Why facilities management remains a worthwhile investment for businesses: Jill Wood

Cutting maintenance and statutory testing would be a big mistake, we see this happening where employers are not fully aware of the standards and regulations that affect the premises and their workforce.

Employers have a responsibility and duty of care to staff to provide a safe working environment. And there are regular tests and safety assessments that must be completed by law. Not following these obligations can have long-term legal implications for businesses.

As well as ensuring the safety of employees, there is also a clear case for regular maintenance reducing long-term costs and identifying efficiency savings.

While it may be tempting to dispense with them for a short-term boost to the bottom line, cutting preventative maintenance measures will increase costs in the long-run.

Think of it like servicing a car. If you occasionally take a few minutes to check the tyre pressure and oil level, your car will run efficiently and is less likely to break down. If your car breaks down, it could cost you a small fortune.

It’s the same with business maintenance. If you don’t take preventative measures, you’ll end up spending more on the reactive costs when something goes wrong.

Regular maintenance and testing are even more important for items that legally require it.

For example, you can’t cut back on something like gas boiler maintenance, which legally needs a gas safety check annually.

Not only is it breaking the law if you don’t have this test every year, it is likely to be much more expensive in the long run. It is far more cost effective to replace a few cheap components each year than have those parts break and face a big bill for a new boiler.

At my business, we have extensive experience of companies regularly calling for reactive maintenance issues. We recommend a proactive preventative maintenance plan, but not all companies want one. Those companies that don’t put a plan in place are soon calling us again and paying callout costs for breakdowns to things like boilers and air conditioning units.

Taking such a reactive approach is short-sighted and shows a lack of understanding of how a facilities management company can help a business. With a regular service, essential items like boilers and air conditioning units are less likely to break.

It is also crucial that organisations know their place of business is running as efficiently as possible. With energy costs rising, a facilities management business can advise on how to use less energy and reduce your bills.

Facilities management companies take an overall, holistic view of your business, which is more valuable than taking on a group of individual contractors for each element.

A boiler contractor will just look at the boiler, whereas a facilities management company will look at the boiler as part of the whole building. It might make sense to increase minimum heating temperatures in the winter to keep staff comfortable, or to only switch the boiler on five days a week and save on operating costs.

Facilities management companies provide expert advice, support and peace of mind. They also save businesses money and time in the long run.

Employing a facilities management company is an investment now. But it is one that will pay off in the future.

Jill Wood is managing director of Doncaster-based Signum Facilities Management.