Talent Spotting

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, COLIN BRIGGS SHARES HIS IDEAS ON SPOTTING AND NURTURING STAFF IN THE PROPERTY AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY.

Back at the start of the new Millennium, Hear’Say won the talent show Popstars and released the single ‘Pure and Simple’. It was a groundbreaking new way of spotting talent for the UK music industry (You’ll thank me for the earworm I’ve given you later today when you’re still humming that addictively cheesy tune!).

Some may praise Simon Cowell for the impact this had on our Saturday night TV screens, whilst others may be relieved that the talent show format (now tried and tested under many guises) is reaching a decline 20 years after its inception. However, it may have taught us a vital lesson – we must adapt our methods of attracting the very best in our industry for the coming generations.

Bowman Riley has a strong legacy of engaging with local universities, colleges and schools to employ architectural, interior design and building surveying assistants and trainees to bring on board our rising stars. My colleague, Dan Heward, recently promoted to Associate Director, started out at 18 as a trainee. This is a testament to the value we place on supporting the progression of our staff – promotion from within.

Traditional routes of recruitment are reflecting other industries, such as music, with the younger generation expecting much more from an employer, their place of work and their career. We’ve probably all read that millennials expect to jump straight into a job following qualification, stick at it for a short while, then up sticks and land in a different city with a different industry. We can’t fight this shift in behaviour.

We need to listen and adapt our business to ensure that we attract the best and brightest talent, retain it and then acknowledge when it’s also okay to let the chicks fly from the nest. They do sometimes realise that the grass isn’t always greener, we have some staff members return years later with accomplished industry experience.

What can we do to embrace this mindset?

We established the Bowman Riley Academy. It’s a kind of support network for our team members working across our offices. It provides the opportunity for our staff to come together and share their experiences, knowledge and provides guidance to anyone furthering their education. It’s a strong selling point when interviewing candidates for all positions (regardless of whether they will directly benefit from it). It provides the reassuring shoulder that we care about investing in our team. Knowing there’s always someone there to speak to when that logbook just doesn’t write itself, or a course deadline just seems too daunting. We’re one big family really. We’ve all been there.

It’s not just the support network we provide, we’re continually reviewing and investing in the office environment. We know that the IT industry must have the highest spec, most interactive and snazzy interiors to create the “google-esque” vibe. Why can’t we have some of that too? Actually, we’re working on it. Our interior designers recently refurbished our Skipton office and it’s transformed the way we interact with each other. Similarly, our London team has relocated into a vibrant and attractive co-habited office space.

I’m so excited for what the future holds. I’m fascinated to see how our working environment will adapt and thrive, but most importantly I’m passionate that we truly invest in the talent of tomorrow. Not just in financial terms, but in terms of providing the right working environment and looking out for their wellbeing too.