Facilities maintenance roles evolve

Facilities maintenance managers’ roles have always covered a range of responsibilities, from keeping up with integrated workplace management software (IWMS) and safety precautions to lighting upgrades, energy monitoring and overseeing renovations, according to Buildings magazine. FMs also have a number of specialties that depend on the specific positions they fulfill. 

The top five are construction and project management (67 percent), facility management (65 percent), energy management (51 percent), design and space planning (47 percent) and staff engineering (31 percent), the source adds. 

However, these roles are evolving as more FMs graduate with specialized degrees and participate in training programs rather than transition into the position from another job within the same firm. 

“The definition, importance and scope of what we do has changed dramatically,” Robert Ule, president of the IFMA (International Facility Management Association) Redwood Empire Chapter, recently told the North Bay Business Journal. “The perception of what we do is shifting from handling a cost center to having a strategic asset management and financial role.”

Ule adds that FMs are being promoted into advanced positions that work in tandem with C-suite executives. When that is the situation, it’s imperative that FMs have accurate data and a detailed picture of every process taking place within facilities.