Five ways a facilities management company could improve your business in 2022
What better time to make the commitment to improve your business than at the start of a new year? But, did you know that facilities management (FM) can play a key role in helping to assist with the changing face of the workplace?
With all that has happened over the past two years, the workplace has changed, and the role they play in the lives of those who use them has shifted.
As workplaces continue to adapt, here are five ways that effective FM can support your business and help you navigate these changes in 2022, and beyond.
1. Creating a clean and hygienic workplace can improve your business
There are strong links between cleanliness and happiness, and this is just as important in the office as it is at home. Clean environments can have a direct impact on stress levels, with a recent survey indicating that 60% of people felt less stressed in a clean space.
Anything that can lead to improvements in the physical and mental health of employees can have huge knock-on effects on employee productivity.
Regular office cleaning helps to remove viruses, bacteria, and other germs from the workplace, ensuring that workers are less likely to become ill in the first place. Plus, as a consequence of COVID, enhanced cleaning is now expected by most employees as an indication of their employer’s commitment to health and safety.
A good contract cleaner can tailor a cleaning schedule to ensure that they can maintain your premises to a high standard, without impacting productivity.
Read more about how working with a contract cleaning company can deliver a range of benefits.
2. Ensuring compliance
As a building landlord, owner or manager, it is vital that you are aware of the areas that would fall under the umbrella of compliance. There are myriad regulations and legislation that covers how a building should operate, encompassing things such as Portable Appliance Testing (PAT), fixed wire electrical testing, air conditioning servicing, and fire safety compliance.
The risks of non-compliance are potentially severe. As well as the physical costs in terms of someone potentially having an accident, there is also the legal impact that might have in terms of damages. Plus there’s the reputational impact, as well as any fines related to legislation. All best avoided.
Outsourcing your FM services to a reputable third-party provider takes away the compliance headache, as you can rely on them to keep abreast of any changes to legislation. They also have the skills to carry out all the necessary tests, while at the same time ensuring minimal disruption to the day-to-day operation of your business.
While health and safety has always been central to facilities management, COVID represents a new threat that had to be quickly adapted to with additional measures introduced to ensure businesses were ‘COVID Secure’. By demonstrating your awareness of key areas of compliance you can show to your staff and visitors that you are ready to welcome them back to the workplace in a safe and secure way.
3. Create welcoming environments
As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and this definitely also applies to the exterior of your building. An untidy, unkempt office can instantly create the impression that a business doesn’t care about how it might be perceived. Whereas a workplace with clean windows, well-kept lawns, and an entrance, free from discarded cigarette butts will indicate that the business inside cares for its reputation.
Each season will bring different grounds maintenance challenges to deal with. From clearing ice and snow from pathways and roads in the winter to planting bulbs and mowing lawns in the spring. A FM company can help ensure your building looks its best whatever the time of year.
Another consideration is that taking on a permanent member of staff to maintain your grounds can be expensive, and you will also need to invest in the tools and equipment they’ll need to do their job. Outsourcing this to a facilities management company allows you to access a team of professionals who can help you maintain an attractive landscape throughout the year, at a more cost-effective rate.
Read more about the importance of grounds maintenance here.
4. Improving business security
From key holding services to a physical security presence, protecting your staff and assets should be a top business priority. Having good security measures in place is not only beneficial for the contents and occupants of your building to protect from theft and other risks, but it can also decrease the cost of your insurance too.
If you are a small business then key management might be a concern, particularly if the keys are mislaid or stolen. For larger businesses, security measures might include having on-site security guards or an entrance control system. However, you choose to secure your facility, outsourcing this to a FM company can take away the hassle of having to manage this service in-house.
From arranging the installation of a security system to ongoing maintenance, a FM company can ensure your security systems are operating effectively. If you decide to go down the physical security route, then they can also source the right team who are trained to do the job well.
Find out more about the different types of security measures you can have for your business.
5. Flexible working
The pandemic undoubtedly changed the way we use our offices and workspaces. With the increase in ‘hybrid working’, the old 9-5, 5 days a week routine went out of the window. Now, as we start to return to our workplaces, many business leaders are adapting how they choose to use their office spaces.
A September 2020 CBRE survey found that although 57% of workplaces had assigned seating prior to the pandemic, only 10% plan to continue assigned seating in the future. Instead, many are embracing the idea of hot desking.
This change has allowed many building managers to think about redesigning their workspaces, creating more areas for collaborative working, and increased focus on optimising shared spaces.
A recent trend has been a move towards ‘office hotelling’ whereby users book their space when they need it, and can access all the facilities they need while they are there. To keep up with this emerging facilities management trend, workplaces may need to adopt more of a hospitality mindset and think about how they can provide the technology and services people need to do their best work.
A FM company can help you to understand how you are using your facility and offer advice on how you might be able to make the necessary changes to facilitate any changes to how the space might be used.
If you are looking for a facilities management company to help improve your business in 2022, get in touch to see how Precision FM’s range of services can help.
Contact us at info@precisionfm.co.uk or call 0116 366 6508.
