8 Skills to Look for in a Facility Manager
Tags: facility management, facility managers
Times are changing, and with that, facility managers’ roles are evolving. Now, facility managers are armed with various tools and technologies, but what makes one an ideal facility manager for Indian organisations?
It’s a thankless role in facility management services, but it’s important that the facility manager has the right attitude and immense grit in traversing the initial period of transition. If an organisation is looking for a facility manager for its workspace, it must look for the following skills that make an ideal facility manager.
1. Proactive stance towards maintenance
Proactive maintenance consistently outperforms reactive maintenance. With a proactive approach, the facility manager can foresee issues and prepare well to tackle them, saving the organisation significant loss of time, resources, and capital. The same cannot be guaranteed for the reactive maintenance approach.
2. Adaptability to new challenges
Facility management is full of challenges, and while some challenges are easily tackled, some can be quite difficult to deal with—like the COVID-19 pandemic. However, an adaptable facility manager would be more suited to tackle such challenges with a level-headed approach, focusing on things that matter most and prioritising tasks.
3. Legal understanding of the industry laws
Each organisation in India is bound by laws and regulations, and the facility manager must be in tune with these laws and regulations. Failure to do so may put productivity and employees at risk and open the organisation up to criticism and lawsuits.
4. Ability to engage the workforce
The organisation’s workforce is the driving factor towards success, and the facility manager’s task is to ensure they are happy, productive, and safe at the workplace. The manager must be in tune with the workforce and engage with them regularly to understand their needs and expectations.
5. Emergency responsiveness
At Indian workplaces, emergencies are inevitable. However, what matters is how the facility manager deals with them. They must have a crisis plan ready based on potential problems the organisation may face.
6. Space management
In cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, and Delhi, real estate is limited. Thus, the facility manager must be creative with the way they utilise the facility space. They must create various strategies to store equipment, upgrade technologies, and plan housekeeping tasks in ways that don’t hamper productivity.
7. Tech-savvy mindset
Technologies such as AI, BMS, and IoT, are quickly gaining traction with digitisation in the facility management industry. The future of facility management is already here, and the facility manager needs to be prepared and anticipate the use of technology within their workspace. Thus, the manager must be tech-savvy to truly transform the way their facility is being managed.
8. Problem-solving attitude
It is imperative that the facility manager understands the clients’ requirements, analyses the existing challenges and finds a clear path towards a resolution. The manager should be able to define and state the pros and cons of each solution to get approval towards the implementation of the solution.
These qualities and skills are crucial, but not all facility managers possess them. However, one facility management firm you can always rely on and trust to possess these skills is Unify. We are driven by our commitment to offering organisations the best integrated facility management solutions by utilising the latest and most remarkable technologies. Reach out to us now to know more about our IFM solutions.