about and decided to stick
with it,” she says.
She believes that this
lack of understanding
keeps people from entering the profession. But
with retirement rates
as high as they are and
the need to find qualified professionals strong,
organizations need to take
a proactive approach in
attracting Gen Z and millennials to facilities management.
“It’s imperative that we begin this process to
replenish in earnest right now because it takes time
to build the programs necessary to close the gap,”
McGary explains.
Companies Need to Take an
Active Role
Companies in need of facilities managers now
and in the near future must take notice and be
proactive in the process to educate and recruit the
next generation – both inside and outside of their
organization.
“One of the biggest barriers I see is that a lot of
companies say they need younger people and more
facilities managers, but they aren’t willing to pro-
Awidely cited figure states that in the next five to 15 years, 50 percent of the current facilities management workforce could retire. With baby
boomers exiting – and older members of Generation X
not far behind – now’s the time for millennials looking
for that next career step or members of Generation Z
still in school or just starting out to consider a career
in facilities management.
However, it can be difficult to get the right facilities management training and schooling. There aren’t
many educational institutions with facility management programs, and preparing for and learning about
the career can be a challenge.
“No matter how long anyone has been in facilities
management, it’s still tricky for them to explain it. If
you’re doing it well, people don’t even realize it,” says
Carolyn McGary, a millennial with over 13 years of
facility and project management experience in both
the public and private sectors. “Our industry covers so
much and there’s so many pieces that we touch, that
it’s so hard to explain all that without overwhelming
Unsure herself what she wanted to do in college,
McGary tried different things, knowing she wanted
a degree she could “use” after graduation. Deciding
she wanted to go into architecture in graduate school,
she prepared by getting into a facility management
program during undergrad. “I didn’t know what I was
As older facilities managers retire, have a plan
to attract millennial and Generation Z employees
The Future
of Facilities
Management
Carolyn McGary
