temporary contracts [REC and KPMG]
Let’s not forget there are also pressures on the FM companies and throughout the supply chains to meet modern slavery, sustainability and diversity goals.
Innovative Efforts to Address Employment Conditions
Forward-thinking organisations are addressing these issues by focusing on social value, well-being and engagement, themselves and with suppliers. Major property management teams are advocating ‘safe sick pay’; many of us are unaware that statutory sick pay is not available to all [Safe Sick Pay Campaign].
In addition, organisations like Social Enterprise UK connect property firms with bodies supporting marginalised groups, such as Hines’ partnership with Glasshouse, rehabilitating women in prison through horticulture. [Hines]
Other efforts include local recruitment to reduce travel costs, offering flexible upskilling opportunities (e.g., English lessons, management training), and exploring more sociable working hours for night-shift workers (such as cleaners working during the day instead).
Strategic Engagement
The investors and occupiers that often fund the extra time and cost associated with these initiatives need to understand and be engaged with the process too, and key to this is:
Proactive Consultations:
Property and asset managers should engage with investors to agree social value strategies, ensuring these are integrated at the fund level. However, we mustn’t forget that often these initiatives are paid for by the service charge, so education and communication with the occupiers is just as important.
Educational Procurement:
Some people just aren’t aware of the issues, and with increasing competition, firms failing to deliver social value risk being left behind in the marketplace. Including education early on in procurement for services means it is more likely to be baked into the service that clients should expect.
Localised Social Value:
Identifying initiatives and changes that can be made, which benefit local economies and employees, but also are scalable and impactful is a challenge. But getting people who are passionate about finding and implementing solutions will help to push through these changes.
FM team collaboration
None of the above will have the desired impact unless the strategies and commitment are shared with the respective FM companies commissioned to work on our properties.
Improving employment conditions in Facilities Management requires a collaborative and focussed effort involving suppliers, investors and occupiers. By prioritising social value, investing in training, and addressing income disparities, we can help to deliver the change required, and ultimately those of us who live and work in these buildings will benefit. But this will only have widespread impact if everyone is on board, and key to that is communication. As competition continues, those who lead the way will reap the benefits in an increasingly socially conscious marketplace.
Now that we all know this is the reality, we should encourage initiatives such as those listed above, and more, to bring an end to the inequalities within FM. This is not just a social imperative; it makes sound business sense that we employ people in such a way that they are motivated and able to deliver a quality service without personal hardship.