How Facility Managers Impact Employee Morale

Written by Guest Blogger, Betty White

In the corporate world, maintaining employee satisfaction and morale is usually observed as the responsibility of the HR department. However, the importance of having a clean and productive workplace tends to be overlooked. Thus, this article will discuss the extent to which facility managers impact employee morale and productivity.

Employees that are happy and thriving in their workplace tend to be more productive and cooperative. Take into account that as many as 22 million workers in the U.S. are unmotivated and disengaged. In fact, low office morale leads to massive financial losses over time, with some estimates placing the figure as high as $350 billion. That is why facility managers are indispensable when it comes to improving employee dedication and office morale.

Admittedly, a facility manager’s essential contribution includes managing the cleanliness and functionality of the facility rather than managing employees directly. But, there is much more to it than meets the eye. Namely, maintaining the propriety of your office space has a significant impact on how your staff executes their day-to-day tasks.

Employees Tend to Embrace the Same Values and Attitudes as the Company They Work For

Working in an unorganized, unclean environment can have a very detrimental effect on your employees’ output. How so? A chaotic or dysfunctional work environment can influence their performance, work ethic, and attitude towards their responsibilities. If they see that the management does not care about the appearance and safety of the facility, they might consciously or unconsciously adopt the same outlook. Hence, your manage can help you stimulate your workers to keep the workplace clean by setting a good example.

Having an unmotivated, unproductive employee reflects the company’s lack of effort to provide a clean, engaging and functional work environment. Luckily, facility managers can significantly improve the atmosphere in the office as they manage it in line with the needs and preferences of the people working in it.

How Do Facility Managers Impact Employee Morale Exactly?

So, facility management covers anything from upkeep, cleaning, logistics to organizational matters such as optimizing the layout of the workplace.

Facility Managers Optimize the Workplace Layout

If you run a large business or manage it remotely, a facility manager can help you devise the most optimal layout of office furniture, machinery, equipment, tools, and everything else inside the facility. In addition, they will take care of hiring and paying out external service providers and vendors such as moving or commercial cleaning companies.

For instance, you want to enable good cooperation between the members of the same team or department. Wasting time navigating through the building, a maze of cubicles or office desks might unnecessarily hinder work productivity. A facility manager will devise an office layout that will make the interaction between colleagues easy and effective.

Likewise, a facility manager can also help you manage the logistics of relocating to a new commercial building. Moving to a new office can be pretty disorientating for your employees, affecting their focus, energy, and in turn, morale. This is why professional moving assistance will come in handy as well. So, in the event of relocation, be sure to hire an experienced moving crew that can do the job swiftly and skillfully to make the moving part easier for your employees.

Office Lighting Impacts Employee Satisfaction

Even though people rarely notice it, lighting in the office has to be adequate for your employees to work without straining their eyes. Dim or flickering lighting could aggravate your staff to the point of causing extreme dissatisfaction if the problem is left unresolved. Luckily, a facility manager’s task is to notice and resolve issues such as this one without delays.

Facility Management Regulates the HVAC System

It is challenging to focus on the task at hand if you are sweating or shivering. Hence, the temperature inside the facility has to be comfortable enough so that your employees never feel too warms or too cold. Managing the thermostat also falls into the facility manager’s list of duties.

In addition, the facility manager is also responsible for organizing the regular upkeep of the HVAC system. So, a facility manager will ensure you never neglect your employees’ health or safety.

A Clean and Organized Office Boosts Employee Morale

As we mentioned, dirty, dusty, or disorganized workplace is likely to negatively influence your employees’ morale. So, keeping your facility clean and organized is one of the main responsibilities facility managers take up. This means they take care of hiring, managing, and paying service providers necessary for establishing a healthy, safe and clean work environment. In many instances, facility managers work closely with a facility services management company, such as System4 as it eases the complexity of managing multiple service providers.

Taking Care of Malfunctioning Company Equipment is the Facility Manager’s Responsibility

They take care of informing the C-suite level in your company about the nature and extent of the issue. Then, a facility manager will help you tailor an actionable strategy to repair or replace the given machine or device as soon as possible. This means you can rely on your manager to assess the problem, communicate it to eh upper echelons of your organization, and realize the agreed-upon strategy in the shortest time frame possible. Of course, this management procedure is put to use whenever necessary, not just during equipment malfunctions.

Conclusion

All in all, facility managers impact employee morale in several ways, directly and indirectly. How? They serve as your point of contact for solving a range of problems arising in your facility. Apart from managing the cleaning and maintenance of the rooms and equipment, facility managers are a valuable “tool” for keeping your employee satisfaction level in check.