Looking Ahead – What Should Facilities Managers Be Thinking About To Stay Ahead Of The Game?

A person entering a building by using an access control gate By Delphine Guerrier, Global Commercial Operations at Chubb

Over the past year we’ve faced many challenges. Many workplaces have been closed and employees have had to move to remote working en masse. Facility managers must now be able to provide added value when helping customers clearly define their new normal. Whether this involves occupancy limit per room, air quality monitoring, access control reinforcement, processes to alert relevant people or the use of remote, connected services are in high demand.

At Chubb, we have compiled a checklist of essential considerations for facilities managers in the fire and security sector to help with these conversations.

Addressing Changes From Hybrid Working

As businesses reopen and colleagues start to return to the workplace, many employers are faced with hybrid working conditions. This means that traditional business practices may no longer be sufficient and there are fresh challenges facing teams.

How many people are actually in your buildings today? This question is not easy to answer. Facility management teams can benefit from technical solutions for people counting like accurate touchless access control systems or easy to use advanced video analytics to help solve this issue.

Remote services can be a critical tool used to manage this shift and the introduction of new processes. Increased monitoring for both fire and security is needed to ensure that building and facilities managers are aware of access across a building which is essential to managing complex processes such as an evacuation, safety test or even just the usual flow of people.



Ensuring Early Detection

When it comes to facilities management, preparedness is everything. Facilities managers and building services teams must be constantly vigilant and aware of the people and assets within a building. This means that teams can respond efficiently and effectively to threats. Video analytics is a key tool that can have a significant impact of the time it takes to reliably identify and respond to an issue. As an industry, video analytics benefit from constant innovation and so it is very accessible and can be installed and maintained quickly and effectively.

Remote Protection

When businesses look to manage the return to the office, it is essential to use processes that help employees to feel comfortable and safe but that also contribute to an efficient movement of people and effective security measures. Remote protections such as remote monitoring or remote video guarding can be a game changer for managing complex or multi-site buildings, significantly increasing connectivity and responsiveness. This means that facilities managers can stay ahead of security risks and dangers, with a proactive approach to monitoring, maintenance and security that utilises real-time data. With many buildings at lower levels of occupancy, this might include protecting assets from degradation or squatting or increasing levels of personal safety for teams that are in empty offices more frequently, for example cleaning or building maintenance teams who might benefit from remote video guarding.

In certain situations, data-driven remote services can also enable external security providers to proactively manage the security of a site, easing the burden on internal managers covering a variety of roles, beyond fire and security protection, in addition to building locations. Not only can this help to identify and address issues more quickly but also maintains strong levels of communication across a site, which only empowers facilities managers in their role.

With employees coming into a building at different times, it can be challenging for facilities managers and building security teams to manage the flow of people and to track who is entering and when. Here, video counting solutions and remote access controls can be vital to manage the added complexity. A combined approach of on-site guards paired with remote video guarding can also ensure that security standards remain strong despite changes in routine.

The same may also be said for maintenance teams. Prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, these teams would always have been present in the building. Now, they might also be working according to a hybrid structure. Remote maintenance and remote services can provide immediate critical solutions to support all employees within this structure, as well as providing proactive protection and updates with relevant data for management teams for added peace of mind.

Looking ahead, it is more important than ever to ensure the health and safety of all buildings and occupants, from colleagues to visitors to customers. Investment in technologies that maintain employee safety and reassure teams are very worthwhile. Employees should be confident about staying safe and well in the workplace. It’s the responsibility of facilities managers to ensure that the right systems and technologies are in place to promote teams’ wellbeing. It is the right thing to do.

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Looking Ahead – What Should Facilities Managers Be Thinking About To Stay Ahead Of The Game?