Skills shortage: Protecting the wellbeing and performance of staff

THE IWFM CHAIR’S VIEW
MARK WHITTAKER,

CHAIR OF THE INSTITUTE OF WORKPLACE AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENT AND GENERAL MANAGER, THOMSON FM

“The first thing that businesses want to talk to me about is the problems they’re having hiring people.” This was the statement made by Andrew Bailey, the Governor of the Bank of England, in explaining the largest interest rate rise in 27 years earlier this month. In July this year, Neil Carberry, Chief Executive of the Recruitment & Employment Federation published a report warning of possible shrinkage in UK GDP by 2027 due to labour shortages and called for a coherent labour market strategy from government. Thus, there appears to be a tacit consensus on the current labour market issues; perhaps less so the solution.

Clearly the skills shortage currently being experienced in the facilities management/workplace sector is not ours alone; even yesterday my brother mentioned to me the issues he was experiencing in recruiting in the insurance brokering sector and I have heard anecdotally from many others in different sectors decrying the ability to recruit “quality people” at the moment. However, for facilities management, we need to develop our own skills strategy that addresses the current issues, which also has a medium/long term vision in mind.

Firstly, we need to start the conversation early with young people in explaining what a career in facilities management has to offer. That is why I have been championing the collaborative work between the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) and Class of Your Own with secondary school pupils studying the ‘Design Engineer Construct’ (DEC) course. We need to be sowing the seeds of a career in FM and organisations also need to take the lead in this; for example, Thomson FM have just entered a long-term arrangement with a local high school here in Lancashire to practically support their DEC students throughout their studies.

Providing apprenticeships is another important means to recruit and develop talent and is something which not enough organisations have embraced. Although companies have been paying towards the Apprenticeship Levy, earlier this year, Liz Crowley, Senior Skills Adviser at the CIPD, commented that the scheme had “clearly failed” and that reform was needed. Many others have called for a more coherent apprenticeship strategy from central government.

With so many organisations facing the challenge of both attracting and retaining talent, investment in training and development of their people is crucial. Although offering attractive packages appear to be the key drivers in being able to recruit new people, as well as retaining their talent pool, offering clear career pathways and structured training programmes and qualifications, with organisations such as IWFM, is a key area where organisations need to be able to compete and have a clear development policy for their people.

Unfortunately, a bi-product of skills/ labour shortages is increased workload and stress for existing team members. There is no easy answer to resolving this, other than employers showing empathy and flexibility with their people and making wellbeing at the core of their workplace culture. In addition, suitably trained managers need to support and encourage their people, ensure they feel valued and that it is a shared issue. It is essential employees feel connected to the team and the wider organisation.

THE HR DIRECTOR’S VIEW
MARK GOODYER,
HR DIRECTOR AT SODEXO UK & IRELAND

Organisations stand or fall on the quality and engagement of their workforce, and if a business can’t recruit and retain staff with the right skills, there’s potentially a serious problem. Recent newspaper headlines have made us all more aware of the national implications when specific sectors face a skills shortage. So, how does the FM sector address the ongoing skills shortage?

Firstly, it seems clear that apprenticeships should and will continue to play a vital role in addressing skills shortages. Apprenticeships give both individuals and organisations additional skills and importantly alternative mindsets. Organisations should consider bringing in and training new talent and allow existing staff of all ages and backgrounds to retrain or upskill.

Here at Sodexo, we are long-term advocates of the opportunities that employment-based education can offer. Through our social impact pledge, we have committed to consider all vacancies and job roles as apprenticeships wherever possible. This has led to the business having over 1,000 apprentices from a diverse range of backgrounds and age groups who all offer different skills.

Apprenticeships are just one specific form of bringing diverse skills and expertise into an organisation, but there are other ways. One of the most sustainable ways of combating the skills shortage is filling open positions from within the company through upskilling, learning, and development.

However, to grow the internal talent pool, organisations must first identify talents through a robust talent and performance development process before using data-driven insights and analytics to decide on investment in professional development programs that provide employees with the necessary training to develop in the company. Offering reskilling and upskilling opportunities through learning, development and mentoring programs is key to internal mobility, employee retention and long-term success.

At Sodexo, 80 per cent of our managers are promoted internally, because we are passionate about supporting career development, facilitating talent deployment, and offering a wide range of solutions to support the personal and professional development of all our colleagues.

To become more resilient to skill and labour shortages, organisations must also retain the long-serving and knowledgeable workers it already has. The sooner leaders can stem the tide of employee departures and increase retention, the better positioned the company will be for ongoing success. To achieve this, organisations should cultivate solutions to continually listen to, and importantly act upon, employee feedback. Historically, this has often taken the form of a once-a-year engagement survey, but savvy organisations know there is a need to listen to continuous feedback throughout the employee lifecycle – from pre-boarding to off-boarding, and to act on these insights.

In response to such ongoing and rhythmic feedback, companies need to work hard at creating a truly inclusive employee experience that enables employees to enjoy their work, remain engaged and support them to perform at their best. That doesn’t mean just pay and one-off engagement events. Practices such as flexible working, progressive entitlements, and holistic employee wellbeing support are attractive benefits to workers. In a competitive candidate-led market, employers need to articulate the full suite of benefits by means of a strong employee value proposition (EVP).

We have invested in a scheme that recognises and celebrates the longevity of our employee’s commitment to Sodexo with our Long Service Awards and we celebrate annually the achievements of our amazing colleagues through our Spirit of Sodexo Awards. Statistics show that investing in our people produces a happier, productive workforce and embeds retention across the business.

Social impact is strategically imperative for any organisation needing to tackle retention and overcome labour shortages. Workers want to be associated with companies that align with their values and actually walk the talk. Companies with robust CSR programmes should promote their initiatives via external avenues such as career websites, social media platforms and job descriptions to demonstrate their commitment to social responsibility.