Despite the ongoing shift in working patterns, for the majority of people work still takes place at a specific place. Whether that place is an office, factory, school, hospital, warehouse, or any other site, these buildings and facilities need to be looked after. To do that effectively requires a dedicated function: facilities management.
The International Standards Organisation defines Facilities Management as an, “organisational function which integrates people, place and process within the built environment with the purpose of improving the quality of life of people and the productivity of the core business.”
But what does that truly entail in the real world?
From a practical perspective, facility management is the way organisations manage their buildings so that users (whether they are employees, customers, or other stakeholders) can get on with their work.
It’s about making sure that everything – from the front doors opening to the utility bills being paid on time – just works. That way, there’s no impact on a company’s operations from its facilities, and everyone gets to work in the safest and best environment possible.
Many people hear facilities or building management and assume it just relates to the physical aspects of a site, like maintenance, refurbishment and new construction. While facility management does cover those aspects, it also includes a range of other areas, including:
The function of facilities management is so broad that many of its roles cross over with other functions, including IT, HR, finance, and operations.
Though facilities management covers a broad range of areas and functions, the practice can be split into two main categories: hard and soft facility management.
Hard facilities, or services, relate to the physical structure of the building, whereas soft services are those that make the facility secure or pleasant to work in.
| Hard services include: | Soft facilities management |
|---|---|
| Heating | Window cleaning |
| Lighting | Internal cleaning |
| Plumbing | Security |
| Fire safety systems | Waste management |
| Air conditioning | Catering |
| Building maintenance | Communal spaces |
| Parking and access | Landscaping |
Any business that has attempted to operate out of facilities that are not fit for purpose will know the value of having a property that is safe, comfortable, and aligned with its objectives. Facilities management teams have always been critical to delivering that sort of environment – and this has become even more crucial to both employees and organisations in the wake of COVID-19.
But the value of facility management goes far beyond basic health and safety, as effective FM can:
Research shows that workers that report a positive employee experience have 16 times the engagement levels of those with a negative experience. With engaged employees also more likely to be productive, delivering great EX is critical – and the physical environment is one of the elements McKinsey identified as essential to great EX. Facilities management is central to delivering the sort of physical environment that helps workers stay engaged and remain productive.
Irrespective of where facilities are, local health and safety regulations will require certain levels of comfort in workplaces. Facilities management ensures that all buildings and sites meet the requirements set by regulations and legislation. It can also ensure that businesses are not exposing themselves to costly legal battles or fines for compliance failures.
Maintaining and upgrading buildings can be expensive, but ongoing costs for maintaining the lifespan of an existing asset will always be cheaper than having to build a new facility from scratch. Facilities management ensures that buildings remain useable for as long as possible, maximising return on investment for both owners and tenants.
Having a single function overseeing all aspects of facilities management can help reduce costs by standardising suppliers, having a consolidated view of expenditure, and identifying problems before they impact operational effectiveness.
With commercial and industrial sites increasingly incorporating smart technologies, the digitalisation of facilities management is upon us. Facilities management can play a key role in the automation of maintenance services through its overarching view of all areas of the business that require ongoing maintenance. In particular, its insights can inform the shift from time-based maintenance to predictive maintenance.
With ongoing access to all aspects of an organisation’s-built environment, facilities management teams are well-placed to gather data on physical assets. With data analytics, this information can be turned into intelligence that can inform business decision-making, from the running costs of a half-used facility to the suitability of a site for a change of use.
If facilities management is the function responsible for delivering a high-quality physical environment, then facilities managers are the people that do the delivery. They need to be builders, managers, communicators, utility experts, relationship builders, behavioural specialists, and much more.
Specifically, a business’ facility management professionals need an understanding of:
Purpose-built facility management software can help streamline facility and physical asset maintenance by helping organisations:
The best solutions bring all relevant facilities management data together to make it readily available across departments and tools. Plus, using mobile and cloud technologies ensures that everyone has access to the right tools, whether they’re working from an office, the shop floor, or next to a production line.
What does the future hold for facilities management? Faced with a constricting economy, uneven return to work processes, and ongoing market disruption, it would appear that commercial buildings face a rough future.
However, while many might think this threatens facilities management, it actually presents an opportunity. As companies look to make the most out of their assets and optimise their organisations, forward-thinking facility managers have significant value to add. By increasing their use of data insights, automating where appropriate, and streamlining resources to support business objectives, facilities management functions could help stretched business units reduce costs at a time of uncertain revenues.
Accruent's purpose-built facility asset management solutions can streamline your organisation's facility and asset maintenance, helping optimise operations, improve inventory accuracy, automate and maintain work orders, and maintain ongoing compliance.
To find out how it could work for you, get in touch today.
