A successful facilities management operation depends on communication, adaptability and emotional intelligence as much as it does on boilers and breakers.
That’s a lesson Doug Pearson, associate vice president for Facilities Planning and Operations at Kent State University, learned early in his career.
“Fifteen years ago, I started to realize there was a weakness in facilities management in terms of the human aspects of managing the job,” he says. “But most of our day is filled with dealing with people, whether it’s customers, employees or vendors.”
That discovery set him on a path that included earning a PhD in Business Administration and writing a book titled, “Facilities Management: What Really Matters—A Guide To The Human Aspect Of Successful Facilities Management.”
Pearson offers a seven-step roadmap to help facility managers strengthen their teams through meaningful, sustainable professional development.
Cross training remains one of the simplest tools to improve efficiency and continuity, but it must be applied thoughtfully.
Pearson explains that in some environments, especially unionized settings, broad cross-training may not be realistic due to strict job classifications. “If you’re talking about frontline skilled trades, cross-training is only possible in a non-unionized environment,” he says.
Still, significant opportunities for cross training exist elsewhere. Managers, administrative staff and non-union employees can be cross trained to provide coverage during absences, reduce slowdowns and maintain service consistency.
Bill Griffin, president of Cleaning Consultant Services Inc., notes, “If you have depth in your organization, you’re never starting from zero. You always have someone in the queue, learning and growing, and ready to step in and help out or even take over that position if necessary.”
Recruiting skilled employees is a persistent challenge in facilities management, especially in the public sector where competition from higher-paying, private-sector jobs means fewer applicants and lower retention.
“There’s just not that many people out there currently looking for facility management jobs,” Pearson says. “Even when new talent is hired, they are often lured away by other industries.”
Griffin maintains the solution to staffing shortages and inexperienced staff is to start growing talent internally. “Promote from within and develop depth in your staff,” he says.
Pearson recommends developing an internal “train-your-own” pipeline in partnership with a technical school or community college.
Kent State partners with a local technical college to deliver a two-year curriculum, hand-selecting the courses employees need most, to fill gaps in general maintenance staff positions. Twice a week, the organization sends up to 10 custodians to classes, where they master new skills through textbooks and class assignments, hands-on lab work and lectures. Upon completing the program, participants move into new roles with immediate promotion.
“Most of these employees are custodians, who receive a considerable bump in pay when they achieve a higher skill set,” Pearson explains.
Lengthy once-a-year seminars and binder-based training manuals don’t fit in today’s facilities environment. Managers seeking to improve engagement and compliance may find more success with shorter, frequent training delivered through an online platform.
Kent State purchased a software program that allows them to upload training content. The training modules are built for ease of use, taking no more than 30 minutes to complete. The online program also provides automated training reminders and tracks employee progress.
The training curriculum spans over 70 topics including ladder safety, electrical safety, communication, conflict resolution, and the fundamentals of emotional intelligence. Courses are assigned based on each employee’s role, and staff are required to complete their assigned modules every month.
Consistent training translates into measurable improvements. For example, Pearson’s department of several hundred employees has reduced workers’ compensation-eligible injuries saving the organization money and lost time.
“I believe that’s directly related to our safety training and providing the tools and safety equipment people need to be successful and safe,” he says.
Technical proficiency keeps buildings running, but soft skills keep teams running. Pearson’s doctoral research reinforced this point: “Ninety percent of all terminations are a result of poor emotional intelligence, not a lack of technical skills,” he notes. “It’s not the inability to repair an air handler that causes most problems. It is poor communication, unresolved conflict or the inability to respond appropriately under stress.”
Pearson advises managers to incorporate soft skills training into their development plans. Active listening, conflict resolution, communication styles and emotional intelligence can be taught and reinforced.
Technical skills continue to grow when operations take advantage of vendor training opportunities, Pearson adds.
“We try to take advantage of the free training they offer, even though there is definitely a sales component involved,” he says. “This helps our team members stay informed about both present and future technologies.”
A frequent concern is that training interrupts employee productivity. In practice, Pearson says the opposite tends to be true.
“I have not run into the problem where I’m short on time because people are in training,” Pearson says. “Staffing shortages caused by turnover create far more disruption than short training sessions ever could.”
The key is consistency. When training is embedded into the rhythm of the operation through monthly online courses, scheduled cross-training opportunities and ongoing professional development, employees see it as part of the job.
And the payoff extends beyond skill development. “If you continue to train employees, they have a higher self-worth and they understand that the employer values who they are and is willing to invest in them,” Pearson explains. “In a field battling turnover, that matters.”
Training programs should not stay static. The needs of buildings change, technologies change and workforce expectations change. Training must evolve alongside them.
Employee feedback, safety data, course completion rates and cohort outcomes provide a clear picture of what’s working and what isn’t. For example, when Pearson saw that an off-site technical college program delivered stronger results than his in-house maintenance training, he shifted his team to the new curriculum.
“Going to a technical college has provided a much more robust and effective curriculum,” he says.
Whether improving safety, strengthening culture, filling workforce gaps or building leadership capacity, well-designed training is a strategic necessity.
“The greatest value of training isn’t just better buildings; it’s better people,” Pearson says.
Ronnie Wendt is a freelance writer based in Minocqua, Wisconsin.
