Your reception carpet has spots and two very important clients are coming next week. The board is meeting tomorrow and office chair upholstery is not yet fully dry after cleaning. Employees are complaining about office air quality. Building manager wants hall carpet to last 7 years. These are just some of the everyday situations that require quick reactions and efficient solutions. But, who is the right person to turn to when this type of problem occurs? Who gets the job done?
From the lights being switched on in the morning, to the air conditioning and heating working correctly, to the set up of special meetings and events, there is one person in the company who makes sure that everything is working properly and getting done when it’s supposed to. In many ways, facilities managers are the secret weapons that allow other staffers to fully focus on building a company’s core product.
Facilities managers make sure that an organization has the most suitable working environment for its employees and their activities. They make sure the buildings and grounds are maintained, which entails daily and weekly cleaning schedules as well as determining and scheduling repairs, renovation projects, waste reduction improvements and safety inspections.
Facilities manager activities will vary according to the size and structure of the organization, but the core description of the facility management function remains standard. Usually, the main job tasks and responsibilities of facilities manager are:
- Develop and implement a facility management program including preventative maintenance and life-cycle requirements
- Conduct and document regular facilities inspections
- Ensure compliance with health and safety standards and industry codes
- Allocate and manage facility space for maximum efficiency
- Coordinate intra-office moves
- Supervise maintenance and repair of facilities and equipment
- Oversee facility refurbishment and renovations
- Plan and manage facility central services such as reception, security, cleaning, catering, waste disposal and parking
- Implement best practice processes to increase efficiency
- Advise on and monitor energy efficiency
- Oversee environmental health and safety
- Assure security of the facility
- Respond to facility and equipment alarms and system failures
- Provide prompt response to requests and issues from facility occupants
Developing and implementing a facility management program, including preventative maintenance and life-cycle requirements should be one of the most important responsibilities of every facility manager. It is crucial to implement an adequate maintenance program from the beginning and perform it regularly because most problems are prevented this way and even when problems arise they are dealt with quickly and efficiently.
For example, a lot of facility managers and maintenance supervisors have an ineffective plan for their carpet maintenance because they believe that it is quite enough to clean the carpet “when needed”. However, there is a huge difference between cleaning carpet just when it looks soiled and regularly maintaining the carpet. Developing an effective carpet maintenance program can significantly improve the appearance retention throughout the life of the carpet and increase carpet performance.
So, what does a facility manager do? Manages a facility. That, and so much more. According to Energy Manager Today facilities management jobs are among the fastest growing sectors of employment.
