Progressive facility management training: our approach | ANABAS
What We Do
Services
Spotless offices. Fully functioning A/V equipment. Regular security checks. Our Brilliant Basics programme is all about getting the simple things right first time.
View Page Total facilities management
Hard FM
FM Helpdesk Building & Fabric Maintenance Mechanical & Electrical Maintenance
Soft FM
Reception & Front Of House Events & Lifestyle Services Logistics & Office Services Security Catering Cleaning & Environmental
Sectors
Our people are the face of our business. They’re also the people front of house or behind the scenes who make our clients’ workplaces fantastic spaces to work or visit.
View Page
The Anabas Difference
10 reasons to choose us
In your workplace, it is very often the Facilities Management team who create memorable experiences for your customers, employees or visitors. Whether it’s welcoming them at the door, fixing a problem or being on-hand to help, you’ll want a Facilities Management team that leaves people feeling valued and supported.
View Page

Small Decencies

Boutique FM

Fully Engaged

Brilliant Basics

Great Experiences

FM Technology

Great People

Advocacy

Right size, Right fit

Promises Delivered

People Power
Our people are the face of our business. They’re also the people front of house or behind the scenes who make our clients’ workplaces fantastic spaces to work or visit.
View Page
Meet The Team Careers News & Insights Contact
Empowering our people through progressive facility management training

January 29, 2025

By Emma Lambert, Head of Talent Development

 

When it comes to facilities management training, it takes two forms: training tailored to our clients’ needs and requirements, and training aimed at personal and career development for our people. Training is a continuous process that must constantly evolve to ensure our people are the best they can be.

Training is indeed a key pillar in both personal and professional growth within any organisation. It not only enhances skills but also fosters employee retention, directly impacting a company’s reputation and success.

 

What’s new in training and development?

There has been a huge move in the industry towards mentoring and coaching. So much of FM delivery is practical and problem solving, so learning from the experience of others is invaluable.

Formal qualifications are relevant and can provide a great basic knowledge as an overview, but they are not necessarily tailored to what our clients need on a daily basis. Mentoring plugs that gap.

This is why the active contribution of management is so important. Managers play a crucial role in supporting their teams’ continuous learning by identifying development needs, providing effective coaching and creating opportunities for growth.

When managers actively encourage and enable ongoing training and incorporate coaching into their approach, they empower their teams to build new skills and adapt to changing demands, fostering both individual and organisational success.

 

The challenges of facility management training

For this style of training to work, it must be embraced by managers and may require changing mentalities. People learn from example and so with the right guidance and encouragement, positive influencing should be alive and kicking across the business.

However, the idea of becoming a mentor or coach is still one that is often shied away from. Common challenges include:

  • Managers often lack the skills to teach and develop others simply because they themselves have never been taught how to do so
  • Coaching is a difficult skill to master as many managers are used to directing rather than developing others
  • Managers often feel they don’t have the time to coach others in their day to day, however taking the time to share and pass on skills will save time for the business in the long run

To combat the above, a cultural shift to alter the style of management in an organisation is often required. If all staff are developed in the same way from the top down, then managers and supervisors can lead by example.

 

The benefits of facility management training

The advantages of training in FM are far reaching, benefiting FM providers, clients and customers alike:

  • Staff know what’s expected of them and they feel supported in achieving those goals – from our apprentices right up to senior leadership
  • Progressive training sets the parameters for progression and outlines what’s required for staff, teams and departments to develop and continue Anabas’ growth
  • To us, training and development is a long-term investment in our people, to help them feel valued, motivated and productive
  • Training and development can also be cost-effective in the long term – developing teams and processes over time has improved our operational efficiency
  • Solid training plans are a show of commitment to our clients, and they’ve played a part in the strong relationships we’ve built
  • Errors and mistakes are of course human nature, but our comprehensive training programmes help reduce the likelihood of such events through the positive reinforcement of best practice

But before thinking of the secondary benefits, you must start with your own people and focus on developing them first and foremost. This is something that Gemma Rigby, Anabas’ HR Director, believes strongly: “The value of ongoing progression and development cannot be understated when it comes to staff attraction, satisfaction and retention.

“Training that’s tailored to teams and individuals ensures staff at every level are contributing to your business goals and, crucially, feel a part of your success.”

 

Where to start with facilities management training

Support, for both the learner and the coach, is crucial in implementing an effective mentoring programme. These steps will help get you started:

  • Clearly outline a plan and implement a step-by-step process to provide a structure for both the learner and the coach to follow, e.g. the GROW model – this simple structure can be adapted to suit the learning styles and skills of all involved
  • Encourage regular and honest conversations
  • Trust others – allow those you are coaching to make mistakes. These provide an opportunity to reflect and to discuss how a different approach could have delivered a more positive outcome
  • Set or suggest clear goals, objectives and timeframes
  • Map the journey and measure progress at regular intervals

And remember, the key to being a successful coach is collaboration and developing a good working relationship with the learner.

 

Continuous professional development (CPD) and measuring success

CPD is designed to identify areas for improvement or where development is required. It is also a great way to measure success on both a business and personal level.

While coaching and formal training should make up part of the process, your staff are also responsible for their own development. As such, they need to take responsibility, identify their own needs, set their own pace and use their own initiative.

We create our training programmes with CPD in mind and consider where our employees can take ownership of their own training. Tailoring this to individuals is vital to positive outcomes, and it also provides our employees with the power to steer their own progression.

 

Final thought

There are many different types of training, and not all of it is confined to a traditional classroom setting. While online and classroom learning have a place, training at Anabas extends to more practical experiences such as on-the-job learning, shadowing and mentoring.

A good FM provider not only provides a great service to clients – it also offers facilities management jobs with real progression and development for the people delivering that service.

Follow us on LinkedIn for more on life at Anabas.

We would love to hear from you