The impact of the Covid-19 continues to affect the bottomline of many organizations as they confront unprecedented issues related to the pandemic. Companies across all sectors of the economy face a severe cash crisis with respect to running their daily operations due to the pandemic.
As a result of the drop in revenues, many organizations, out of necessity, are trying to reduce overall costs by looking at expenses to determine where reductions could be made without too much impact on the business.
In this regard, salary and headcount reduction are options that have been or being considered. Headcount reduction has led to a rise in unemployment, causing a massive reduction in demand for many non-essential services. Offices and facilities are being affected, especially in commercial and private business
This action is not unusual when revenue levels drop unless a deliberate decision is taken by management to keep salary and staff at the same level. I remember years ago when the oil and gas industry had a substantial downturn. Many companies took action by offering early retirement packages and layoffs to reduce headcount.
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However, when the market rebounded, many companies found themselves with a resource and skills deficit. As a result, they had to scramble to find qualified skilled labor to fill the void. It looks likely history will repeat itself in many maintenance departments when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
The failure to perform needed repairs can lead to asset deterioration and ultimately asset impairment. Generally, a policy of continued deferred maintenance results in higher costs, higher failure rates and, in some cases, health and safety problems.
My first recommendation and most important one for facility managers looking to find greater efficiency and avoid coronavirus-driven budget and staff cuts is to look internally for improvement opportunities.
A strategic approach to achieve a higher level of efficiency related to maintenance can be done by conducting some activities such as cross- training of employees, performing preventive maintenance optimization workshops, better understanding of material requirements to keep facilities functional, reviewing work management processes and cleansing of data to ensure integrity.
This will simply reposition employees to make small improvements so that when better times return, the business is in a much stronger position to achieve success.
COVID-19 will continue to affect facility managers and their facilities including building occupants and the general public for the foreseeable future, and its impact has changed our daily routines. Washing hands, wearing masks and social distancing are parts of the new reality.
Dealing with these changes while attempting to achieve a normal or higher level of maintenance efficiency is the challenge of every facility manager. Before facility managers make significant changes that will affect end users, the first and most important step is to look inwards.
TUNDE OBILEYE Obileye is a Uk-trained lawyer and CEO, Great Heights Property and Facilities Management Limited Email: Tundeobileye@greatheightslimited.com
