In these pandemic days, everyone is talking about hybrid workplace arrangements. Nearly three-fourths of companies say they’re using or planning to use a hybrid work model, yet few articles are discussing how hybrid work will affect the role of facility managers. Hybrid working affects facility managers’ jobs in unique ways, and they will need to know how to adapt to this change of the physical workspace.
Through the ups and downs of the pandemic, facility managers have grown accustomed to dealing with disruption or having different departments occupying different spaces in their buildings. However, hybrid work brings a different challenge to the forefront: Facility spaces aren’t being utilized in the same ways they were before. This makes it tough to gauge how much of a building will be occupied at any given time.
For example, maybe the accounting team used to work in one wing from Monday through Friday. Now, they work on-site only Tuesday through Thursday. As a result, it may be better to clean their area on Thursdays rather than twice weekly. Similarly, if everyone in the marketing department telecommutes, it may be best to clean the marketing area only every two weeks.
At first blush, those fixes to the schedule sound simple. But it’s tough to know how to plan for facility maintenance over the long haul, especially with so many organizations testing different kinds of hybrid schedules to see which work best.
However, the trend toward hybrid work isn’t all bad for facility managers, who can finally tackle nagging, backburnered construction or rehab projects like widening doors, installing new entryway systems, polishing that stone lobby floor or putting an anti-slip performance coating on a walkway from the parking garage. Plus, they may be able to save money by recalibrating janitorial schedules. These are definite positives associated with the move to hybrid work schedules.
Adapting to Hybrid Work Arrangements
Undoubtedly, the hybrid work adjustment presents both challenges and opportunities for facility managers. If you’re uncertain about how to keep up, try the following strategies to help you weather the experience and come out stronger:
1. Make overcommunicating your goal.
Forget the normal communication with facility tenants pre-pandemic, and start practicing overcommunication with intention and clarity. The companies in your building may be inconsistent at first when it comes to their hybrid environments, so the only way to avoid disruption to business lines or regular facility maintenance schedules is to establish quick, clear communication with vendors, contractors, employees, and tenants.
A best practice for keeping those lines of communication open is opting for technological solutions. An electronic messaging platform like Slack will allow you to rapidly and conveniently communicate with various stakeholders. Your objective should be to bring together disparate groups for seamless communication and coordination of facility initiatives.
2. Leverage your vendors’ wisdom.
Set up a meeting to hear what your vendors’ experiences have been regarding hybrid working. Chances are, they have other customers dealing with the same issues you have. Therefore, they can help in your mission to balance your needs with the needs of your tenants who have gone hybrid or who are moving to a hybrid schedule.
Be sure to ask about resources that you might not know about. For instance, another facility manager or company might have already crafted a cleaning or space allocation schedule that you could use as a springboard for your own version. Utilize those local International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) relationships!
3. Keep using all your spaces. (Yes, even the empty ones.)
If you let a car sit for months and never start it, it’ll develop problems. The same is true if you let building spaces go unused. You might feel tempted to shut off a wing—but you should resist the urge. It’s important to maintain consistent usage of assets so they don’t stop working.
Test water fountains. Flush toilets. Run water in sinks. Keep the HVAC running. Clean the carpets. The longer you let any space go unoccupied, the worse off it’ll be in the long run. You don’t have to vacuum or deep clean every week, but don’t avoid taking care of the places where people aren’t working. After all, you don’t know whether those spaces might be needed again sooner than you thought.
At this point, hybrid work is undergoing a test phase. Whether it will last forever remains to be seen. Your role is just to go with the flow while ensuring that you do what’s best for your facility.
Brian Miller is a business support specialist at milliCare Floor & Textile Care. In his role, he supports the company’s franchises and helps them improve their efficiency and productivity as they provide essential services to commercial facilities within their local markets.