The Role Of Facilities Management

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Good businesses are as like as high performance engines: provides better service when properly maintained. But, in better business, gaining a handful profit is not only merely dealing with the better engines , but also dealing with its outfit; environment. Customer satisfaction and best value are mostly depends on the proper combination of the core and non-core element of any service or products. (Atkin, B., Brooks, A., 2009).

Executing business with proper business facilities means to ensure the proper management of premises initial design, maintenance, the day-to-day administration and control of manpower, energy and related resources. (Association of facilities management, 1986)

Any educational institute deals with abstract knowledge but the Marketing of an educational institute is mostly lies on "showing evidence of what a college education experience will look like" (Anctil 2008). Along with marketing a campus with proper facilities can help to conceive the abstract thinking that ensures better education.

2. The role of facilities management and managers in businesses

Facilities manager plays a key role to facilitate business in proper manner. Facilities manager contributes in operational activities to strategic activities and manage the business’s non-core works as if it smooth the core activities of any business.

2.1. The contribution of facilities management in organization

The contribution of facility manager in any organization is not merely establishing a working environment; it deals to manage the non-core activities and minimizes the costs by showing some professional judgment and playing a role of supporter to the core activities of the business which enables the enterprise to get proper profitability. (Wiggins, J. M., 2010). A facility manager is the person who deals with this work with efficient manner. A successful facility manager is a person who combines the equipment and people with a scientific process.

Facilities management can contribute to a business by confirming several things, which leads a business to a benchmark position. It ensures:

2.1.1. Professional Judgment

Facilities Management concerns just not filling up any space or using equipment, it demands logical consequence of spacing or formulating any equipment. In built working condition Facilities management specify the professional judgments to establish a coherent relationship between core and non-core activities of any business.

2.1.2. Minimizing costs:

Early 1970 is the remarkable era not only for the world economic recession, but also for the facilities management. . (Wiggins, J. M., 2010). From that time most businesses focuses on establishing facilities management to gain maximum environmental exposure by providing minimum cost.

2.1.3. Supportive role:

Success of business depends on proper blending of all interlinked component of the business. Facilities management ensures the proper form at the proper quality by the proper cost of non-core activities, which uniquely support the core activities of any business.

For instance, a facilities manager of university or college might contribute for things as varied as

Space formation and room management

Health & Safety services.

Security Administration

Student Information Office management.

parking Management

2.2. The relationship between the operations function and facilities management in businesses

Facilities management pursues better service by combining the all operational function of any business. Operational Function starts from spacing, formulating the space and then continues to other related works. The facilities manager will lead any the plan by communicating with core business team and then needed to benchmark the plan with current market trends. After rectifying the plan with the benchmark, then he will make the final draft (Barrett, 1998). The visible part of any business is the operational side, so as the primary part of facilities management. (Chotipanich, 2004).

In any educational institute the operational activities are the combination of formulating of space with architectural and structural plan, where adequate light and air can be ensured, Modern universities are dealt with gorgeous architectural view with latest services, such as Wi-Fi, facilities. Proper space management can ensure the best use of resources. Regular cleaning is also an operational activity of any campus. In a diversified world with different phenomena, security administration is also a day-to- day process with highest priority.

Strategic facilities management looks at the future. Interaction between strategic and operational facilities management must occur and the aim is to synergistically balance current operations with the needs of the future. (Barrett, 1998).

2.3. The role and responsibilities of facilities managers

Starting from 1970’s, Facilities management becomes the part and parcel part of any entity. Almost all Japanese enterprise considers facilities management as a key facilitator of handful profit. According to Japanese, facilities management improves the efficiency of workers and that leads to productivity. (Alexander, 1996).

So the roles of facility managers are dimensional alike other managers and it is widespread to three levels: strategic, tactical and operational (Barrett, 1998).

Wiggins (2010) elaborates the role of facilities managers are:

Strategic Level:

Formulating overall Facilities management strategy that sustain for long period.

Establishing a better relationship with internal & external group.

Making "to follow" guidelines for all components with a coherence of strategy.

Maintaining the KPI against guidelines.

Conduct risk analysis and initiative to mitigate the risk.

Tactical Level:

Establishing budget that leads to reach the overall strategy.

Conducting the activities of Facilities Management Team.

To ensure the best uses of resources.

Communicating with external and internal linkage group.

Provide proper direction to the operational level.

Operational Level:

Delivering proper services to the related group

Reporting to the upper level.

Communicating with the group that provides service at operational level.

Check and balance the service provided.

Establish a "to do" procedure.

Facility manager ensures corporate and legislative compliance plus the proper maintenance of all aspects to create a prime, harmless and cost tolerance environment.

The skills needed by effective facilities manager

People managing skill is the first priority for effective facilities manager, whereas they have to negotiate with cleaner to director. Professional skepticism is the prerequisite part of character of a facilities manager. The capacity to work with a team and establish a plan and control procedure is must have things to a facilities manager. Abstract and theoretical knowledge of health, safety and environment along with corporate and legislation is also important. Ability to show leadership qualities on conflicting priorities leads a facilities manager to success.

A facilities manager of universities might have the understandings of:

Organizational understandings: activities of universities.

Communication network specially with the students, faculty, and other support group

Interpersonal quality focused with leadership.

Problem solving attitude.

3. Planning and managing organizational accommodation

Better usage of space is important for any business. Maximum usage of space ensures the proper work environment, which increases efficiency and that leads to greater productivity. A facilities manager has to play the proper role to managing the change of overall accommodation of the business.

3.1. The relationship between businesses needs and space planning

Space planning is not just dealing with sitting arrangement. It considers sitting arrangement, accommodation, IT facilities, and Telex services within a legal framework. To establish a better space planning facilities managers uses their expertise gained from experience along with their understanding and the need s of the users.

While space planning, a facilities manager should reconcile his idea with the needs of the business. An overall discussion process of all departments should be made to establish a common space planning. Based on this discussion, the facilities manager will understand the business need. For example, while thinking of space planning of a library of any university, A facilities manager should bear in mind not only about stocking books but also letting available space to arrange the sitting of different group such as- students, researchers, faculty etc. These include average space / person, corridor widths; sizes for table- chair, Xerox areas, discussion rooms etc.

3.2. Managing changes to accommodation

Change in accommodation is a common but linked with several components-such as cost, coordination, speed, psychological understanding of the related parties. A facilities Manager must ensure the accommodation change by minimizing the interruption rate of regular work, cost tolerance, with an overall sporty flavor. Proper planning and co –ordination with the related parties can ensure the better management accommodation change. Accommodation change management need to be effective and efficient. (Wiggins, 2010).

In UK the average costs of changing accommodation varies by the nature of the business, which is in a range of £250 to £3500/ person or workstation (Wiggins, 2010).

Change in accommodation might be occurred in different ways at various levels. A business decides to change its accommodation for better working environment which depends on the behavior, judgmental power and the psychology of the related people. ( Atkin, B. and Brooks, A., 2009)

4. Considerations and legislation related to health and the environment influence facilities management

Health and safety issue is the one of the most talked topics in today’s business. Facilities manager has to consider the related legislation that keep the environment sound.

4.1 Environmental impact of equipment, energy sources and consumables

The evolution of business got very smooth due to using up to date equipment, which requires more energy. So the rate of using energy has increased though the variation of energy sources remains same. The point is that, environment is somehow effected by the products or services products or services we use. It affects every point of life cycle – raw material acquisition to disposal (Estes, J.M., 2009)

While considering a university, equipment, energy sources, and consumables can affect the environment in different ways. Such as-

Excess Power intake

Risky constituents

Metals contained within different electronic item

Waste maximization

Noise emissions

Most of the people even can’t realize how the office consumables can be costly and environmentally harmful people. Office equipment energy use has bubbled up 2.3 times in the last ten years, and tended to double in the next ten years. Office equipment that didn’t exist 15 years ago now accounts for up to 80% of office energy use, not to mention additional running costs. (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EH316)

4.2 Minimize their impact on the environment

While planning a facilities manager should keep in mind the environmental effect with its cost effectiveness. A specific plan for environment should take at manufacturing process. A better facilities management always considers repair and refilling than manufacturing. If possible the recycling use of any office equipment or consumables saves both environment and finance.

The working habit is more important to balance the environment. Office equipment are inevitable need for any working team, but we can choose a product which is more environment friendly. The equipment that is more environments friendly is less costly (Cotts, D.G. et al, 2010).

5. The relationship between business ethics and facilities management

In modern business world business and ethics are both related to each other. Success of any entity is mostly depends on the ethical reputation of any business. In modern business world, the company succeeds most, which keep the relationship with other parties based on strong ethical standard.

A facilities manager is the key person in any business who holds the responsibility of managing non-core activities. Maintaining the responsibility properly ensures the ethical code of a facilities manager.. So responsibility relates to ethics and this ethics leads to best managerial practices from facilities managers.

In facilities management there is a chance to apply ethics in every aspect. Every stage of facilities management has a great role to play at their level. Such as-

operational level staff minimize the physical losses

Strategic level minimizes the organizational losses.

Ethics also facilitates business by upholding the law. Behave within the ethical procedure means to stay within the boundary of law, whereas out of this is breach of law. So ethical practices help organization to consider as lawful organization. In facilities management makes to take responsibilities, to perform over the responsibilities and always trying to minimize the potential risk.

6. Conclusion

Proper use of physical facilities can be ensured by the efficient facilities management team, and is always been a major factor to consider for every business. Facilities manager are up to provide better service with a minimized cost. A full-fledged profitable business will face as a losing concern because of less sense of a facilities manager. A facilities manager of an educational institute needs to ensure the best service or facilities to evolve both the knowledge and the market. The role of Facilities Manager can be described as an umbrella who upholds the whole organization to operate its regular work properly.