Rowan Rey Sutherland 
Maintaining your office building can be a time-consuming exercise. However, it is one of the most important jobs in a busy office environment. Not only is it a great way of keeping your employees happy, but a well-maintained office will look good to prospective clients too. This will hopefully help to win you more business if you regularly invite people to your company. Here are four facility management tips for your office building.
Walk Around
If you regularly walk around your office building, it is easier to see any changes that have taken place, such as a piece of carpet that has become stained or frayed, or dirty looking windows. This is best done first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening so be prepared to come in early or stay late on occasion. If you are one of the only people in the building, it is easier to spot facilities management issues. You are also less likely to become distracted by other staff members wanting to have a chat or ask you questions.
Listen to Feedback
Nobody knows their office like the people working in it so listen to feedback when it is given. If somebody is regularly using the toilet on the fourth floor, for example, they are likely to know if the lock is working properly. Invite employees to email you with the issues they have noticed so that you have a written record of the complaint. This will also help you to remember that an issue has been raised more easily than if someone drops it into conversation.
Hire Reputable Contractors
You are not going to be able to take care of all the maintenance issues yourself and you may want to outsource some of them. Make sure you use reputable contractors such as Atis to manage your elevator service and keep them maintained. A good cleaning contractor will make the job of facilities management easier for you as they can raise issues that need addressing and make the office environment a clean, healthy place to work.
Energy Efficiency
This is a hot topic right now and it is worth considering what you can do to improve your energy-efficiency. This will often save your company money as well as energy, and an energy efficient office is something a lot of your staff will care greatly about. Consider replacing lightbulbs with LED lights and keep light and heat to a minimum at times when the building is not being used, such as weekends and public holidays. Kitchens use up a lot of energy, especially with well-meaning staff starting the dishwasher when it is only half full, or filling the kettle right up to make a single cup of coffee.
Place energy-efficient notices in communal areas so that staff know what they can do to help the environment and keep the costs down. The management will thank you when they get the utility bill.
Facilities management may be a never-ending task, but follow these tips and see how much you can change your building for the better.
