Facility Management: How Better Facilities Can Improve Employee Productivity

A study has found that when employees are happy, it can lead to a 20% increase in productivity. When employees feel like they matter and their work has an impact, it will benefit them, as well as the organization itself. With the rise of the modern workforce, the demand for facility management is greater than ever. Today, workplaces are leveraged to attract and retain top talent as well as boost productivity throughout the organization.

By creating attractive, efficient, innovative, and functional workplaces, organizations can make their employees’ work lives easier and increase their motivation. To accomplish these objectives, companies need to provide environments that can better support workforce mobility, improve the overall employee experience and make it easier for employees to accomplish their tasks. As organizations adopt the latest workplace designs, modern facility management services look beyond traditional tools to support new working methods in new environments. Let’s take a look at how better facility management can lead to increased productivity among the employees of any organization.

Better Facility Management, Better Employee Productivity

The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) defines FM as: “The processes that maintain and develop an organization’s services to support and improve the effectiveness of its primary activities.” Some key areas are cleaning, office services, food & beverages, security and property management. 

With smart technology to reduce operational costs and improve the quality of the workplace environment, the relationship between facility management and employee productivity is very important. As it spans across such a wide range of processes, effective FM is essential to the growth and success of any business. Effective facility management can be a key factor in improving productivity for individual employees on a day-to-day basis in the workplace.

Coor’s integrated facility management services offering includes all soft and hard FM-services, totalling more than 100 different services such as cleaning, post and parcel handling and canteen services. Highlighted below are the ways small changes made to the workspace and maintaining the required standards will allow organizations to be more effective and reduce the time wasted performing unnecessary tasks. 

Facility Management: How it Increases Employee Productivity

What can an organization do to reduce distractions and increase efficiency? Improved productivity means doing more with the same amount of resources. Having better facilities with things such as state-of-the-art modern technology, conference equipment, on-site services, ergonomic furniture, vending machines with healthy snacks, etc, can help employees stay engaged. With regular maintenance, repair and upgrades, organizations can ensure smooth daily operations without any hiccups. From broken computers to broken pipes, there may be several facility-related accidents or errors that can bring productivity to a grinding halt for office employees. Effective FM will help employees stay completely focused on their work instead of getting sidetracked with broken down or faulty machinery or equipment.

Enlisting the services of a quality facility management company like Coor will help your organization provide employees with the right tools and equipment to perform their duties efficiently and promptly. After all, is there anything more counterproductive than spending time waiting for the office printer to start working again to print important documents required for the next meeting? High-quality, modern equipment and programs save time and effort, making a huge difference to your workforce and eventually how your company is perceived.  

Here’s how improving your facilities and workspaces can lead to an increased productivity in employees: 

Smart Systems Integration

Why is facility management considered the savior of productivity in modern workplaces? Simply put, it’s all about data, reporting, analysis, and taking action. With the right systems in place, the management in an organization can look at the workplace conditions to identify problems and scope for improvement. For example, ensuring that heating and air conditioning systems are in working condition ensures your employees are comfortable and productive. Factors such as the temperature of a workplace can directly impact productivity rates. A study by Cornell University discovered that increasing the temperature of the AC from 20 to 25 degrees celsius resulted in employees making 44% fewer errors when typing! 

The answer to a situation like this could be sensor integration. The installation of smart sensors in conference rooms and other office spaces to automatically adjust to employee preferences is a feasible option with a facility management system. This will ensure that employees feel comfortable and satisfied at work and are able to put in their best effort while performing daily tasks. 

Productivity-Focused Tools

If there’s a bottleneck while carrying out a task, operations can quickly come to a grinding halt. An efficient facility management solution optimizes productivity through the use of specific productivity-focused tools and functions. Such programs can be used across all tiers of the organization, from entry-level employees all the way up to upper management. Daily use of such systems can help make the logistical and collaborative parts of a job easier, resulting in more time spent doing, and less time taking care of mundane administrative tasks. At Coor, our smart solutions such as Coor SmartFlow and Coor Smart Response have been launched for the benefit of both our customers and employees.

Clean, Green and Sustainable Workplaces

Having a green office environment with smart tech solutions that are designed to support employee needs will motivate them to put in their best efforts. In the modern workplace, the growing millennial workforce is looking for something more than just a hefty paycheck. The ability for employers to recruit the most talented individuals depends in part on the company’s flexibility in its approach towards improving employee productivity. This includes fostering a clean, green and diverse environment to drive growth. 

How Significant is Efficient FM?

Besides having the potential to directly improve productivity, facility management can influence other areas of employees’ lives that contribute to the overall output of an organization. FM can improve social interaction among colleagues as well as enabling them to work in an effective, focused and motivated manner.

Facility management has a key role to play in enhancing productivity, including deciding the best products and solutions to introduce into an office environment. As part of their critical decision-making role, facility managers are always on the lookout for solutions that can boost employee productivity.

In conclusion, the ever-changing work environment has made it essential for a modern office to come equipped with an array of smart services. A workplace in a state of disrepair is stressful for employees, resulting in disengagement, absenteeism and attrition. If you want your employees to work to the best of their ability and be happy, you must show them how much the company appreciates, respects and values them by providing the best facilities possible within your means.