The process of risk management aims at identifying and prioritising risks before their occurrence and provide action-oriented information to facility managers. This process requires deliberation of events that may or may not occur. An efficient Facilities Management (FM) team can look across the business, identify a risk and put in place measures to help the company manage it. With specific procedures in place and systematic recording of actions, external risks can be mitigated if unexpected incidents result in legal action.
Efficient management of assets: The operational phase of an asset is the most crucial period as the asset is used to deliver services and support core businesses. Therefore, proactive asset management with a thorough maintenance plan is essential at this point. Understanding the right type of maintenance and evaluating the importance of each maintenance request will help extend the life of an asset. It is necessary to rate these by priority for the facilities manager to assess the asset’s characteristics and make an informed decision about the frequency of maintenance or physical audits. The key aspect is to understand the impact of a failure of a critical equipment and have a go to plan for such failures with details on responsibilities and key task.
Understanding and managing people: An important asset for a company is its people as employee management directly impacts a company. Owing to the nature of the FM industry, team management can be a little more challenging than managing a static team. The management has to take numerous parameters into consideration — the geographical spread of various sites, shift patterns, emergency response including each team member’s technical skill set. Today, many innovative software programmes are available for scheduling of staff and for managing work quality and deadlines. However, facility managers should ensure that they create a safe, healthy and positive environment for not only on-site but also off-site employees. The importance of employee health and wellness is rising in the workplace: 89 per cent of the organizations responding to the CBRE Health and Wellness Survey, 2016, reported giving some level of attention to this growing trend. While the best interest of employees is the focus, employers do stand to benefit as well – initiatives in this area represent opportunities to responsibly manage/reduce healthcare costs and increase productivity and performance.
Ensuring the security of data: In the ‘Big Data’ environment, the decision-making process is largely driven by data, and the world of FM is no exception. As cable information has become exceedingly important, data security has also become a prime concern. Data breaches primarily occur through hosted system for vendors on the company’s network, thereby providing easy access to hackers. Segregation of company data from vendor access and utilization of cloud-based systems providing restricted and indirect access to vendors can minimise such data-related risks.
Creating a healthy vendor and contractor relationship: FM teams hire a range of commercial contractors to address various facility aspects related to repairs, maintenance and on-site management. While dealing with contractors and external agencies, facilities managers can face various challenges such as unqualified or poorly performing contractors, noncompliance with corporate standards and operational or performance-related risks. To minimise these risks, companies can adopt the practice of rating or scoring contractors and their services.
Being compliant: Although compliance entails adhering to all the laws and regulations, it intersects almost every FM aspect like operations and ethics. In order to design an effective compliance strategy, it is essential to understand the requirements, challenges and inherent risks associated with each category. After developing an understanding of compliance requirements, an effective compliance programme detailing regulatory, professional and data standards with a methodical approach to compliance can be designed by facility managers.
The writer is Rajesh Pandit, MD Global Workplace Solutions & Property Management, CBRE
