Experienced facilities managers have learned the value of increasing workplace productivity. After all, a big part of an FM’s job is to help the occupants of the buildings for which they are responsible.
The problem is measuring results and pinpointing exactly how much of an impact efforts toward boosting productivity have on a company’s bottom line. That’s just the nature of dealing with people.
It’s a much cleaner argument to tell a CEO that you can save $1 per square foot or $5,000 per quarter with smarter HVAC systems.
Nevertheless, a small uptick in productivity can be worth at least as much as big savings per square foot. Therefore, it is important to put an emphasis on productivity.
Below are insights and perspectives from 13 experts on how an FM can improve productivity for a company’s workforce. Some of these ideas might more closely resemble art than science, but once we have a better idea of why workplace productivity is so important — and we’ll back this up with figures — and what pain points employees identify, we can develop a more targeted approach to improving productivity.
Putting Overhead Costs in Perspective
John Hanlon, the Facilities Manager and Estates Director for the UK Ministry of Defense, gave a presentation at the 2013 European Facility Management Conference in Prague that pretty well described how facilities management is accounted for on a company’s books.
“Facilities are seen as an overhead cost rather than an enabler to business productivity,” he told the crowd.
But facilities costs themselves are dwarfed by staff costs. Staff costs are typically 10 to 20 times higher than facilities costs in existing buildings, he said, and nearly 7 times the cost of a new facility over its lifetime.
Therefore, Hanlon argued, any company seeking to reduce overhead should look at staff first and identify inefficiencies there.
Yes, that’s a touchy argument to make — no one enjoys cutting jobs — but a business cannot sustain unproductive employees, either.
Andrew Gager, now Director of Asia/Australia for Nexus Global Business Solutions, Inc., told a story in a piece for FacilitiesNet back in 2011 that illustrates an extreme case.
“I visited a facility with a unionized maintenance department, where tenured technicians have 20 years of experience or more,” he wrote. “The manager asked me to assess the technicians’ current practices because he was frustrated complaints were increasing while work captured on work orders was declining.
“We found utilization of the technicians was less than 10 percent. When we asked them the reasons for their low utilization, the overwhelming response was they were retiring in a few years and did not need the headaches and the stress.”
This is not meant to insult unions or technicians or anyone at all, for that matter. This story is more reflective of the constant struggle between managers and simple human nature.
For the facilities manager, it is nice to be able to attach a figure to that lost productivity. This can help shape the nature (and probably the scope) of the solution.
Why Productivity Lags
In a report on designing effective workspaces, Johnson Controls uncovered some interesting data. The company found that focused work accounts for just more than half of a person’s working day, but almost half of that focus time itself is unproductive. The major culprits? Noise and lack of privacy. Some people thrive in an open, busy environment; others need peace and quiet to get anything done,” Elizabeth Dukes writes at iOfficeCorp.com. “Your office environment needs to ensure that both people can be productive. When you’re designing an open office environment, create flexibility for different work styles by creating a variety of spaces, from communal desks and couches to more private meeting rooms and quiet places to focus on a project in more depth. Editor’s note: We touched on this exact issue recently. “When employees feel like they can control their environment and choose the space they need to work in at that moment, they will be more productive.” We will explore a few practical solutions for addressing noise and lack of privacy in the next section. Before that, there are two more points worth noting:
- Data collection is key for understanding occupant needs, Dubai-based Able FM writes on its company blog. “If you do not have the data to identify a process that isn’t working, history will repeat itself until someone stumbles upon the truth. With the proper software solutions in place, FMs have the ability to collect data regarding revenue growth (and its major contributors), space utilization and facility costs, as well as employee productivity and overall fulfillment.”
- Facilities managers are in a position to enable productivity, not deliver it, Aramark Ireland’s Samantha Bowman argued at a BIFM event held in March 2014. “Every organisation is not the same, and most FMs work as part of a bigger team. FMs play an enabling role as part of a wider team.” Brown said this could include “playing a part in supporting wellbeing programmes, managing space, designing a workplace and facilitating other kinds of change,” FMWorld’s report from the event reads.
Practical Solutions For Improve Workplace Productivity
First things first — let’s address issues of noise and privacy.
“Noise pollution is one of the biggest problems in many offices,” notes a staff article from Entrepreneur magazine. “One good way to decrease noise is to cover computer printers with sound shields. Covering a printer can cut noise by more than 90 percent and increase concentration accordingly.”
Russell Richardson, director of RBA Acoustics in England, has made a career of fixing noise problems, and he agrees that noise issues can kill productivity.
“An office where you feel you have to put earphones on is a failure,” Richardson says. “If it’s an occasional thing where I need to concentrate, that’s fine, but if I need to remove myself from the rest of my team and put headphones on, there’s something wrong.”
A big-picture fix for both noise and privacy issues — which seem to have become increasingly common in open office layouts — is to provide areas of refuge for anyone doing focused work.
Keep an eye on the office layout. This is one area in which an FM can enable big productivity gains by simply being responsive.
“It should be obvious, even if not measurable, that an opportunity to re-assess the office layout from a workflow perspective, provide more efficient ergonomic furniture and spice up the finishes can only improve productivity,” Michel Theriault writes at StrategicAdivsor.ca.
Other experts suggest that there is some low-hanging fruit in many workplaces that, with a simple fix, can enhance productivity. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of being thoughtful.
Below are four such opportunities.
Make the break room an inviting place.
The Staples Advantage blog reports that nearly half of the employees it surveyed for a study said they felt uncomfortable leaving their desks to take a break. “That’s not good, considering taking a break is one of the best ways to recharge and refuel throughout a busy day,” the post reads.
A facilities manager obviously cannot mandate break time, but you can certainly incentivize break-taking. The Staples post suggests including both healthy foods and drinks and also a wider option for facility occupants who prefer options.
Also, the posts suggests comfortable, ergonomic furniture may invite employees to be more social and relaxed with their colleagues, a great way to lower stress and recharge.
Keep the workplace organized.
This might sound obvious, but when work gets hectic, organization is often the first thing sacrificed.
“A supervisor of mine from several years ago recently sent me a photo of me in my cubicle,” recruiter and career coach Jenny Foss told Forbes’ Jacquelyn Smith. “I was horrified by how messy and disorganized it looked. And I recall vividly how challenged I was by the mess. Mess equals stress.”
Ensuring employees have proper places to store their documents and other effects can go a long way in making their work environments more comfortable.
Decluttering is important, but don’t sacrifice pleasant decor.
Straight lines and minimalism can be refreshing, sure, but don’t let that vision turn into barren minimalism. Most people like some decorations.
“Studying worker productivity levels over subsequent months at two large commercial offices, the researchers found that the presence of plants led to more work engagement by employees, including improved physical, cognitive, and emotional involvement in their work causing large increases in worker productivity and satisfaction,” Buildings.com reported in September. “Productivity could increase by as much as 15% with the simple addition of greenery.”
Invest in ergonomics.
Lauren Barack has some great advice over at WealthManagement.com. Speaking with a few ergonomics experts, she demonstrated how simply helping employees maintain physical comfort in their work ultimately pays dividends in productivity.
Her reporting touched on three tweaks:
- Having adjustable keyboard positions and monitors is crucial for those who work all day at a computer. Laptops, for all the mobility they offer, are major contributors to injuries.
- As smart earbuds come on the market, not only will this untether users from this computers physically — they will also be able to track the wearer’s heart rate and even the amount of noise passing through the ears.
- Stand-up desks are becoming increasingly popular for those who want to alleviate or prevent back issues.
“You need to invest in your people,” one expert told Barack. “You can reduce medical costs by incorporating just one incentive.”
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