FACILITIES MANAGEMENT JOURNAL JOBS
FM CAREERS - RECRUITMENT
The UK construction industry is facing a
serious skills shortage in both professional
and practical roles, with young people,
ethnic minorities and women severely
underrepresented in the sector. It’s a recurring
theme in the headlines of industry publications
and national press, but the everyday reality is a
very real challenge for businesses.
High demand and skills scarcity are putting
upward pressure on wages, adding to the diŽ iculty
organisations are facing in meeting project
demands and deadlines. Furthermore, complex
post-pandemic work environments and Gen Z’s
graduation into the workforce present even further
challenges for recruiters and employers.
Organisations will need to commit to investing
in their talent pipelines and professional
development programs if they are to secure
future growth and success. How can they do this
successfully? What are the worst aŽ ected areas?
How can managers identify, attract and retain
talent?
IDENTIFYING TALENT
Recruiting in the built environment sector is
currently harder than ever. The workforce is aging,
with the numbers of existing workers retiring
outstripping the numbers of younger, new recruits.
Previously, this gap had been partly bridged by EU
migration, but Brexit puts this under threat. The
extension of the pandemic furlough scheme may
still be de-incentivising some from returning to
work, particularly from non-traditional sectors.
To create successful recruitment campaigns
and hire quality candidates in this environment,
organisations need to start with a self-assessment.
This means clarifying your goals and ethos as a
business and carefully considering your workplace
culture. In a market where skills are in short supply,
employers have to show they oŽ er more than just
salary packages.
When deciding who to target with recruitment
drives, businesses within the built environment
industry need to start thinking outside the box.
Less-experienced graduates and school leavers and
people currently working in other sectors are o™ en
overlooked by hiring managers, but may possess
vital transferable skills and be a good cultural fit.
These candidate pools are vital for securing the
future of the industry. The built environment is also
in need of a serious culture shi™ in order to attract
and retain more women, who only currently make
up 13 per cent of the workforce.
HOW TO ATTRACT NEW PEOPLE TO
YOUR BUSINESS
Understanding how to identify the talent you
want to recruit is the first step, but businesses
must persuade applicants that they are desirable
employers. Equality, diversity and inclusion,
flexibility, and professional development
opportunities are high priorities for today’s
employees, particularly for Millennials and
Generation Z.
Ensure that your organisation’s objectives,
purpose, and values are clearly and consistently
upheld and underscore all your talent initiatives.
This is vital for attracting people who are a good
fit for your company and its aims, especially in a
modern job market which highly values business
ethics and culture.
Studies by the World Economic Forum and the
UK Chartered Institute of Building have highlighted
some of the concerns employees have about
working in the construction and built environment
sector. Particularly prominent have been issues
around gender equality in the workplace and a
lack of training and development. Investing in
these areas doesn’t just attract talent. Diversity
in the workforce is proven to drive innovation
through diversity of thought. Extensive learning
and development programmes are also features of
some of the industry’s most successful companies.
RETAINING TALENT IN A BURGEONING MARKET
It’s widely known that young professionals are
increasingly motivated by far more than just
salary. If you are going to attract and retain talent,
you need strategies for encouraging healthy
and sustainable work-life balances and avoiding
burnout, which erodes employee morale and
loyalty. There is also demand for more flexible
working patterns, particularly in the wake of the
pandemic, and oŽ ering this can provide strong
motivation to stay with an employer rather than
leave for greener pastures.
Robust frameworks and clarity for career growth
should reflect the values of the organisation and
allow employees, particularly those early in their
careers, to clearly envision their evolution within
your business in the long term. It also sets clear
goals for professional development, and helps
managers to monitor and assess performance
and growth. Providing training and development
opportunities builds loyalty and makes staŽ feel
that they are being invested in and valued.
From one perspective, trying to recruit new talent
is currently a daunting prospect in the construction
and built environment sector. However, it also
presents an opportunity for a crucial restructuring
which could prove essential for safeguarding the
future of the industry. Thinking about who to
reach out to and what to oŽ er them is clearly very
important, and emphasising company ethos when
advertising, as well as making job oŽ ers which
allow for flexible working arrangements are both
useful strategies.
However, it’s not just about the recruitment
process itself, work environments across the
industry need to be made more welcoming and
rewarding in order to attract and keep talent in the
long term. Creating a more diverse and inclusive
culture, introducing measures for tackling stress,
and investing in loyalty-boosting learning and
development programmes are all essential if
businesses want to promote the position of careers
within the built environment.
BUILDING RECRUITS Harvey Gretton, Managing Director at Blayze Group off ers
expert advice on meeting the challenges of recruiting within
the built environment
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