A recent conversation with a facility management professional from a large company revealed a problem that needed further investigation. The staffer expressed frustration over not being able to spend time with his boss. He stated they just couldn’t connect the way they used to, and he was concerned about how the lack of interaction was affecting his ability to do his job and the path forward.
Further exploration of the reported problem led to a surprising discovery about facility management organizations, and organizations in general. It is becoming increasingly difficult to capture a manager’s attention. Managers that once were known for being on top of emails, scheduling recurring all-hands and individual meetings, and reviewing deliverables and responding with actions in a timely manner, are having difficulty following this pattern. Not being able to accomplish these tasks is becoming a common occurrence. The good news is the problem has nothing to do with managers’ lack of interest in staff and the organization. The bad news is an epidemic of leadership distancing from staff is taking place in companies across the globe.
Global companies are flattening organizations and shrinking the number of managers who, in turn, are inheriting larger teams. The simple fact is when companies decided to address the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic disruption to their operations, they cut middle management to eliminate corporate bloat. Middle managers that used to manage small groups report they now manage at least twice the number of employees. Research performed by Gartner paints an even more challenging scenario. Gartner reports that the norm used to be one manager for every five employees in 2017 and now most managers oversee triple that number. The median ratio increased to one manager for every 15 employees by 2023. Statistics from large companies tell a similar story as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The new mentality about leadership and managing plus the focus on organization flattening creates an unfamiliar version of workplace tension within facility management organizations that hasn’t been in play for years. Larger teams mean managers have less time for thoughtful communication with staff, while teams feel under-supported and confused about how the organization works. Staff feel less engaged as confirmed by a Gallup poll that showed less than half know what is expected of them; a number down from 56 percent at the beginning of 2020.
This change in the configuration of staff to managers is the new normal for the near future. Managers are straddling a schedule filled with additional meetings both in person and online, presentations by senior executives on the latest corporate direction, and the need to impress their bosses with their AI expertise, which is another article topic. Facility managers describe their current state of mind as one of being constantly overwhelmed by distractions outside their leadership and managerial responsibilities.
Some senior executives have embraced the flattening trend. At Axon, the maker of body cameras and tasers, the number of managers and supervisors that have been cut from 1,250 to 700 were reassigned and returned to the role of rank-and-file employees. One senior software engineer there suggests this change allows employees to be adults and manage themselves. The Axon president supports his view and believes, “There isn’t any better way to ensure (a company) is going to slow down, become more bureaucratic and become less agile in product development than making sure you have plenty of managers for every couple of employees.”
Striking a balance between configuring overly slim facility management organizations that propel managers at all levels towards burnout and staff towards rebellion, and a robust organization where managers learn to focus on what matters most and staff are clear about what it takes to thrive, will take time as well as trial and error. In the meantime, facilities staff are not without strategies to guide them through these difficult times.
Journalist Joe McCormack writing for The BRIEF Lab has created a six “P” method for approaching harried managers whose time to interact with staff is scarce.
Professional: Facilities staff need to remember that the lack of productive contact with managers is not a reflection of worth or contribution, but that of their workload. The mindset of facilities staff must be every interaction is an opportunity to make collaboration easier which means they need to take charge of the conversation’s direction. Facilities staff need to be sympathetic to the plight of their managers, yet aggressive in directing how the infrequent meetings flow.
Proactive: Facilities staff will falter if they sit in their offices and wait for managers to seek them out. It isn’t like the old days, so it is incumbent on staff to take the lead in orchestrating meetings. These meetings do not have to be long sessions — just five- or 10-minute updates to check in, drop off short briefing materials and express offers for assistance. These days, managers do not have time to guess what is on a staffer’s mind. Elizabeth Lotardo of Fast Company suggests staff should ask a manager to roleplay a tough problem with them, quickly visit high-stakes meetings or put in a good word with senior management about a specific opportunity they are seeking. The more direct and clear staff are, the easier it is for managers to help because they don’t have to stop and figure out what staff need. Growth opportunities don’t happen by hoping they will. Staff should look for them, find out what it takes to participate, attend or lead something that interests them and proactively lobby their managers. Taking an aggressive approach to interaction with managers helps relieve the burden managers are carrying.
Purposeful: There is no benefit from meeting with a manager just to say you had one. They are time wasters if they do not have a purpose or an expected outcome. Before staff arranges to meet with a manager, it is important to know exactly what the meeting is intended to produce and whether it is an urgent problem or the need to use a manager as a sounding board while a course of action is being studied. Lotardo suggests spelling out exactly what is needed which typically results in an easier yes answer and more than what is requested.
Prepared: It is obvious that an encounter with a manager requires preparation in advance. Creating short notes, a Brief Map or an outline that captures the essence of the meeting and/or what has changed since the last time managers and staff were together is an excellent summary tool. Staff need to remind managers of the last meeting and what has transpired since then. With so many more reports, managers have a more difficult time remembering the intricacies of staff members’ work activities. Lotardo calls this a paper trail that not only fosters dialogue and action but protects the parties involved. Documenting important conversations and decisions assists an overloaded manager in providing and remembering directions and timelines for a consistent outcome. The bottom line here is not to leave anything to memory or interpretation, or the feared “I never said that” response.
Personal: Remember that staff compete for the time and attention of their bosses, much more so than they had to in the past. It is important to make that short connection as productive and personal as possible, given time constraints. It may no longer be the kind of interaction where a manager asks about family and outside activities, but it is still important to make sure the relationship doesn’t become just bullet-points based. Bosses are still human, and they too do not have the kind of interpersonal experience with their senior executives they once had, which means they are missing the same experiences as their staff.
Patient: Managers are not moving at lightning speed and things out of their control affect how they work their day. Even the best managers report they have lost a good percentage of oversight for their own calendars. Patience on the part of facility management staff earns greater trust and respect than it used to, and overburdened managers appreciate staff that help them make their lives easier. While they do not have endless time to give to any one staff member, they are more eager to stay connected with those who appreciate their situation and take charge of their own activities, so meetings are productive.
Flatter organizations foster greater complexity in terms of planning, organizing, and communicating objectives to staff. As one senior manager at Microsoft reported, managing a calendar and making decisions is like a game of Tetris. Two weeks without interaction is too long to discover a staff member has a problem. The bottom line is it will take a while for a workable cadence between managers and staff to be established. To make this adjustment period less stressful for managers and more rewarding for staff, the lead for managing this transition must fall on staff.
Stormy Friday is founder and president of The Friday Group, an international facilities services consulting firm.
