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‘Tis the season for Facilities Management

5 things you should schedule with your FM Company, over the Christmas break.

The hustle and bustle of work-life affords little time for office TLC. A busy year of meetings, paperwork, deadlines and coffee refills can take its toll on a work environment, leaving it less than merry. As the festive season rolls around, and employees take their leave to enjoy the holidays with their loved ones, businesses are presented with a perfect opportunity to reset, ready for a fresh and productive New Year. So, what are some of the FM activities that a company can consider, over the Christmas break?

1. Deep and clean and even

While it is the season to be jolly, it’s also the season for cold and flu and with Covid-19 still featuring heavily in our news headlines, colleagues are looking to their employers to provide a safe and hygienic environment, now more than ever before. That said – providing a satisfactory level of cleanliness, while under normal operation, can prove challenging. The decreased occupancy of your building, over the break, presents the perfect opportunity for a professional cleaning service to provide a thorough deep clean, tackling the tasks that have been neglected throughout the year. Those who wish to provide even more reassurance to their team might consider an Electrostatic Clean. This efficient method of disinfecting is capable of handling large and heavily furnished areas, is highly effective, affordable and lasts up to 30 days. (Electrostatic datasheet)

For your checklist:

Kitchen areas, microwaves, fridges, kettles, cupboards

Ceilings, ventilation canopies, filters, walls, and hard to access/hidden areas.

Telephones, IT equipment

Toilets and washrooms

Replenishing sanitising stations and supplies

2. Dreaming of a white carpet

It’s no secret that staff who work in a clean environment will perform better and be, ultimately, more productive in their workplace. The heavy rainfall, gritting salt, snow, ice and mud of the winter months create a particularly unpleasant combination for floors, carpets and upholstery in shared environments. The accumulation of grime in these areas may not be noticed on a day-to-day basis, however, once treated, the difference will make a profound improvement to the atmosphere of your premises.

For your checklist:

Floors, carpets, stairs, sofas and chairs, curtains and blinds

3 – Let your office be light

Flickering lights, leaking taps, faulty radiators and noisy air conditioning units are commonplace in offices. These minor inconveniences may not have a significant impact on the overall operation of a business but all can contribute, in some small way, to decrease the morale of employees. Request an M&E specialist to conduct an audit of your key fixtures and fittings and repair as necessary. Preventative checks decrease the risk of expensive and inconvenient call outs and the simple improvements are guaranteed to be noticed and well received by your team.

For your checklist:

Heating, ventilation, air conditioning

Fire extinguisher checks and sprinkler system maintenance

Electrical and lighting

Boilers and plumbing

4 – Baby, it’s cold outside

A clean and properly maintained exterior of your premises undoubtedly helps to create a great first impression for your business. It’s for this reason that Grounds Maintenance shouldn’t be excluded from your schedule of winter FM activities. A good grounds maintenance provider will take care of everything from pest control, tree surgery and landscaping to gutter clearing, ice gritting and timber repairs, ensuring your outdoor environment is safe and welcoming for all.

For your checklist:

Repairing fencing and timber structures

Clearing gutters and drains

Clearing leaves, snow, ice

Pest control

Defrosting taps and pipes

Removal of unwanted shrubs and weeds

Replenish salt bins

5 – Sleep in heavenly peace, knowing your facility is secure

Is that sleigh bells you can hear? Or has someone set off the burglar alarm? The last thing anyone wants is a call out for an alarm code on Christmas and while we would all like to focus exclusively on the positivity of the season, the long dark evenings and empty buildings can lead to opportunistic break-ins and vandalism. To obtain peace of mind, while enjoying the festivities, consider enlisting or increasing guarding hours over the winter months, or as a minimum, for the holiday period. At a large site, security services may be required on a 24-hour basis, however, specialists can be contracted to simply conduct mobile patrols and respond to alarm calls, where perhaps less protection is required

For your checklist:

Keep visible presence at the facility with mobile patrols

Key control and alarm response

Securing of any post/packages that may arrive at the building

For more information on periodic and winter facilities management, or to arrange a service, contact us here.