Season's Greetings and Happy New Year!

Well, another year in healthcare facilities management has passed! We hope 2022 was better for you than 2021.

As we approach year's end, I am reminded of my late mother. When I was a kid, she would open the front door to our house on New Year's Eve, get out the broom, and sweep out the old to welcome in the new when the clock struck 12 am. I can still picture the door and the broom, and I can see her and hear her voice as she welcomed a new year into our home.

We look forward to December 31 and January 1. But let's not rush time. So let's first look back at last year.

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State of HCFM

As we did in 2021, we closed our year in podcasting with a highly informative look back at 2022 and look ahead to 2023 with an expert roundtable.

From inflation to supply chain to employee engagement to predictions for the year ahead, we cover a great deal of ground with our three guests.

Give it a listen and while you are at it, please subscribe and rate the High Reliability podcast.

A look back at 2022, a look ahead to 2023

5 questions to ask

Healthcare organizations should ask five pertinent questions when hiring facilities management (FM) candidates for FM roles in 2023. These questions reflect the employment market today, with the challenges of retirements, burnouts, and a lack of experienced hospital managers and directors to fill vacated roles.

The employment world has changed. As a result, it may be time to recalibrate organizational expectations for FM candidates. And no, that does not mean settling for less.

Q1: Are we overly dependent on our market salary survey?

Five questions to ask when interviewing...

Thank you!

We are grateful to work with so many dedicated professionals. We hope Gosselin/Martin Associates, through our podcasts, articles, jobs, Lunch & Learn education programs, and videos have been a helpful resource for you throughout this year.

A special thank you to all of our podcast guests; there are too many to list here but please know we truly appreciate your time and knowledge.

Doomed by Zoom

Don't take a Zoom interview in your car. You likely won't get the job. Not in your car.

That is all.

This concerns us, updated for 2022

Do you worry about a breaking point reached by frontline hospital facilities leadership and tradespeople? A point at which they say no more, I’m done with facilities?

Many do.

Even in regular times, the FM role is one that can wake you out of your sleep. Keep you up till the sun rises.

And directors I regularly speak with say the issue is worsening: They wake up and stay up. Their mind races with what they need to do. Or what they have not done. Or the money they don’t have to remedy facility issues. Their sleep is gone. They say they see no relief on the horizon.

This Fall, we released a FM roundtable podcast: What keeps you up at night? It features a roundtable of experienced facility leaders. One of the topics we discussed was burnout and salaries.

Read the article or listen to the podcast FM Roundtable: What keeps you up at night?

2022: Five thoughts on recruiting

The facilities employment market changed rapidly this year. Consider:

If you can get 3-4 good years out of a person, hire them.
A resume is a piece of paper, speak to more people.
Speed to market. If you see them and you like them and vet them properly, scoop them. If they are talking to you, they are likely talking to others.
Face the reality of the Market. It's not 2019 anymore. Salaries are rising.
Candidates have choices, too. Treat them well during the interview process. They notice.

It is no longer a trend for organizations to have difficulty locating facilities management talent. It is a reality.

What were the most significant issues facing healthcare facilities management in 2022?

Staff shortages in trades	86%
Inadequate salaries	68%
Burnout	42%
Pace of change outpaces ability to stay current	39%
Retirements	34%
Lack of institutional support	26%

This Fall, Gosselin/Martin Associates conducted a Healthcare Facilities Management Survey. The link to see the survey results is below.

LINK TO RESULTS

If you missed it this year, listen to the...

College Degree High Reliability podcast

Here in 2023

Gosselin/Martin Associates will continue to offer personalized career concierge services in 2023. The Career Hub offers

Resume review and assistance,
Level setting and career discussions,
High Reliability education,
and more.

Stay tuned!

Dick Winters quote for leaders

In one of my favorite High Reliability podcasts released in 2021 we discussed leadership lessons from the miniseries Band of Brothers.

An American war drama miniseries based on historian Stephen E. Ambrose's 1992 non-fiction book Band of Brothers, the show depicts the wartime experiences of E Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.

This year I read Conversations with Major Dick Winters by Cole C. Kingseed. Winters parachuted into Normandy as E-Company Lieutenant and would, by war's end, rise to command of the 2nd Battalion.

Two quotes discussed in that book are instructive to leaders in 2022.

"You can't do a good job if you don't have a chance to use your imagination or creativity."

"Leadership by example always trumps leadership by fear."

If you liked the miniseries, I would encourage you to read this book or any of the post-war books E Company soldiers wrote. Many soldiers depicted in the series wrote books that provided a different perspective on their service.

Listen to Band of Brothers Leadership Lessons

Goodbye, farewell

Hopefully, 2023 will treat you well. As we have done on past yearly reviews, we depart with a goodbye. Like George Constanza on Seinfeld, we leave on a high note.

Thanks to all of the professionals who run, work, plan, design, and construct our healthcare facilities. We look forward to crossing paths with you in 2023.

Visit our open jobs