Facilities management is essential for every organisation, regardless of size or industry. It involves ensuring the efficient and smooth functioning of an organisation's physical environment, from infrastructure to equipment and technology.
Facility managers must set clear, concise goals to guide their teams toward success. However, with so many priorities and limited resources, deciding which goals to focus on can take time and effort.
Facility management teams should set and aim to achieve specific goals essential for success. To help with this, we have compiled a list of the top five facility management goals and tips for effectively setting and achieving them. By the end of this blog post, you will better understand how to optimise your facilities team's performance, improve your organisation's operations, and ultimately drive success.
What are the Facilities Management Goals Your Team Should Set?
Facilities management teams should set goals to create a safe, efficient, comfortable, and productive workplace. We’ve listed the top five goals any facility manager and their team should strive to achieve.
Strategise with the Future in Mind
Efficient and effective facilities management is critical to the success of any organisation. To ensure that your facilities continue to operate at optimal levels, it is essential to have a long-term strategic plan in place. Strategic planning involves anticipating future needs and developing a roadmap to achieve organisational objectives.
Foresight is vital in facility management, and a long-term strategy can help minimise potential risks, lower costs, and increase performance. By planning for the future, you can ensure that your facilities are equipped to handle new challenges, technological advancements, and changes in the market.
Facility managers should work closely with their teams and stakeholders to consistently analyse and evaluate the long-term strategy. This includes reviewing progress, identifying areas that require improvement, and making necessary adjustments. Regular communication and collaboration are essential to ensure everyone is on the same page and the strategy remains relevant and achievable.
Strategic planning involves maintaining a balance between short-term and long-term goals. While having a big-picture view of the future is essential, achieving smaller, more tangible goals in the short term is equally crucial. By achieving smaller goals, you can build momentum and generate enthusiasm among your team, which can help keep morale high and encourage continued progress toward achieving long-term objectives.
Prioritise Effective Communication
Effective facility management relies heavily on communication. When stakeholders and occupants can easily communicate with their facilities management team, it ensures that the facility operates smoothly and everyone is comfortable with their surroundings.
An open line of communication helps facilities management teams learn how the facility is perceived regularly and make improvements accordingly. Efficiently managed facilities are cost-effective and enhance workplace productivity, resulting in happier occupants, satisfied clients, and better business results.
To prioritise effective communication, facilities management teams must:
- Establish open communication channels — Secure communication channels are crucial for effective stakeholder and occupant communication. It includes an accessible email address, regular updates, and one-on-one meetings.
- Encourage feedback and suggestions — Occupants can feel included and valued in facility management by providing an easy way to share feedback and suggestions, such as with a suggestion box or interactive survey.
- Leverage technology — Facilities management software can track occupancy, adjust to environmental changes, submit maintenance requests, and more, helping facility managers maintain their facilities efficiently and proactively.
- Acknowledge and follow-up on feedback — Feedback, whether positive or negative, offers insight into the facility's strengths and weaknesses and addressing it leads to continuous improvement.
Up-to-Date Maintenance Practices
Facility management teams are crucial in ensuring that the workplace operates effectively. One of the most critical aspects of this role is the maintenance of the facility. Maintaining the facility well is vital not only for the safety and comfort of employees and visitors but also to prevent minor issues from becoming major ones. Moreover, a well-maintained workplace can help extend the life of your equipment and improve your operational efficiency, resulting in long-term cost savings.
To achieve this goal, there are various measures that you can adopt. These include creating a preventive maintenance schedule, conducting regular inspections, implementing an efficient system to manage work orders, and providing employees with adequate training on equipment maintenance. By adopting these measures, you can ensure that your workplace stays in top condition, allowing your team to focus on other essential tasks.
A proper system for managing work orders can help you keep track of maintenance tasks and ensure they are completed promptly. This system should enable you to submit, track, and close work orders, set priorities, and schedule maintenance tasks.
Moreover, it is crucial to provide employees with adequate training on equipment maintenance. Employees who understand how the equipment works and how to keep it running smoothly can be an asset to your facility. The training should cover areas such as equipment handling, identifying signs of wear and tear, and reporting problems.
Ensuring Security and Safety in Facilities
As a facilities management team, ensuring your employees' and property's safety and security is of utmost importance. Ensuring the safety of your facilities is not only a moral and legal obligation but also has several practical benefits for your company.
Most importantly, safe and secure facilities tend to be more productive. When employees feel secure in their work environment, they are more likely to show up on time and be fully committed to their work, which can lead to increased productivity, better quality of work, and increased job satisfaction for employees.
Besides boosting productivity, safe and secure facilities tend to be more efficient. By minimising hazards and optimising lighting, employees can move around the facility more easily and quickly, reducing the time spent navigating obstacles or dealing with broken equipment. This can lead to increased productivity and timely completion of projects.
Investing in security and safety measures can be more cost-effective in the long run. By preventing accidents, theft, and vandalism, facilities can save on insurance premiums and reduce the need for costly repairs and replacements. Additionally, having a reputation for prioritising safety and security can make attracting and retaining top talent easier, reducing employee turnover costs.
Achieving Sustainability and Energy Efficiency
Companies face mounting pressure to operate more sustainably and efficiently in today's fast-paced business world. By adopting sustainable and energy-efficient practices, organisations can reap numerous benefits, such as reduced operating costs, a smaller environmental footprint, and improved indoor air quality. However, one of the most significant advantages of these practices is their positive impact on employee morale and productivity.
Facilities managers prioritising sustainability and energy efficiency in their operations create a more comfortable working environment for their employees. This, in turn, can lead to increased job satisfaction, better health, and improved productivity.
Achieving sustainability and energy efficiency demands a comprehensive approach considering all aspects of a facility's operations. One key area to focus on is energy-efficient lighting systems. Swapping traditional incandescent bulbs for energy-efficient LED bulbs, for instance, can save up to 75% of lighting costs.
Another essential tool is utility tracking and energy management software. This software allows facilities managers to monitor energy consumption in real-time and identify areas where efficiency can be improved. The data obtained can optimise energy use, reduce costs, and identify areas where further upgrades or retrofits may be necessary.
Final Thoughts
Effective facilities management is a crucial component of any organisation's success. Facility managers must invest in team structures, processes, technologies, and resources supporting strong decision-making to ensure that the most pressing and relevant goals are met quickly and efficiently. Whether you need assistance setting goals or optimising operations, Mind That Facility can help you reach your desired outcomes. Mind That Facility provides comprehensive services for facilities management professionals of all kinds. With cutting-edge tools and services, your team can maximise resources and help your organisation reach its full potential.
