Human Capital is one of the 19 functional FM knowledge areas that are categorized into four key knowledge domains.

Definition: Human capital refers to the knowledge, skills, and abilities possessed by individuals or groups of employees that can be used to create value for the individual, the organization, or both. For individuals, human capital can be invested to produce individual growth and career advancement. For organizations, harnessing the potential of the collective human capital in the organization can result in increased profitability, competitiveness, or customer service.

Facility management contributes directly to an organization’s strategic success by supporting the productivity of facility occupants—all of those individuals using a facility. This includes employees, contractors, visitors, and customers. FM services create a more productive environment in which occupants can achieve their objectives. FM also uses performance management to support and increase the productivity of facility management staff.

Facility managers improve returns on human capital by focusing on both external and internal environments that affect job satisfaction and motivation. The external environment refers to the physical qualities of the workplace—qualities such as temperature and humidity, air quality, ergonomics, noise, the ability to adjust one’s immediate environment to individual needs (e.g., to control lighting or airflow), and aesthetics. The internal environment refers to characteristics of individual workers that affect performance: needs that can be addressed through different motivation and rewards and task readiness or having the skills and knowledge and support to do one’s job.

Key Concepts:

• Impact of facilities on occupant productivity.
• Environmental factors affecting occupant productivity.
• Tactics to boost occupant satisfaction and productivity.
• Measuring impact on productivity.
• Role of human resources and facility management in managing human capital.
• Staffing facility projects.
• Employee life cycle.
• Orientation vs. Onboarding.
• Employee engagement characteristics.
• Goals of performance management systems.
• Performance management model and process.
• Utilizing motivation and rewards.
• Diverse and inclusive workplaces.
• Third-party work relationships.

Human Capital Proficiency Indicators (Task Statements)

• Demonstrates ability to work with the facilities team to establish practices and procedures.
• Recommends and communicates policies and establishes practices and procedures for facility management.
• Demonstrates knowledge of the mission of the facilities’ occupants and how the facilities enhance that mission.
• Understands facility management staffing requirements and develops strategies for sourcing and evaluating job candidates.
• Designs and oversees employee recruitment, motivation, and retention techniques and processes.
• Designs job descriptions that meet the organization’s resource needs.
• Implements effective onboarding and orientation programs for new employees.
• Supervises, manages, coaches, and leads personnel as required.
• Drives a change management process—a structured approach to shifting/transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state.
• Builds engaged relationships with team members through trust, respect, and communication.
• Resolves or mediates conflicts in a respectful, appropriate manner.
• Supports an organizational culture that values diversity and promotes inclusion.
• Implements best practices for employee retention and job enrichment.
• Creates individual development plans in collaboration with employees.
• Demonstrates ability to develop and implement training programs for facilities staff and ancillary resources to support continuous learning opportunities.
• Implements recognition programs for sustainability efforts.
• Fosters collaboration and open communications.
• Ensures that communication messages are clear and understood by the recipient.

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