Have you ever found yourself at work when the air conditioning was on the fritz, leaving the office either too hot or too cold? Maybe you’ve experienced office bathroom facilities out of supplies on more than one occasion.
While these issues might seem minor in the grand scheme of things, they can lead to decreases in morale and productivity, which is bad for business. On the flip side, when employees are comfortable and content, they tend to be more focused and engaged in their tasks, resulting in better outcomes.
These everyday challenges are just the tip of the iceberg for facility managers, who navigate a myriad of issues to create a comfortable working environment for everyone around them. In this respect, they could be likened to a parental figure, taking care of all other departments.
In this blog post, we’ll explore why facility management is so important and how you can make the lives of those on the team easier so that they can better support the business as a whole.
The implications of poor facility management
Legal implications don't necessarily spring to mind when discussing facility management, but they are something to seriously consider. When facilities are not managed properly, they create a ripple effect of risks and liabilities that can easily escalate into legal troubles. For example, health and safety fall under the jurisdiction of facility management, which is important in any business—or at least should be.
If a building doesn't meet fire safety standards, for example, or if the environment poses slip-and-fall hazards, accidents are more likely to occur, and as you can imagine, this can lead to lawsuits from injured parties. Not to mention, non-compliance with local building codes and regulations can result in fines and penalties from authorities.
Neglecting things like plumbing and electrics can also disrupt operations, leading to disputes with customers and, in worst-case scenarios, claims of negligence.
How facility management impacts customers
For businesses that rely on remote customers, such as e-commerce or service providers, facilities play a crucial role in maintaining operations. I'm not referring to areas like health and safety, which are often associated with brick-and-mortar businesses that deal with customers face-to-face. Poor facility management can lead to reputational damage and negatively impact your return on investment.
If facilities aren't managed properly, it can lead to disruptions in service, like delays in shipping, issues with product quality due to improper storage conditions, or technical issues that affect online services. Not to mention data security vulnerabilities, especially if physical servers and IT infrastructure are not adequately protected, leading to data breaches and the loss of customer trust.
All of these issues can damage your company's reputation, affect customer loyalty, and ultimately impact revenue and profitability.
Incident management
Facility management plays a critical role in incident management where issues are identified and coordinated with an appropriate response to the right team. This can be anything from repairs that prevent downtime and data loss to cybersecurity breaches and logistical disruptions.
By effectively managing facilities, you can protect your assets and maintain service quality, which is crucial for business continuity.
Facility management and ROI
We touched on how creating a comfortable working environment directly impacts employees at the beginning of this blog post, stating how it increases productivity and, thus, output, which results in a positive ROI.
We also mentioned how the likes of plumbing and electrics are handled by facilities. This directly links to operational costs. Energy-efficient technologies and waste reduction, for example, not only lower bills but support environmental sustainability efforts—a priority for many businesses today.
Collectively, these efforts in facility management play a pivotal role in driving profitability and long-term success by optimizing operations, resources, and employee performance while safeguarding against risks and enhancing your business's overall cost-effectiveness.
Helping facility management
At this point, we’ve established the importance of facility management as a business function. So, how can you make their lives easier?
Aside from providing adequate funding for maintenance and upgrades (vital in showing your commitment to a safe and efficient workplace) there are several ways to directly help your facilities team.
Investing in regular training and development is one (helping them stay on top of industry best practices and safety protocols). Encouraging open communication channels between facility managers and other departments is another. You could also involve your facilities manager(s) in strategic planning to empower them.
Software for facility teams
Having the right software for your facility team is vital in today’s business environment. If you get this right, you will not only simplify their lives but everyone in the business.
When it comes to managing assets, software empowers you to stay organized. You can schedule maintenance tasks, monitor equipment performance, and proactively prevent costly breakdowns.
Software can help with incident management via service requests, progress tracking, and timely issue resolution, minimizing disruptions and downtime.
As a business leader, you'll be interested in data, and with the right software, you can generate reports on service metrics, response times, and asset usage to spot trends, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions that optimize operations and reduce costs.
It's likely that you'll already be using software to some capacity in your business, so you'll want to ensure that whichever application you adopt to help your facilities team seamlessly integrates with your existing tools.
Jira Service Management is an example of a tool that does this. It simplifies facility management through communication and provides actionable insights, boosting overall efficiency.
Effective facility management is not just a matter of convenience; it is a strategic imperative for any organization, directly impacting employee well-being, cost efficiency, customer satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and business continuity.
Consider what you already have in place and how you can make things better. By reading this blog post, you’re already halfway there!
Published: Jul 12, 2024
