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 Jason Pease, Owner/Managing
Director, MGS Limited.
Name: Jason Pease
Current role:
MGS Limited,
Owner/Managing Director
Lives: West Midlands
What first attracted you to
working in FM, did you have much
awareness of the profession?
I remember when my parents started
their own subcontracting door company
in the early 1980s, I guess when FM was
first starting really. The idea back then
was to have someone based within the
building who knew almost everything
about how it worked.
That base principle remains the
same today albeit as a specialist
subcontractor/provider, and having
worked for a major FM, I think we are
very fortunate to be able to see things
from “both sides of the fence”.
How did you progress through
the profession to your current role?
My parents’ door installation and
maintenance company was acquired
by a large international door company
in 1999, I remained there for 20 years,
eventually joining the Board as UK
Service Director. I then joined a major
UK based M&E/FM provider and had
four great years there, before returning
to my base industry in 2019, reverting
to type as it were, but I guess it’s always
been in the blood!
What have you found the most
challenging experiences working in
FM?
Having worked in an M&E / FM
environment, and now as a
subcontractor to the industry, my view
is hopefully balanced. The demands on
the industry now - in safety, compliance,
performance and margin, have never
been higher, with COVID obviously
adding even greater pressures. However,
when all parties come together openly,
i.e., client, FM/M&E provider and supply
chain partners, all obstacles can be
overcome. Currently, one of the main
pressing questions and challenges is
the reoccupation of workspace but I
am convinced this will happen soon,
when it is fully safe to do so of course,
and we will bounce back strongly.
COVID has forced firms to consider how
people access and use their buildings,
with many updating their building
technology and systems sooner than
planned out of necessity to protect
their sta€ and customers, as well as
competing to make o€ ice spaces
attractive, vibrant and a place people
want to be.
What have you found most
satisfying about working in the
sector?
We provide specialist technical entrance
solutions to the industry, and there
is nothing more satisfying than to be
presented with a real problem, and
using our vast experience to solve it.
FM is about making people’s lives safer,
cleaner and easier, so it’s really satisfying
to be able to help our clients to do this,
especially when you can solve a real
issue, and the process is far easier than
they first envisaged.
What qualities do you think are
most needed for a successful career
in FM?
Patience, teamwork and a “can do”
ethos.
What has changed about your
job role since the COVID-19 crisis?
E.g. home working, furloughed,
redeployed?
In March last year, despite a large
order book, we decided to close the
factory and maintain only service
cover (emergencies and essential
maintenance) in the field. We look a er
a lot of large buildings, hospitals, and
infrastructure, so we obviously had to be
available to our clients, whilst ensuring
we operated in a safe manner.
We also had to deal with a lot of
supply chain issues ourselves at
the time – for example most/all of
the glass manufacturers closed. We
therefore furloughed the fabrication
engineers and some o€ ice sta€ , with
the remainder deployed from home
or field based. Things were very tough
for a couple of months; I was even out
back on the tools myself a few times!
However, this period did give me time
to reflect on the wider business as our
customers were looking for help as they
prepared for reopening. As part of our
entrance updates, we diversified into
COVID-19 protection screens for highspec
reception and welcome desks,
and started to see higher demand for
converting manual doors to automatic,
fitting touch free entrances, where doors
previously operated by push pads were
no longer desired.
I am pleased to say this paid o€ for
us, and we had all sta€ back from
furlough by July. The outbreak has
highlighted key strengths of the FM
industry – Adaptability and continual
improvement, whilst keeping cost and
environmental impact low.
What is your organisation
doing to ensure the wellbeing of
sta – whether working at home or
returning to the workplace?
MGS have undertaken a series of
COVID-19 specific measures to ensure
our sta€ , engineers’ and of course
customers’ safety. We have completely
remodelled the work stations of our
o€ ice and factory, installed (our own)
COVID protection screens, installed
(our own) automation and touch free
devices to minimise door contact,
and like many organisations, have
embraced technology to ensure remote
workers are constantly updated and in
touch with the o€ ice. I was so proud of
my team’s commitment and resilience
as we navigated through these changes
to work di€ erently.
Do you believe the pandemic
has highlighted the important role
of the FM sector and what areas do
you see as most key?
Absolutely, this is more prevalent than
ever, and the industry will continue to
lead when it comes to the vital subject
of getting people back into work space,
so the preparation for this is clearly
of great importance. FM has been in
the spotlight as companies rapidly
adapt working practices and building
fabric. The sector plays an invaluable
role in enabling companies to do so,
both e€ iciently and with minimal
commercial impact.
What advice would you give to
someone coming into the profession
now?
Go for it! This is a fabulous industry
with so many di€ erent aspects to it,
some of which may lead to di€ erent
areas within the profession itself. I’d
also say it’s great to really involve
oneself in problem situations and
learn from them – there is so much
knowledge around – never be afraid
to ask.
Which of your achievements
are you most proud of during your
career?
This is very recent so easy to answer! I
am both proud and delighted to have
been able to place two apprentices
within MGS on the landmark Automatic
Pedestrian Door Apprenticeship
scheme launched this year. Not only is
it a great opportunity for young people
to start a career in a growing industry,
but for MGS to have two of the eleven
UK wide apprentices on the scheme,
really does make me proud.
What do you predict could be the
main changes to the FM sector post
pandemic?
Clearly, COVID has changed everything
in our lives and will continue to play
a large part for years to come. I think
many of us initially believed things
would be back to normal by the back
end of last year but what this has
taught me is how resilient we are,
and we will clearly have to continue
to “manage” this pandemic over the
coming months and years. Of course,
flexibility and technology are vital, but
the pandemic and lockdowns have
also demonstrated how people and
communication are still key.
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 JUNE 2021
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