Key Challenges Facing The Facilities Management Sector

A woman working at a computer Just as with any other organisational function in any industry, facilities management – whether outsourced or internal – is not without challenges. In this article, James Scott, CEO of Thrive.App, will discuss the key challenges faced by those in the industry, and how leaders can overcome them in 2022, sharing his advice on how technology can help alleviate pressure and play a key role in solving issues within the sector.

The facilities management industry – from maintenance, cleaning and catering to safety and security, and more – employs one in 10 UK workers and accounts for 7% of UK GDP. And just as with any other organisational function in any industry – whether outsourced or internal – it’s not without challenges.

If you’re in the sector, you’ve likely felt the pinch of one or all of the following: controlling costs; staff shortages; increasing labour costs; coordinating rotas; and others.

Having to integrate people with place and make sure everything operates as it should to ensure optimal productivity of the core business is the tall order fulfilled daily by those in facilities management.

Here’s a more in-depth look at five top challenges facing this sector in the UK and Ireland heading into 2022, and how technology can help to alleviate the pressure.

Managing Costs

Being asked to do more with less is an all-too-common challenge and facilities management are often expected to improve quality with less staff, less budget, and less time.

Senior leadership can have a hard time understanding the high operating and capital costs of essential facility management functions, such as operations and maintenance, which means internal facility managers have to educate up, while keeping abreast of everything they are responsible for.

Increasing labour costs also add to the tricky budgeting problem. As a result of the Living Wage movement, which found that 17.1% of jobs pay less than the living wage, many companies are adopting higher wages for low-skilled workers, such as some FM workers.

Technology can help to provide essential training materials for remote and hybrid workforces whether as part of new employee onboarding or training employees about new processes and procedures. Employees who feel supported with ongoing training are more likely to stick around and are more efficient in their work, which can help ease cost burdens.

Shortages Of Staff Versus High Demand

Being short-staffed has been an issue since long before the pandemic which has a lot to do with the vast reduction in the pool of foreign nationals coming to work in the UK, willing to perform low-skilled jobs.

This year alone, demand for FM services has surged across most sectors. Part of that is a result of companies bringing workers back to the office, increasing headcount, and shifting working patterns that involve hybrid environments.

Whether it’s training employees on new processes, or offering features that lift morale, there are a lot of ways that an organisation can use technology to help ease the pressures brought on by these particular challenges.

Beyond the day-to-day, technology can form a vital part of an employee recognition programme by empowering employees to recognise each other’s accomplishments and even send virtual high fives.



Improving Reputation

Despite its efforts to keep the shine on all it manages, facilities management has been given a tarnished reputation partly because of some provider billing and reporting practices that led to widespread mistrust. For workers in the industry who are already paid less, this stigma can be quite demotivating.

FM can also feel like a very impersonal sector to be in; one where employees work hard behind the scenes but don’t necessarily feel seen or recognised.

Employee engagement tools can be used to spread messages of appreciation and support from customers who leave feedback, for example, and colleagues who want to show appreciation and give thanks to others in the workplace.

Keeping All Employees Safe

Owing to the nature of the work, FM can be full of hazards and injuries which presents an ongoing challenge. Safety can especially be compromised if employees are overwhelmed and overworked, which is often the case with understaffed teams and the increasing demand for services.

And then there are challenges presented by constantly changing regulatory and compliance standards – all of which leave little room for error.

Information that is meant to keep employees safe can’t wait until an employee is able to read the email — it needs to be disseminated and absorbed right away. Many in FM don’t even have access to email, let alone a desk. Rolling out safety news, training, and accepting compliance, all within a centralised space, can ensure that essential information and acknowledgments don’t get missed.

Managing Rotas And Staff Holidays

Staff scheduling is just one of the countless things people in FM are responsible for and it can be difficult to make sure that needs are met – particularly with a dispersed workforce – and that the productivity of all personnel is supported. This naturally becomes harder with the staffing issues discussed.

Employee engagement technology, such as an app, can function as a single platform where employees can view rotas, manage holiday requests, and even access payroll information. Again, this can be a critical tool for those on-the-go employees who are likely not working in a single location or seated at a desk, and therefore might otherwise have a hard time accessing this type of information on a computer.

The use of technology can significantly ease the pressures faced by FM employees, by providing a tailored platform for communicating with everyone in the business in real time – not just those who are able to receive more traditional forms of communication such as email.

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Key Challenges Facing the Facilities Management Sector