Facilities management is an ever-evolving sector, with changes ranging from new roles and business practices to disruptive technologies. On top of these are industry trends that call for the increasing involvement of innovative thinking, complete building care, and sustainability in facility services.
While the sector can meet these demands through flexibility, adaptability, and resilience, coaching is another crucial aspect of successful facilities management that needs more emphasis. Coaching is becoming a growing necessity, and not just for keeping facilities managers and employees engaged. When incorporated into the operations playbook, coaching has the potential to also address key workplace concerns and contribute to efficiency at all levels of the organisation.
On top of these are industry trends that call for the increasing involvement of innovative thinking, complete building care, and sustainability in facility services.
While the sector can meet these demands through flexibility, adaptability, and resilience, coaching is another crucial aspect of successful facilities management that needs more emphasis.
A coaching approach can improve health and safety
Another growing challenge for facilities managers is workplace health and safety. SHP Online reports that respondents in a recent survey expressed difficulties in keeping up with changing legislation and safety standards. The results also highlighted health and safety concerns, such as working at height, damaged equipment and facilities, and cases of workplace injuries.
Although hazard removal repair work can address such risks, coaching is also a significant component of sustainable behaviour change among employees. Embracing a coaching approach to health and safety means facilities managers foster a culture where employees can freely ask questions, speak up about unsafe practices, and collectively take action to prevent injuries or accidents.
Coaching is essential at every level of the organisation
The increasing complexity of buildings and changing industry regulations make facilities management an organisation-wide concern. Instead of keeping information siloed among facilities managers and their teams, C-suite executives are now being coached to better understand maintenance processes, operational efficiency, and strategic facility goals.
In this light, the leadership coaching by LHH focuses on developing executives' self-regulation, coping strategies, and attitudes toward organisational changes, including those that apply to facilities management. By enabling executives to lead and manage change in the workplace, they become better allies to facilities managers and support them in making critical business decisions.
Conflict coaching is a way to redefine teamwork
Teamwork and collaboration are essential to facilities management due to the industry's multi-functional nature and involvement with various departments. However, miscommunication and unresolved conflicts within the team impact members' performance and the quality of services they provide to building users.
An article from HR News thus promotes conflict coaching as a way to develop employees' communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills. Improved communication between facilities managers and employees enhances productivity and efficiency in property workflows and operations. Opening up lines of real-time communication within the team also enables them to collaborate with external parties like service providers, technicians, suppliers, and clients.
Clearly, coaching is no longer optional but instead is a key component of effective facilities management. On top of engaging executive leaders, facilities managers, and employees, coaching serves as a tool that makes working environments more healthy, productive, and collaborative. The next step for organisations is to work with human resources professionals to incorporate coaching into their current workflows and company culture.
Thus, UK businesses like CBRE have been reducing the skills gap by creating a talent pipeline with technical apprenticeships and expanding the hiring pool in line with diversity and inclusion initiatives.
But coaching also plays a role in talent development by having facilities managers step up and help current employees update their technical and soft skills.
This could mean managers initiating coaching conversations that determine employees' current knowledge and competencies.
Upon identification of performance gaps, managers can then guide employees to seek additional training in key areas such as compliance and standards, emergency response, and project management.
A coaching approach can improve health and safety
Another growing challenge for facilities managers is workplace health and safety.
SHP Online reports that respondents in a recent survey expressed difficulties in keeping up with changing legislation and safety standards.
The results also highlighted health and safety concerns, such as working at height, damaged equipment and facilities, and cases of workplace injuries.
Although hazard removal repair work can address such risks, coaching is also a significant component of sustainable behaviour change among employees.
Embracing a coaching approach to health and safety means facilities managers foster a culture where employees can freely ask questions, speak up about unsafe practices, and collectively take action to prevent injuries or accidents.
Coaching is essential at every level of the organisation
The increasing complexity of buildings and changing industry regulations make facilities management an organisation-wide concern.
Instead of keeping information siloed among facilities managers and their teams, C-suite executives are now being coached to better understand maintenance processes, operational efficiency, and strategic facility goals.
In this light, the leadership coaching by LHH focuses on developing executives’ self-regulation, coping strategies, and attitudes toward organisational changes, including those that apply to facilities management.
By enabling executives to lead and manage change in the workplace, they become better allies to facilities managers and support them in making critical business decisions.
Conflict coaching is a way to redefine teamwork
Teamwork and collaboration are essential to facilities management due to the industry’s multi-functional nature and involvement with various departments.
However, miscommunication and unresolved conflicts within the team impact members’ performance and the quality of services they provide to building users.
An article from HR News thus promotes conflict coaching as a way to develop employees’ communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
Improved communication between facilities managers and employees enhances productivity and efficiency in property workflows and operations.
Opening up lines of real-time communication within the team also enables them to collaborate with external parties like service providers, technicians, suppliers, and clients.
Clearly, coaching is no longer optional but instead is a key component of effective facilities management.
On top of engaging executive leaders, facilities managers, and employees, coaching serves as a tool that makes working environments more healthy, productive, and collaborative.
The next step for organisations is to work with human resources professionals to incorporate coaching into their current workflows and company culture.
