Role, Duties and Responsibilities of the Facilities Manager - Coursework Example

Facility Management Name Affiliation Date FACILITY MANAGEMENT Introduction Facility managers are professionals specialized in the management of services and processes that support the core business of a given organization. These managers ensure that a given organization has the best working environment so that employees can handle the duties in the right way (Booty 2006, p.89). The duties of a facility manager differ from one organization to the other, but they ensure that there is enhancing working environment through improving efficiency and reducing operational costs and the same time increasing productivity. This is a diverse field with the range of activities dependent on the size and structure of the organization. Moreover, the facility managers play crucial role strategic planning and supervising the daily operations relating to buildings and premises. The responsibilities normally involve various departments and the central services that link all the teams within the organization. In some smaller companies, the duties include practical and some hands-on tasks (CFM et al. 2009, p.78).Most of the management professionals are employees of a given organization though they may be responsible with the management of various sites. Some of these managers will provide these services all by themselves, or they might manage the outsourced services under a given contract (Chotipanich 2004, p.370). On the other hand, some organizations will outsource the management services, and the management specialists will take over from them. In some cases, a facility manager may work in an organization that offers all the services and the only requirement is supervisory. Among the major services that facilities managers carry out include, managing cleaning, security, parking among other crucial services in an organization (Cotts 2010, p.370). Role, duties and responsibilities of the Facilities Manager As posited above, facility managers are strategic planners who assist in organizing the daily operations of a given business through paying special attention to premises where the business sits. This individual oversees various aspects of the company from organizing and managing the vendors and the contractors who will repair the premises at lower costs. Facility managers are those individuals who can multi-task and ultimately achieve success. The first role of the facility manager is management. As a facility manager, one must take part in the daily management activities of the premises where the employees work (Cruse 2008, p.78). The facility manager must organize the employees to form teams that will meet the goals and objectives of the business. Moreover, one may work to develop as well as implementing the employee schedules dealing with minor problems that may arise between the employees. As facility manager, one must be responsible and comply with the local and state safety necessities for any given building under the given management. Moreover, employee training and inspection of facilities are part of the responsibilities of the manager (E-Business energy & facility management 2001, p.67). The facility manager should also ensure that all premises and buildings are under good condition. Moreover, the property and equipment within the premises must be under the good condition, and these responsibilities fall under facility managers. For instance, he or she must ensure that drawers, cabins, photocopiers of other office equipment are in order. Those that are faulty must undergo appropriate repair and maintenance in order to facilitate good working environment (Ekşioğlu, 2006, p.56). Moreover, when building need painting, the manager must look into it and do the relevant action. However, the manager must take into account that these tasks are cost effective because it is part of the responsibility. Moreover, the facility manager must ensure that all the properties in an organization are clean up to the standards. In addition, the space within the offices and other premises must be under proper utilization and the facility manager is solely responsible for the task (Fawcett 2005, p.40). The facility manager should negotiate contracts with clients or vendors who work within the company property. Some of these contracts include advertising, catering, and security. The manager should negotiate for contracts in the provision of the above services in case a need arises. However, such contracts must adhere to the cost effective aspect in pursuant to elevated productivity in the organization (Gilleard, & Wong Yat-lung 2004, p.23). The organization must receive the maximum benefit from the contract and, therefore, they must allow different bidders within the organization to bid to ensure fairness and productivity. Upon agreeing on the price, the manager is responsible in drafting and reviewing the necessary contracts and preparing relevant documentation or the presentations of the work under progress for the owners of the company to know. Upon completion of the work, it ends on time according to the stipulated time (Hall 2002, p.67). The facility manager must effectively manage the operational costs that may occur within the course of management. As a manager, one has to look for ways to cut the costs while at the same time maintaining the business premises effectively (Gustin 2003, p.89). However, the budget allocation must include the emergency cases to avoid confusion in the course of the year. In short the manager must include supplementary expenditure deter confusion and stagnation of services later. Therefore, as a manager, it is paramount to ensure that the business budgets effectively and every expenditure aims to improve the status of the organization trough efficiency (Jensen & Seem 2002, p.90). The functions and requirements of facilities management Facility management is a paramount course because it helps organizations and companies to work with minimal disturbance. As posited above, it helps companies to overcome any possible challenges that may come along the way in terms of managing the facilities and assets within the organization (Mann 2009, p.78). Moreover, there are several requirements that facility management as a career must meet in such a way that People who graduate as facility managers must have adequate skills and knowledge qualifications that will enable them carry out the duties effectively and efficiently (McLennan 2000, p.170). Universities do not offer facility management as a course in all graduate and undergraduate programs. However, they are various recognized standards and increasing curriculum for that profession. The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) is among the prominent professional organization for the facility managers (Mudrak, et al 2005,p.2005) This university offers Certified Facility Manager (CFM) certificates to the members who sit and pass the comprehensive examination among other vital qualifications. The CFM certificate is renewable after every three years, and it ensures that the members of that profession maintain the relevant knowledge in the field (Meyer 2000, p.78). Lack of degree programs in facility management among many universities does not mean that universities do not teach these skills. Some universities have special units that are recognizable by IFMA. For instance, the University of Cornell, the University of Southern Colorado and East Michigan University are among the universities that offer courses identifiable by IFMA (Mull& Beggs 2009, p.67). Some of the academic that are relevant to facility management include; engineering, interior design, business administration, architecture, and construction management, People who have qualified in these disciplines are eligible facility managers after undergoing the CFM certificate(Muller 2003,p.78). Moreover, BIFM (British Institute Facility Management) has stipulated requirements for a professional service manager. It has specific qualifications for a facility manager that will equip him or her with sufficient skills hence improving productivity. The courses help the FM specialists to reduce the costs hence increasing greater recognition within the organization as a whole (Namazi 2001, p.67). The BIFM has classes known as Qualification and Credit Framework that start all the way from level three up to level six. These qualifications have international recognition and people who have them tend to have jobs all over the globe. They have standalone units that one must go through to achieve a certificate or diploma at one's convenient time. The freedom gives one a chance of distributing the courses to a convenient schedule that is manageable. The levels of units are directly proportional to the overall difficulty and more importantly the description for studying the different levels. It is recommendable to contact knowledgeable advisors in attempt to receive guidance to the level that suits an individual (Nutt 2000, p.132). The accredited courses include BIFM level three in facilities management. It aims to educate those people who are new to the facility management industry or those who are in the first line of facility managers. BIFM level four seeks to educate the facility managers who have worked within the field for two or more years and have managed various functions within the facility management field. The courses here touch the managers who are at operating level hence making it possible for them to carry out the activities effectively (Nutt 2000, p.132).BIFM level five is the third level and seeks to educate the managers who have several years in the industry. These managers most likely have a specific area within the operational level. The professionals must be strategic decision makers or those who have high influence in the process. These courses make the facility managers legible in every task they seek to undertake in a given company. These are the vital requirements that facility managers must exhibit for them to secure jobs and contracts in organizations (Payant 2007, p.67). The strategic aspects of the FM profession In terms of functions of facility management, it concerns itself with operating and maintaining industrial and commercial properties. This function may fall under the hands of in-house corporate staff or an outside firm (specialized in facility management) contracted to carry out the activity. The facilities under management include jails, sports complexes, hotels, hospitals among other constructions (Rondeau, 2012, p.65). HOWEVER, IN the business arena, the term mainly refers to the factories and office buildings. The responsibilities under facility management include maintaining, providing security, managing, and engineering. Facility management seeks to create an enabling environment that will encourage productivity and at the same time safe for the employees (Rondeau, & Brown 2006, p.45). Facility management has a traditional association with security, mailrooms, and janitorial services though it has significantly changed over the last century. The evolution has brought significant changes in the field, and the facility managers can handle business functions especially deriving much value from the facilities as much as possible. The factors contributing to the complexity of the job include the complexity services whereby they become big and large to manage (Roper& Payant 2014, p.39). The complexity of the facility prompts the managers to rely on the computerized systems to operate and repair. Moreover, the newfound corporate cost-consciousness that erupted in 1980s and peaked during 1990s has played the crucial role in generating efficiency on the operational efficiency (Teicholz, & Techolz 2001, p.143). In addition, some government regulations and court rulings have prompted the facility managers to consider all kinds factors that may affect the safety and comfort of people within the premises. For instance, the court ruling on the Americans with Disability act has forced many facility managers to modify exits in such a way that people can comfortably get in and out (Varcoe 2000, p.390). Similarly, the hazardous materials such as the CFCs in the air conditioning systems air conditioning are factor that has evolved the facility management career. The government also established oversight units that enhanced strict regulations and therefore, the facility management career had to evolve (Vilutienė & Zavadskas 2003, p.90). Under normal circumstances, facility managers are employees of the company that owns a particular facility. The sole responsibility of the facility is to ensure that it has the right condition and immediate milieu.There are companies that specialize in facility management, they will get contracts from bigger companies, and the managers will get an opportunity to practice from that point. The contracting methods have become common because of the complexity and scope of the facility management. The companies that hire out contract managers prefer focusing on other related goals such as providing service or producing a product. These activities have broadened the strategic aspects of the FM profession. Conclusion Facility management is a pivotal profession that helps many companies and organizations to achieve the goals. I t operates on principles of cutting the costs and creating the enabling environment for the employees. The enabling environment involves office space, cleaning, security and maintenance of the premises. Bodies such as BIFM and IFMA are some of the most efficient bodies in certifying and training the professionals. Therefore, Facility Management is a crucial section of management that companies and organizations need to embrace. References Booty, F. (2006). Facilities management handbook (3rd ed.). Oxford:Elsevier/Butterworth- Heinemann. CFM, K. O. 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