Although office managers and facility managers have some overlapping roles and responsibilities, their contributions in the workplace are different and unique. As an employer, recruiter, or potential commercial building owner, if you are currently considering employing either of these managers in your premises, here are the details to help you narrow down which of these professionals you need.
What Do Office Managers Do?
Office managers are typically responsible for the smooth running of an office on a day-to-day basis. Depending on how large the workforce is, they may also manage a team of administrative or support staff as part of their duties.
Their duties will vary from one organization to the other, but they are generally responsible for:
- Managing employees and their needs while at work.
- Organizing meetings and managing databases.
- Organizing company events, meetings, or conferences.
- Arranging transport and accommodation for offsite work.
- Organizing company events or conferences.
- Ordering and managing administrative supplies like stationery and furniture.
- Receiving and handling correspondence, complaints, and queries.
- Preparing letters, presentations, and reports.
- Coordinating other administrative staff, as well as supervising and monitoring their work.
- Preparing and managing office budgets.
- Liaising with management, staff, suppliers, and clients.
- Preparing payroll, and recommending, implementing, and maintaining procedures for office administrative systems.
Required Qualifications and Training for Office Managers
A degree in business management, human resources, or a related field is usually expected. That said, this career is open to graduates from all disciplines with evidence of relevant work experience. Important areas of expertise include the ability to handle administrative roles, knowledge of office software packages, and possession of good interpersonal and time management skills.
What Do Facility Managers Do?
Facility managers are generally responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of an organization’s physical assets like buildings, machinery, fleet, and equipment, ensuring that these assets are managed to comply with legal requirements and health and safety standards.
They plan and coordinate maintenance management activities both at a strategic and operational level so that all building users derive maximum value from the space. In an office setting, facility managers use a combination of hard and soft skills to create a productive business environment with minimal service disruptions. To achieve all this, they do the following:
- Sourcing, interviewing, and overseeing subcontractors and service providers for functions such as security, cleaning, telecoms, parking, specialized equipment repairs, and technology.
- Assessing the business and advising management on strategies to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the facility.
- Recruiting and supervising maintenance personnel with a wide variety of skills and proficiencies.
- Ensuring that basic facilities are well maintained and conducting proactive maintenance inspections and audits.
- Managing safety.
- Ensuring that customers and employees have the required resources and tools for maximum productivity.
- Managing budgets.
- Strategic and operational planning.
- Ensuring that facilities meet compliance standards and government regulation.
- Forecasting the facility’s needs and requirements.
- Overseeing building projects like renovations, refurbishments, and conversions from start to finish.
- Drafting maintenance reports and annual maintenance plans.
- Recommending and using appropriate technologies and maintenance software to streamline work.
Required Qualifications and Training for Facility Managers
You can expect most facility managers to have a degree in fields related to engineering, project management, or business. Some go further to obtain a master’s degree in facility management or a related field. In addition, many facility managers obtain professional certifications from IFMA, PMI, and other professional associations.
Facility managers are also expected to possess strong people management and negotiation skills.
Comparing both jobs, it’s clear that there are subtle similarities. However, both roles are not interchangeable. So, how do you choose between an office manager or a facility manager? Organizations that are large enough and have the budget for it simply hire both types of managers, but if that isn’t an option for you, read on.
Signs that You Need an Office Manager
An office manager should be adequate for your workplace if your needs are more administrative. Other pointers to indicate that you need an office manager are that your building is smaller with an inventory of physical assets that don’t require special skills to manage.
In addition, where your business employs a large workforce that performs mostly white-collar, corporate, or clerical jobs, an office manager is vital to help coordinate and manage your employees.
Signs that You Need a Facility Manager
Managing a portfolio of multiple buildings and assets can be daunting. If your business owns significant physical assets, it’s highly recommended that you have a facility manager on your team ASAP. Having a dedicated professional on board will help to minimize most of the inefficiencies of poorly managed facilities such as:
- Frequent interruptions to major services, including faulty HVAC systems, inadequate supply of water or contaminated and discolored water, continuous lift breakdown, and entrapment.
- Continuous exposure to avoidable emergencies like fire outbreaks, data loss, critical systems failure, etc., and a large part of your workday is spent attending to one emergency after another.
- Frequent safety, maintenance, and regulatory compliance issues.
- Chaotic maintenance situation where almost all repairs are done in reactive mode.
- Absence of emergency protocols.
- A large number of vendors and contractors need coordination and management.
In Conclusion
It can be a bit tricky choosing between a facility manager or an office manager, but regardless of which one you decide to employ, one unarguable fact is that either position plays a major part in boosting the productivity of your business and preserving the well-being of your workforce.
Hopefully, this article has empowered you to make the best choice for your organization.
Bryan Christiansen is the Founder and CEO of Limble CMMS. Limble is a modern, easy-to-use mobile CMMS software that takes the stress and chaos out of maintenance by helping managers organize, automate, and streamline their maintenance operations.