Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Who's Next?

  • By Shannon O'Connor
  • 10/01/18

Let’s say tomorrow is your last day of work. You’ve made it to retirement and you’re looking forward to sleeping in, maybe taking some classes or taking up a new hobby, traveling, and spending time with family. Or you’re relocating because your spouse has been transferred across the country, or because you’ve always wanted to live in Seattle and there’s no time like the present. Or—my favorite fantasy—you’ve won a significant lottery jackpot and you’re set for life. Whatever the reason, it’s time to turn in your keys, wave to your co-workers, and head out of the campus parking lot for the last time as an employee.

Who is stepping into your position?

CP&M recently polled our readers, asking: “Do you have a succession plan in place in order to maintain smooth operations?” The results were not surprising… and also not promising: 12 percent said they have a detailed, documented plan in place. Fifty percent said they don’t have anything formal in place, and 37 percent said no plan is in place but they realize it’s a concern they should look into.

According to the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), the average facility manager is 49 years old; has 28 years of total work experience, with 16 years in facility management; is personally responsible for the entire facility space and manages multiple functions, including operations, maintenance and energy management; and has seen his responsibilities increase over the past few years and can only expect this trend to continue. If he leaves his position tomorrow, or next year, he takes with him an incalculable collection of knowledge and experience that your institution depends on in order to function.

It’s not too soon to start planning. Encourage facilities department personnel who have not earned FM degrees to do so. Recruit FM graduates from accredited schools. Encourage senior talent to mentor less-experienced team members. Define career paths within the FM department. Encourage less-experienced and younger team members to build industry and association relationships. Also, offer experienced managers who are moving towards retirement the opportunity to consult on a part-time basis.

Don’t feel that you need to build a succession plan from scratch. APPA and the IFMA are just two sources that offer guidance and information on planning for a smooth transition. Start now, and when the time comes to transition to new leadership, you can do so with confidence.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management October 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Rhode Island Boarding School Completes Student Dorm Renovations

    St. George’s School in Middletown, R.I., recently announced the completion of a $26-million renovation project on Arden-Diman-Eccles Dormitory, according to a news release. The school partnered with Voith & Mactavish Architects (VMA) on the new space, which places a new focus on collaborative community spaces open to both boarding students and day students.

  • Construction Begins on New University Research Vessel

    Boat-building company All American Marine recently announced that it has begun construction on a new catamaran research vessel for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas, Texas, according to a news release.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.