FACILITIES MANAGEMENT JOURNAL JOBS
FM CAREERS - CAREER LADDER
FM is known to be a career that people fall into
from other sectors. In this regular column, FMJ
chats to a facilities professional about how they
got into the sector and takes a look at their
career path. This month we talk to Inna Faizulina,
Facilities Manager, Mitie Group PLC.
Name: Inna Faizulina
Current role:
Facilities Manager
Mitie PLC
Lives: London
What first attracted you to
working in FM, did you have much
awareness of the profession?
There is a lot of discussion around
FM not being a profession of choice. I
can absolutely relate to this as when I
applied for a secondment within a FM
department as a Facilities Administrator
around 10 years ago I had no idea what
to expect. It turned out to be the perfect
match for me – it’s fast-paced, varied,
challenging and you never stop learning.
Secondment turned into a permanent
position, promotions and new
opportunities. I’m yet to be convinced
that there is another profession with the
same reach across multiple disciplines.
FM is far from being just about the
buildings, it’s about people, technology,
finance, business strategy – everything
that makes a business.
How did you progress through
the profession to your current role?
I started in FM as a Facilities Administrator
on a six-month secondment.
A er five years I got o ered a job as
Senior Facilities Coordinator for a fastgrowing
business. They were rapidly
expanding their property portfolio. The
biggest challenge of the role was to
build a function that would support the
business from an FM perspective where
it wasn’t even considered before. Being
the most senior FM professional within
the company I had an opportunity to
drive all facilities related activities. I had
to work hard and learn quick, which got
me promoted to Facilities Manager.
During my time in FM I’ve worked
for di erent companies, operating
in di erent sectors, with di erent
demographics, cultures and priorities.
My role changed in terms of level, while
my role as a FM also changes depending
on the business I work for. The role
evolves and I evolve with it.
What have you found the most
challenging experiences working in
FM?
Perception of FM by other business
functions. Although it has come a long
way I still believe that sometimes as
an industry we don’t do ourselves
any favours. We need to work harder
to change the perception of FM as a
‘handyman’ function to a professional
services function by being more
proactive, diverse, open minded and
current. Diversity in FM may be the key
to this. As a relatively young industry
we seem to be lacking in diversity at all
levels. This in turn limits how we are as
an industry and how others see us.
What have you found most
satisfying about working in the
sector?
The very tangible di erence my work
brings to the business and people
within it, as the smallest of decisions
and actions on my part can make a
big di erence to an individual and
the company as a whole. The most
recent example would be the increased
provision of sanitation during the
pandemic, where people feel safer and
business’ reputation increased as a
result.
What qualities do you think are
most needed for a successful career
in FM?
Being organised, logical, decisive
and fair are paramount in not just
being successful but being e ective
in an FM role. Critical thinking, strong
communication and leadership skills
is what the FM industry needs for the
future.
What has changed about your
job role since the COVID-19 crisis?
E.g. home working, furloughed,
redeployed?
The biggest change since the lockdown
is having a building with much lower
occupancy. Reactive tasks have reduced
and the focus has been on catching up
on planned maintenance and changes
we need to make to keep less occupied
buildings compliant and safe. We
are getting to the stage where FM will
need to review their o ering in light of
businesses deciding not to return to full
occupancy any time soon, if ever.
What is your organisation
doing to ensure the wellbeing of
sta – whether working at home or
returning to the workplace?
FM is about physical assets, therefore
a lot of roles in FM require a physical
presence in the workplace. During
the pandemic many changes have
been made physically to the working
environment, i.e. social distancing
measures (via reduced occupancy),
control of virus spread (via temperature
monitoring), protective screens, signage
and PPE. What I find quite positive is
that not everything is about COVID, we
still continue to work on other important
areas like sustainability, process and
systems improvements, and CSR.
Do you believe the pandemic has
highlighted the important role of the
FM sector and what areas do you see
as most key?
Suddenly businesses had to rely on FM
to provide advice and solutions from the
supply of necessary sanitation products
and services, to reviewing property
strategies. The key area was around the
FM workforce, as for many organisations
it’s FM sta who are at the front line, the
ones who had to be present virtually
and physically to support businesses
through adapting to new ways of
working. It wouldn’t be possible for the
businesses to conduct their normal
activities without the presence of FM
sta . From supporting sta working
from home with the provision of DSE
to getting the o ices ready for safe
return. In addition to that businesses are
looking to FM for solutions to make the
most of costly property expenditure.
What advice would you give to
someone coming into the profession
now?
FM is not all about being technical or
having an engineering qualification.
Transferrable skills can make you
successful in FM, and might even give
you competitive advantage. So skills
are much harder to develop and if you’re
a natural at people, organisational and
critical thinking skills you may get better
results in FM than a technical person
lacking those skills. Invest time and
energy into working on those skills.
Which of your achievements
are you most proud of during your
career?
I’ve learnt about being resilient and
facing up to the never-ending challenges
of the job. I’m proud of how much I have
grown as a person and a professional by
constantly staying curious and willing to
learn from people at any level within FM.
My biggest hope for the industry is that
we continue being a young industry i.e.
we remain curious and willing to learn
and don’t try to impose old thinking
onto the newcomers by maintaining
status quo.
What do you predict could be the
main changes to the FM sector post
pandemic?
There will be a shi towards providing
more flexible working environments
whilst remaining safe. In light of the
pandemic having more hygienic
workspaces that can be adapted to an
individual will become more of a thing.
Business owners will start thinking
whether their facilities infrastructure
is up to standard to safeguard their
employees from illnesses, for instance
regarding fresh air supply, cleaning etc.
I also believe and hope that it will force
businesses into investing in innovative
digital FM solutions, from occupancy
sensors, automated workflows to highly
advanced energy management systems.
This in turn will mean a di erent kind of
talent is needed within the sector – it’s
both daunting and exciting.
Would you, or someone you know, like to be featured in our career ladder column? If you’re an operational
FM with more than 10 years’ experience in the sector, then email sara.bean@kpmmedia.co.uk
58 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2021
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