Modern facility management, what exactly does it involve?
Many organisations now recognise the importance of facility management in successfully looking after their organisation’s environment and associated services.
But what exactly does it involve, why is it necessary and how does it benefit an organisation when managed well?
This blog outlines the fundamentals of facility management, what exactly it is and how it can add value to organisations on a daily basis, particularly in today’s ever evolving digital world.
What is facility management?
The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) defines facility 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.”
Put simply, facility management involves taking care of an organisation’s buildings as well as the people who work and visit them. As a discipline Facilities management can be divided into two core areas: Hard Facilities Management (Hard FM) and Soft Facilities Management (Soft FM)
- Hard FM deals with physical business assets such as, building maintenance, plumbing, heating and cooling, elevators etc.
- Soft FM focuses on tasks performed by people to carry out particular services such as cleaning, communications infrastructure development, catering, office and contract management
There can be certainly be crossover between these soft and hard services. For example security services will have a hard aspect involving the physical presence and infrastructure and a soft aspect around employee training and the management of day to day tasks.
How can successful facility management benefit an organisation?
Effective facilities management and maintenance are essential to the performance of any business, no matter the size or scope. It is common practice for organisations to outsource their facility management to a third party such as Elevare. This enables the organisation to leverage the supplier expertise as well as potentially reducing costs and adding a degree of flexibility to the service as requirements change.
Some of the key benefits include:
- The effective management of business assets
- The introduction of new ways of working and processes
- The protection of your team
- Business continuity
- Bringing a flexibility to operations – vital in today’s ever evolving digital age
Sectors such as health, manufacturing, technology, retail, education, professional services and the public sector are all know to outsource their facility management services.
As well as ensuring the effective day-to-day management of a safe and efficient workplace, when done well it contributes to the delivery of operational and strategic objectives at a top level also.
Outsourcing FM services also enables organisations to focus their own efforts on their core business. The company can also benefit from the volumes of scale the facilities maintenance company has access to in terms of equipment and technological solutions.
A crucial element of FM management for Elevare is to support client businesses to constantly measure their activities and make efficiencies and improve on cost-effectiveness on an ongoing basis. Where some organisations may require a full suite of services others may simply require one or two services for example cleaning or security.
Learn more about our facility management services or contact our team directly to discuss how we could support your organisation.