Without EDI data, you are making decisions blind

In facilities management, we are brilliant at measuring things:

We measure response times.

We measure SLA compliance.

We measure PPM completion rates.

We measure helpdesk calls, cleaning audits, energy usage, waste streams, asset performance.

If it moves, we put a KPI on it.

But when it comes to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion? Suddenly, the situation has become somewhat subjective in nature.

“We’re a friendly team.”“We treat everyone the same.”“We don’t have a problem here.”

That’s not data, that’s hope, and hope is not a strategy.

FM Is a people business – So why aren’t we measuring our people risks?

Facilities management is one of the most people-intensive sectors in the UK economy.

We have cleaning operatives, security teams, engineers, front-of-house, grounds, catering, supervisors, contract managers, procurement, mobilisation teams.

Often multi-site. Often multi-employer. Often outsourced. Often invisible.

We manage buildings brilliantly. But we don’t generally manage workforce risk with the same discipline. And here’s the uncomfortable truth:

If you don’t have EDI data, you don’t know where your risk sits.

You don’t know:

• Whether certain groups are overrepresented in lower-paid roles

• Whether progression is happening fairly

• Whether particular sites have higher turnover patterns

• Whether grievance and disciplinaries cluster around specific demographics

• Whether your supply chain reflects the communities it serves

Without data, you are making decisions blind.

“We don’t want to ask” isn’t a strategy either

I hear this a lot:

“We don’t want to offend anyone by collecting that data.”

Let’s reframe that.

We are comfortable asking staff to clock in and out, declare right to work, complete safety training, report accidents, submit to audits etc. Because we understand the purpose, we understand the risk, we understand the compliance implications. EDI data is no different. Handled properly, ethically and transparently, it is about:

• Fairness

• Workforce planning

• Risk mitigation

• Client confidence

• Legal compliance

• Reputation protection

• 
  

And increasingly,  it’s about winning work. Clients are asking more sophisticated questions now, especially in public sector FM. “Show us your workforce profile.” “Show us progression data.” “Show us your supply chain diversity.” If your answer is “we don’t hold that”, that’s not neutral. That’s a weakness.

This is not about box-ticking

I am not interested in performative dashboards.

Good EDI data is not about colourful pie charts for the annual report, it’s about operational intelligence.

For example:

• If your cleaning workforce is 70% women but your supervisors are 80% men, that’s a pipeline issue.

• If one contract has consistently higher sickness rates in a particular demographic group, that’s a wellbeing issue.

• If your leadership team doesn’t reflect your workforce, that’s a succession planning issue.

• If your supply chain is geographically concentrated, that’s a resilience issue.

  
  

This is commercial strategy, not activism. And in FM, we understand strategy.

The cost of not knowing

In our sector, margins are tight. Very tight.

We cannot afford:

• High attrition

• Employment tribunal claims

• Reputational damage

• Poor client scores

• Failed mobilisations due to workforce instability

  
  

Yet many organisations are still operating without structured EDI data, or with data that sits unused in HR systems. If you wouldn’t run a contract without financial reporting, why are you running a workforce without inclusion reporting? It’s the same principle. What gets measured gets managed.

Start simple. But start.

This does not need to be complicated.

Start by asking:

• What workforce data do we already hold?

• What are we not collecting?

• Is our data anonymous, secure and GDPR-compliant?

• Who actually reviews it?

• Does it inform decisions, or just sit in a spreadsheet?

  
  

Then ask the harder question:

If a client asked us tomorrow about fairness in our workforce, could we answer confidently – with evidence?

If the answer is “not really”, then that’s your starting point.

FM is ready for this

The FM sector is mature, strategic and commercially astute.

We’ve evolved massively over the last 20 years – from reactive maintenance providers to strategic workplace partners. The next step is measuring and embedding EDI as part of operational excellence. Not as a side project. Not as a HR initiative. Not as a once-a-year campaign. But as core business intelligence.

Because ultimately, this is about people, and in facilities management, people are the service.

I’m hoping that 2026 will be the breakthrough year for EDI data in FM, and I’ll be doing all I can to move it forward and shove obstacles aside. Look out for more from me in this area in the coming months.