As we enter the ‘ember’ months, signaling the beginning of the end of the year, I thought it will be a good idea to revisit the concept of maintenance vis-a-vis the work of facilities managers.
Maintenance problems are never easy and explain the reason developed societies are constantly seeking ways to improve on the mechanism of maintenance. The greatest challenge facing both private and public sector facilities managers is how to make corporate management team and/or clients appreciate their value and contributions to the business objectives of their organisations.
Furthermore, in this part of the world, it is still a struggle to define an acceptable level of maintenance standards despite the huge expenditure on infrastructure. Also, in today’s global economic climate, there is constant pressure on facilities management practitioners to justify spending as senior management seeks to save cost and increase profit.
This issue is and remains critical to any form of success that facilities managers can lay claim to. As a result, facilities managers and other FM practitioners have to continue to devise strategies to achieve lean operations and increased productivity so that success stories can be enhanced.
For most facilities management practitioners, the profession was not their first choice of career, but rather one of chance and as a result they struggle to take pride in the profession.
This has led to a lack of confidence and desire to develop their knowledge base. What most facilities managers do is to react to situations with a fire-fighting approach. With the scope of FM work increasingly getting wider, this makes it more complex as the opportunity to have a solid grasp of facilities management methodologies become more difficult.
The lack of regulatory framework has been a barrier to defining acceptable ethical, moral and professional standards resulting, often times, in disagreements between FM service providers and their clients.
Regrettably, many organizations and people still do not appreciate and recognize the full potential of facilities management. It is viewed in many quarters as a laborious discipline that only spends money and reactive in nature to malfunctions. This ought not to be the case.
The practice of facilities management is often misunderstood by most people as simply dealing with building repairs and cleaning when in fact these tasks are only a fraction of the responsibilities of facilities managers. It can be quite frustrating trying to explain the architecture and engineering behind facilities management.
In conclusion, it is time for all stakeholders to stretch their thinking about the full benefits of value-based facilities management. In particular, for facilities management practitioners to further enhance their performance and for organizations/clients to appreciate the strategic relevance and importance to businesses. Together, we can raise the facilities management profession to be recognized and respected as a value-add discipline.
