What are the biggest mistakes facility managers make?

It's easy to think that a facility manager's job is simple - after all, they just need to look after a building, right?

However, a facility manager's job requires them to consider not only the building itself but all of the people that use it, as well as the technology, assets, and processes inside. All of these responsibilities mean the facility manager has a wide amount of opportunities to make mistakes (no one's perfect).

Over-focused on Budget

As the main liaison for maintenance activities in the building, the facility manager needs to run a tight ship budget-wise. However, some facility managers fail to realize the crucial difference between cutting waste and cutting corners.

For example, a way to cut waste might be using more energy efficient technology so that the overall energy cost of the building goes down. Unless the technology is faulty, this method doesn't compromise anyone's safety, nor does it create a financial threat.

On the other hand, if a facility manager decides to stop buying PPE because it's too expensive to buy large quantities of disposable gloves, some money does get saved but the facility manager is now putting the safety and health of their employees at risk.

Not Listening to Employees

A facility manager should have their finger on the pulse of the facility, but that doesn't mean they are the only person who understands the facility's overall health. This can take some doing, but it's important to foster a culture of respect and trust between the facility manager and their employees.

The feedback of employees should (with some discretion) be used as a complementary diagnosis of the facility, as employees are on the front lines. Remember: employee feedback is just as much a useful form of data as asset runtime or money spent.

Mismanaging Inventory

The in-flow and out-flow of inventory is the lifeblood of facilities maintenance, and the moment a facility manager loses track of something, the chaos begins. With so many different moving parts, it's vital for a facility manager to know the location of the product, when shipments are coming in or leaving, and to whom they are going.

Inventory mixups aren't just a matter of time - they are a matter of significant money, of emergency shipments, and of lost trust in an organization.