[box type=”shadow” ]When the long-time head of facilities retires, where will the organization look for a successor? In the worst-case scenario, higher-ups will be scrambling to figure out what the vice president or director of facilities did and write an appropriate job posting. But succession planning, which prepares multiple in-house candidates at every level for greater responsibilities, offers a better alternative.[/box]
Replacing the top person in a facilities organization is one aspect of a broader challenge facing many facility management departments: the need to attract, develop, and ultimately replace experienced employees at all levels, from a hands-on technician or mechanic to a senior vice president.
Unfortunately, succession planning and staff development are priorities too often neglected by facility departments. That neglect is understandable, given all the more immediate concerns that facility managers face. But in the long-term – and the not-so-long-term – ignoring succession planning and staff development will only complicate a facility manager’s life. That’s why it is worthwhile to start thinking about those issues well before employees leave. The following six strategies can help facility managers develop their own road map for developing the talent that the department needs to succeed.
This article originally appeared in Building Operating Management magazine (www.facilitiesnet.com/com) Reprinted with permission of Trade Press Media Group. Copyright 2016.
To be continued…