Qualifications cost money and experience takes time, but these 10 low cost and timely actions will help facilities managers improve their job satisfaction

1. ©
2015
Martin
Leitch
10
Actions
for
Facilities
Managers
to
Improve
Job
Satisfaction
Which
is
more
important
–
qualifications
or
experience?
!
The
answer
to
this
on-­‐going
debate
is
that
they
are
both
equally
important.
But
both
take
time
and
qualifications
cost
money.
!
So,
are
there
any
other
ways
in
which
you
can
become
more
proficient
at
your
job
and
to
make
it
more
satisfying
that
are
perhaps
less
resource
intensive?
113/04/2015

2. Yes,
you
need
to
have
the
level
of
technical
and
soft
skills
appropriate
for
your
role,
but
addressing
ten
key
actions
can
improve
your
capability
and
job
satisfaction.
Whether you work in a
corporate in-house FM team
or in an outsourced service
provider team, these
actions are relevant to you.
Whether you are the Head
of FM or the FM
administrator, these actions
are relevant to you.

3. This will give you the context and framework
in which you are working and provide meaning
behind your day-to-day tasks.
It also helps you to understand that by
adopting a positive approach to completing
these tasks you can have a positive impact on
your organisation’s competitive advantage.

4. No, this does not mean you should rush out to learn
Chinese or Japanese.
You need to understand your internal customers’
language and learn to talk to them in terms that
they understand.
!
Of course this also means that you need to
moderate your own language by dropping the FM
‘buzz’ words and acronyms.

5. Ok, maybe not literally shout about them, but
let everyone know how good you are and how
much you are contributing to your FM team
performance, to other business units and to the
business generally.
Think about it, you have had a few successes.
It is commonly acknowledged that the
only time the business is aware of FM
is when something fails or goes wrong
– turn this around and talk about your
successes.

6. Yes we all make them! But if we didn’t, we would not
learn as much.
So why not turn them to your
advantage by openly discussing
how things could have gone
better, looking for the positives
and sharing the learning
amongst your team.

7. The common misconception is that FM is all about the
building.
But consider this – without the people, there
would be no need for the building. The building
is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
!
So, focus on the individuals that work in and use
the building, understand their needs and desires
and work with them (and the building) to meet
their requirements.

8. It’s not too difficult!
It does not necessarily mean taking a day out for a training
course!
Networking with your peers, reading relevant
magazine articles and monitoring on-line
discussion forums are all excellent sources of
information about what is happening outside your
own corporate or client world.
!
You can do this over a coffee, in the train to
and from work or by ‘phoning a friend’.

9. Whether we like it or not technology is taking over!
By keeping up to date with
developments and applying your
imagination to how it can be used
will only make your life easier,
improve your and your team’s
performance and make more time
for all the other actions listed
here.

10. It is so easy to get consumed with what you are doing and how
you are doing it.
But stand back from doing this to fully consider
the outcomes of your actions (or inactions). Your
internal customers will judge you by these
outcomes, not by how you achieve them.
!
So engage with your customers to understand
their expected outcomes and, who knows, you
may even find a better way of achieving them.

11. But education does not necessarily mean spending
a lot of time and/or money. There are many on-
line inexpensive, if not free, courses available.
Consider studying these to develop your inter-
personal and management skills, not just your
technical skills.
!
Make sure you are always pushing the boundaries
in what you are doing - this will add significantly
to your experience.
OK, this had to figure in this list of actions.

12. Be proud of your profession!
Facilities managers seem to be habitual
pessimists, determined to ‘stay in the basement’.
!
The profession is worth a lot more than that and
it is the responsibility of everyone working in FM
to change external perceptions, to demonstrate
the value of FM and to raise its profile.

13. That’s
it
-­‐
10
actions
to
help
to
improve
your
performance
and
job
satisfaction!
None of them require anyone else’s permission.
None of them cost much money, if anything.
None of them will take up too much more of your time
However, by taking action, you will find you have
more time, your interactions with your customers will
become more productive and you will become much
more effective for your team and your organisation.
!
You may even find time to have some fun and enjoy
your job better!

14. Thank you
for taking the time to watch this presentation. It
hopefully succeeded in provoking your thoughts
and, more importantly, in inspiring you into
ACTION.
www.fmscope.com.au