Viewpoint

Demystifying facilities management

Facility management may be directly affected by the housekeeping industry, but with globalisation seeping into the economy, it is on its way to be in a league of its own, discovers Varghese George, vice president of Unisol Infraservices

Till globalisation started to play a key role in our economy and MNCs started pouring in, facilities management remained an unorganised field. There weren't any rules regulating the players' existence hence there is a lack of professionalism and basic know-how.

Things have changed dramatically over the last few years, and for good. Facility management has become not only organised but also highly specialised, yet there is a long way to go. Cleaning and housekeeping is no more about cleaning. It has become specialised with the availability of multiple services. It is interesting to note here that the highly specialised and detailed services provided are much influenced by the high standards of the hotel industry. Whatever trends come up in retail, they affect the corporate sooner or later. It is no more limited to uniforms and looks. It is definitely not limited to the skills and the quality of work. It has moved beyond that to safety. Clients today want to know everything, not only about the products and chemicals used, and working procedures, but also who is working for them.

Safe and sound

Safety which should be a priority in the industry is often under-rated. It is not just relevant only for clients but also for the maintenance staff. The housekeeping staff must know what products and chemicals they are working with, what health implications each product might have and how to protect themselves against it as well as the clients. If safety is of utmost importance, prevention and protection go hand in hand. Prevention generally includes basic protective gear like gloves, use of warning signs, and clear-cut instructions for storage.

Safety is not limited to individuals, it is also about the surroundings and the environment. Eco-friendly cleaning agents are also becoming quite popular. There is an increased awareness about the environment hence even the clients appreciate the extra effort taken.

Safety is not about the people who work but also others working in the facility. This means background check and police verification of all employees working on site. This needs to be respected not only for clients but also because it raises quality standards.

Trends may be followed by people on the top level, but it is to be instilled in the lower rungs and the grassroots, the people who actually work on-site. Training of the human resource is of utmost importance considering that they will be working on different sites with different ideologies of work. They are also required to blend in with the people in the facility and often be invisible and yet be completely competent and professional. There is a need for technical know-how as well as practical on-site training and even behavioral training.

Boosting spirits and workmanship

The industry in itself should value human resource as it is a key aspect for an industry where there are maximum unskilled to semi-skilled workers. It is crucial to help them out in every step of the way so that they grow not only in their profession but also as individuals. The basic problem with the workforce is their lack of knowledge about various provisions available to them. It is essential to take care of the grievances they may have from the company itself as well as the site where they are working. They need to be informed about payments and advantages of provident funds and Employees' State Insurance Company. Even the most premium of service providers have to train their staff and that is how it should be. Training helps not only showcase the capability of the company but also adds value to the facility and it's over-all standards. Training is not just about grooming, but also the work culture and ethics. There needs to be a mandatory induction session for all levels.

Apart from this, the staff particularly at the site, need to be made aware of how the entire system works, its effectiveness and the tangibles attached to it. It is important for the grassroots to understand these things since they tend to be the weakest link.

One might have to be invisible while working in a facility, but clients still keep a check on what is happening. It is important for them to assess how the performance is and for us to improve and then sustain it. The biggest challenge hence is to maintain the quality of service.

However, in comparison to the fast growth of the industry, the expectations are even higher, yet the infrastructure is not fully developed and there is a huge gap. It is important to align to 200 various sites and their work culture making it important to keep up to one's standards but also to the standards expected by the clients, mostly MNCs. There are demands regarding the sequence of work - they should not impinge upon the work site, the place is to be clean. MNCs do not look for incidents for which they might pull them up but they look out for tell-tale signs.

Apart from the regular cleaning and housekeeping, there is a new arena that the entire facilities management is making a shift to. As of now it is just a value-add, but sooner or later operation and management will become an understood part of the services provided. Operations and management includes health check, preventive and post repair and trouble shooting of all electrical and mechanised equipment.

(As told to Sayoni Bhaduri)