Management of facilities and maintenance is among the relevant fields of today’s business environment. It consists of ensuring the stabilisation and operation of structures, and workspaces, such as offices, and other related environments. Clean, security, and technical services are just a few of the many essential services that are associated with facility management, making it necessary for companies to run efficiently. As a business sets and establishes new facilities and phases of growth, then so does the need for facility management, hence making it a very crucial part of the everyday running of the business.
In other words, the facility management industry is a sector that supports corporations to maintain their assets effectively and ensure that the employees work in a safe and comfortable environment. From companies with small offices to companies with large buildings, facility management is a vital part.
What is facility management?
This is the practice of taking care of the areas where activities are carried out, including businesses and other social places. This can include buildings, equipment, and the like. As for infrastructure, it includes human and structural. A facility manager makes sure that all systems within a building are properly functioning, right from the electricity, water supply, ventilation, and air conditioning right down to the cleaning services. This role also aims at ensuring that no harm befalls anyone who is indoors, as well as making everyone feel comfortable.
Some of the key tasks in facility management include:
- Maintenance of buildings
- Janitorial cleaning
- Security services
- The basic office supplies and furniture needed to be bought, moved, and maintained
- Safety is a critical and core determinant of service quality and must, therefore, be implemented
- Communicating with staff and customers and as well dealing with technical issues about equipment and services.
Maintenance functions deal with the proper management of the workplace to provide a conducive environment for the employees to work without dealing with the worries of how facilities are being managed.
Divisions of facility management services
The facility management industry offers diversified services that help to meet the needs of organisations. Below are some common types of facility management services.
Maintenance services
Maintenance is focused on guaranteeing that various systems in the building, including the heating, lighting, and plumbing systems, are in proper condition. In this case, the facility managers ensure timely check-ups as well as fixing anything that may develop a problem.
Cleaning and janitorial services
Sanity in general is the foundation of health, and maintaining a clean environment in particular is the foundation of productivity. Concisely, facility management comprises managing cleaning personnel in addition to making sure that all areas of a building are well maintained.
Security services
Any workplace has to be safe no matter what. The managers of the facilities are often in charge of coordinating the security systems like the cameras, alarms, and guards, among others, to enhance the safety of everyone.
Technical support services
Another important responsibility of facility management is technical equipment management, including computers, printers, and telecommunications. These services help to confirm that all technical systems are in good operating condition.
Space planning and management
They also play the role of arranging the working space by allocating the offices or a building, as the case may be. This ranges from the placement of desks and meeting rooms as well as the overall general arrangement that transpires to favour the company’s operational processes.
Exploring the implications of technology in facility management
Technology has greatly influenced the improvement of the facility management industry over the last couple of years. As the level of technology increased, facility managers have been able to have better control of the buildings and address some of the problems that arise in the buildings.
Smart building systems mean that the facility managers can manage heating, lighting, and security through a process of automation. These systems can also anticipate such issues before they occur in the facility and can, therefore, prevent the occurrence of downtimes or impacts on work.
Further, the facility management software enables the user to accomplish scheduling, follow-through maintenance, and staff communication, making work easier for the facility manager. Technology is playing a good role in improving, automating, and reducing the cost of managing facilities.
The significance of facility management for companies
Managing facilities is important to any organisation since it affects productivity and staff work norms. Proper management of the workplace thereby ensures that employees work with ease sans the noise of maintenance problems or issues to do with safety. If a building or an office is clean and safe, as well as free from major issues, then the environment will be much better.
This also makes it easy for a facility management team to assist businesses in reducing their costs and time since they handle problems and keep everything in order. These measures help avoid huge financial damage and operations interruptions, which can occur in the future.
Challenges observed in the facility management industry
Any industry has its problems, and the facility management industry is no exception to this. One of the problems lies in the complexity of both new constructions and systems of the buildings themselves. For example, in the current modern world where new technologies such as IoT and AI are widely integrated into smart buildings, facility managers have to be more knowledgeable and ready than before.
Another concern added to the list is the fact that it is also difficult to organise several services that can reach up to a sizeable amount. From cleaning to security and from technical maintenance support, facility managers have to manage several services that are involved in the building’s use, and this might at certain times be rather exhaustive.
Conclusion:
Thus, this industry plays a significant role in the efficient day-to-day operation of organisations, mainly by providing proper cleanliness, safety, and maintenance of facilities. This ranges from cleaning and maintenance to security and technical help, and hence facility management plays a major role in some of the businesses.
Currently, the facility management service in uae since the economy and the infrastructure are continually improving. Organisations in the UAE require facility management services to increase the standards of their facilities and optimise the efficiency of their structures. Regardless of the size of the commercial premises or the offices, almost every business needs the facility management service in the UAE, and this makes it a fundamental aspect of the commercial environment.
