Back-to-School Assessment for Facility Managers

How to Keep Your Campus Safe and Running Smoothly

Matthew Randall, UG2’s Director of Facilities, recently published a timely article on facilitiesnet discussing back-to-school season—and the key components to earning stellar grades in facility management on campus.     

In “Get Ready For Back-To-School With A Facilities Management Score Card,” Matthew offers a checklist of items to keep in mind that is tailored to the unique circumstances facility managers face in the current climate. Students, faculty, and staff are navigating a complete return to campus while COVID-19 continues to hover and, potentially, cause disruption. Still, facility managers can leverage the expertise gleaned over the past two-and-a-half years to earn top grades across the board—and finish the semester with high marks.  

Safety is at the core of Matthew’s guidance, which touches on a number of considerations and strategies:  

Health and the Community Nature of Campus Life 

Creating and maintaining connections has never been more important to students, faculty and staff. Encouraging community while keeping people safe involves particular attention to disinfection protocols. Matthew highlights best practices to consider. 

  • Give common spaces a break. When possible, close off common spaces for 24 hours to allow HVAC systems a chance to mitigate airborne particles.   
  • Stagger the schedules of mission-critical employees. Assigning alternating shifts for key staff will decrease the possibility that essential players will be waylaid by an outbreak at the same time.  
  • Track visitor activity with sign-in stations. This practice allows you to follow up with someone who tests positive by targeting appropriate disinfection protocols.  
  • Continue to prioritize disinfection. Make sure teams are systematic about cleaning and consider leveraging digital tracking technology such as Near Field Communication (NFC) tagging. 
  • Stay well-stocked. Keep supply chain challenges top-of-mind and at a minimum, store a month’s supply of key custodial supplies.   
  • Broadcast your care and attention. There is a public relations aspect to facility services. Use signage, targeted communications, and even “Disinfection Team” t-shirts for custodial staff to let visitors know their safety is your priority.

Optimization of Operations and Maintenance

Your O&M team relies on you for help with the challenge of keeping equipment up and running while keeping costs in check. Matthew shares the strategies that have worked for him.

  • Prioritize preventative maintenance. Don’t let your plan fall through the cracks.
  • Tweak equipment for efficiency. Make sure equipment is operating within its design specifications and monitor for emerging issues.
  • Track equipment lifecycle. Base replacement decisions on historical data rather than waiting for something to go awry.
  • Optimize energy consumption. Leverage your Building Management System, follow schedules and use motion sensors.

Worker Safety as Top Priority

Packed, busy campuses can make for added safety hazards. Matthew shared some of the safety strategies he has refined over his career.

  • Guard against distraction-related injury. Remind workers to pause the task they are engaged in if someone interrupts.
  • Avoid injury from repetitive motion. Organize equipment, systems, and schedules to minimize risk.
  • Conduct Job Safety Analysis. Make sure your existing JSAs are aligned with your current environment.
  • Be strategic about signage. Use signs to mitigate risk in appropriate locations without overwhelming the space.

Like all members of our leadership team, Matthew is happy to share the wisdom he’s gained with experience. Are you looking for more guidance on earning top grades in facility management this semester? Read the full article at facilitiesnet, or contact Team UG2

How UG2 Continues to Keep Customers Safe

To say the world has changed tremendously in the past year is a monumental understatement. Twelve months ago, when the shock of the virus was new, most companies and schools sent their employees and students home, thinking it would be just a few months until they returned. While facility managers (FMs) and physical plant directors were scrambling to find and deploy the best disinfection and cleaning products and implement distancing measures, the population at large was figuring out how to simply function in the new pandemic normal.

Ever since then, people have been living on high alert. Everything has been centered around reducing the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19 by controlling how we interact.  Almost overnight we changed the way we work, shop, and socialize. We stayed home, celebrated holidays on Zoom, and became experts on mask wearing and how to adequately wash hands and social distance.

Now, with COVID-19 vaccinations well underway, plans for reopening are as well. According to a LaSalle Network survey, 70% of business leaders plan to have employees back in the office by fall 2021, phasing them in slowly. K-12 and universities are expecting to have students, faculty & staff back on-campuses in the fall, with many preparing for in person commencement ceremonies as well as summer school & conferences.

Cautious Optimism

However, while there’s excitement about returning to workspaces, schools, entertainment venues, and more, there’s also significant concern. Everyone has been so focused on keeping isolated that being in close proximity to non-household members for long periods of time in spaces managed by others, is pretty anxiety-provoking. People are rightly worried about variables they can’t control and things they don’t know – like whether colleagues are vaccinated and when someone coughs, is it because of COVID-19 or is it just a dry throat.

That’s why it’s incredibly important that Facility Managers focus on making occupants feel safe in their work place environments and communities. If they don’t, they’ll likely go back to remote working, learning, and shopping – the implications of which would be devastating for people, businesses, and the economy both physically & emotionally.

The Comfort Checklist

With that in mind, here are six tactics and tools Facility Managers can use to instill peace of mind that your facility is safe to return to:

1. Signage

Communication is always important but now, it’s crucial, especially when it comes to notifications about disinfection status and regulations you want occupants to follow. Signage can go a long way for getting your messages across and keeping them visible.

For instance, signs in front of or inside elevators can display when they were last disinfected or that they have a new air filtration system. You can put door hangers outside conference rooms letting people know the rooms are ready to be occupied, post table signage in break rooms and kitchens reminding employees to practice social distancing, and lay six-foot-apart floor markers in shared spaces like cafeterias.

Custodial staff badges can also help. Bright pins or tags on their clothing saying they’re certified in particular disinfecting protocols and best practices will be noticed and appreciated.

2. Cleaning Visualization Maps

For real-time cleaning status, some organizations display digital cleaning maps on monitors throughout their facility. Products like CrowdComfort enable occupants to easily see which spaces have been cleaned and when. Cleaning staff use a QR code app on their smartphone to scan each location and time stamp. This information is fed into the visualization tool, which shows a map with the status of specific areas using color codes (red, yellow, green) for at-a-glance checks.  

3. Automation and Robotics

Many organizations are evaluating technologies that enable a more touchless environment, such as robotic vacuums, scrubbers, and sweepers. These are visible reminders that the facility is committed to using the latest technologies to keep spaces clean and people safe.

Other examples include paper towel and soap dispensers that automatically notify the facility supervisor when products need to be refilled. Since no one has to open containers to check levels, this decreases touch points and potential virus spread.

4. Self-Service Ticketing

As critical as visibility is, so is giving occupants a feeling of empowerment, that they have some control over their workspace environment. With this in mind, UG2 created a QR code-based solution that enables occupants to use their smartphones to initiate location-specific work order requests – for instance, to refill a disinfection station dispenser or clean up a lobby spill. The solution creates a work order, sends verification, and notifies the sender when the work order is complete.

5. COVID-19 Health Checks

It’s not just tenants who need to feel safe in facilities, it’s also custodial staff. UG2 developed an app called UG2 Health Check, or UHC, that helps employees feel comfortable about their colleagues’ state of wellness. UHC is a simple, smartphone-based survey that site managers can use at the start of every shift, questioning every employee about COVID-19 symptoms and potential exposure, and determining whether it’s appropriate for them to work that day.

6. Quality Management Inspections  

Behind the scenes, facility employees can use mobile management inspection tools to accelerate cleaning problematic areas. Facility managers scan QR codes or NFC tags via their smartphones when they see things like dirty toilets, garbage spilling out of trash cans, or soiled carpet– anything not up to the more stringent post-COVID standards. These readings are automatically fed into the appropriate system, where they are processed and readily addressed.

UG2 is helping organizations around the country build the trust tenants need to confidently and comfortably return to office spaces, classrooms, entertainment venues, and more. Contact us today to find out how we can help you.

When selecting a partner, there’s much more to facilities management than equipment maintenance

There are certain assumptions that tend to come up with facilities management (FM) and its role in building operations. You might think it’s just maintenance of systems like HVAC, cleaning and disinfection—especially right now—and repair of everything from complex equipment to squeaky door hinges.

While all of those are, of course, a vital part of FM and should be daily priorities for any team, there are several other factors that private K-12 schools should be considering. It’s less about specific skillsets and more about how FM will fit in with your environment, especially because private K-12 communities have unique needs that must be understood. These factors include:

  • Experience with K-12 campuses. If you work and/or live on a private K-12 campus, you already know it’s a distinctive environment, even when compared to higher education campuses that are similar in size. Do your potential FM vendors realize this as well? Choosing a team that has experience in this space is crucial, because they can draw on that previous experience to be more proactive in their approach.
  • Prevention as a guiding principle. Of course, prompt reaction to maintenance and cleaning is a major part of any FM team’s strategy, but an emphasis should be on how to prevent those issues in the first place. Taking a proactive stance can lead to cost savings, increased efficiency, and operational excellence.
  • Low turnover, if any. In an office building, seeing familiar faces for facilities management is nice, but in a school, it’s essential, because it builds trust. If your FM team, such as the cleaning crew, is seen as a revolving roster of strangers, that undermines the sense of community that private K-12 schools have as a foundation.
  • School pride. Related to low turnover, FM employees will feel like part of your campus, and tap into that distinctive cohesion that makes your school special. They’ll feel a sense of pride, just as much as alumnus, staff, teachers, and students do. And when you feel proud to work somewhere, you care more. You work harder.
  • Affordable in the right way. An outstanding FM team will be an investment, not an expense. That’s because the FM provider will focus on proactive strategies, ongoing training for their team members, and partnership with K-12 administration. All of those can increase efficiency considerably, and that reduces overall cost compared to FM providers who are simply not the right fit.

Facilities management is an important part of every private K-12 campus to ensure that buildings are cleaned and running well. As far as providing services, that should be the starting point that gets built upon, not the endpoint.

Value of an Experienced Partner

For more insight, check out our recent post, How Facility Management Can Be Part of Your K-12 Community and consider these factors when choosing your FM provider, even those who come in on a short-term basis.

As you think about how to keep your campus and your community safe and healthy, don’t hesitate to reach out to UG2 to learn how we can help. Our new UG2 ReNewSM Cleaning4Health and Engineering4HealthSM programs are designed to ensure you have what you need, no matter what return-to-school strategy you’ve chosen. We have experience being part of private K-12 spaces, and we take great pride in being part of the schools we serve.

Tackling work orders is important, but it’s also crucial to prevent them.

There will be issues that need to be addressed on a private K-12 campus, from equipment malfunctions and broken systems to process improvements and additional training. But not every facility management team approach these in the same way.

Some teams have a reactive position when it comes to repair and maintenance, and they dutifully go through work orders every morning to sort them according to urgency. There’s nothing wrong with addressing problems as they happen, but it’s also not the best strategy, because it doesn’t include tactics for preventing those problems in the first place.

With a proactive approach, a campus can run much more efficiently, because there will be a greater emphasis on maintenance and less on repair. Fortunately, it doesn’t take an overhaul to be proactive. It just takes attention to detail. For example, UG2 facility managers often “walk the campus” every week, specifically looking for minor issues to address. Those could be seemingly tiny problems, right down to a small crack on a stairway, or a door that doesn’t open quite right. Maybe there’s a little water damage at a corner of a ceiling tile.

All of these have the potential to turn into much larger safety issues. The stairway crack could become a tripping hazard, the door might break as a student is entering a room, that water spot may be from a leaking pipe that could burst eventually if it’s ignored.

A knowledgeable facility manager “knows” a campus, right down to what everything should look like and how it needs to function. Being proactive may look excessive to an observer, but the benefits can be significant:

  • Cost savings: Consider the difference between taking 15 minutes to replace part of a pipe that’s leaking versus a 2-day shutdown of an entire part of the campus because of a major pipe burst, as well as the potential water damage from that event.
  • Efficiency: When a facility manager is the one generating most of the work orders, that means repairs have become more minimal. The facility team can focus on more important maintenance issues without having the constant distraction of repair problems.
  • Appearance and reputation: Everyone knows how it feels to be in a space that is well maintained, clean, and free of even minor issues. It simply feels better and helps a private K-12 school maintain its reputation for excellence — not just academically, but also operationally.

Value of an Experienced Partner

For more insight, check out our last post, How to Include Facility Management in Your K-12 Community and in an upcoming post, we’ll discuss the top factors schools should consider when choosing to outsource facilities management.

As you think about how to keep your campus and your community safe and healthy, don’t hesitate to reach out to UG2 about how we can help. Our new UG2 ReNewSM Cleaning4Health and Engineering4HealthSM programs are designed to ensure you have what you need, no matter what return-to-school strategy you’ve chosen. We have experience being part of private K-12 environments, and we take great pride in being part of the schools we serve.

Now more than ever, consistency is key. Facilities management can provide that, but only if it fits in with your school.

In a private K-12 environment, community is everything. Administrators, staff, teachers, parents, and students are all connected together in a unique way — fostering cohesion and belonging, making school feel like a second home for everyone.

That distinctive feeling is more important now than ever before, as we navigate through so much uncertainty. It’s also why the right facilities management team can make such a big difference. A team that handles cleaning, disinfection, maintenance, operations, and more, can heighten the sensation of safety that comes with community. But not every facility management (FM) team is the same.

Here are the two major elements that are important to determine if your FM can fit into your private K-12 environment:

  • Low turnover, if any. In an office building, seeing familiar faces for facilities management is nice, but in a school, it’s crucial. Staff, students, and parents love getting to know “their” people.For example, at the private K-12 schools handled by UG2, students often practice their Spanish language skills with our cleaning crews, or wave to them in the hallway. They know our FM people as well as they do the school secretary, cafeteria employees, or bus drivers. One school even dedicated two yearbook pages to their favorite team member. That’s the kind of connection that builds trust and community.That’s simply not possible when you have high turnover, because not only are students and staff unfamiliar with these employees, but they also don’t make the investment of effort and time — automatically assuming that FM workers might be gone soon.
  • School pride. Related to low turnover, FM employees will feel like part of your campus, and tap into that distinctive cohesion that makes your school special. They’ll feel a sense of pride, just as much as alumnus, staff, teachers, and students do. And when you feel proud to work somewhere, you care more. You work harder.That’s what we see at UG2 with our FM teams that handle private K-12 schools and their campuses. They use the phrase “our school” because there’s ownership and a sense of responsibility not just to UG2 or their managers, but to the whole school community.

Facilities management is an important part of every private K-12 campus to ensure that buildings are cleaned and running well. But that should be the foundation, not the endpoint. The right team will fit into your community, not operate outside of it.

Value of an Experienced Partner

For more insight, check out our last post, Why Private K-12 Has Unique Needs for Reopening and in an upcoming post, we’ll discuss how a proactive approach to facilities management can help your private K-12 campus in ways you may not have anticipated.

As you think about how to keep your campus and your community safe and healthy, don’t hesitate to talk to UG2 about how we can help. Our new UG2 ReNewSM Cleaning4Health and Engineering4HealthSM programs are designed to ensure you have what you need, no matter what return-to-school strategy you’ve chosen. We have experience being part of private K-12 environments, and we take great pride in being part of the schools we serve.

General solutions and resources may not be sufficient

Every private K-12 administrator, teacher, and parent has been embroiled in the heated back-to-school discussions for months, and as those debates continue, one huge point is clear: reopening requires thorough preparation and planning.

With private K-12 environments, prepping for probable student re-entry is only one part of the equation, and it’s possible you may be falling short if your only focus is increased cleaning and disinfection. There are key questions that need to be answered before you can reopen:

  • Open on different schedules. Although many private K-12 school buildings are closed, many spaces must remain open to support residents or faculty living on campus. Space utilization will impact the ability to stagger residential and/or commuter student schedules so that classrooms and other spaces can be cycled and serviced on different days. How can you perform cleaning and engineering services in spaces that are always populated?  How can you communicate complex scheduling requirements to ensure the right rooms are disinfected?
  • Multiple facility types. Student dorms, classrooms, science labs, sports arenas, fitness centers, cafeterias, common areas, libraries, offices, auditoriums, music practice spaces—the list goes on and on when it comes to the types of spaces on a typical private K-12 campus. How can you ensure that all of these facilities can be disinfected and made safer on a consistent basis, given the size, complexity, and variety of these spaces?
  • Budget considerations. Tuition serves as a primary source of revenue for K-12 private schools, but institutions will be challenged by lower enrollment rates, higher spend on cleaning services, lower alumni gifts, and potential faculty recruitment struggles. How can you do more when you may have less to spend?
  • Greater interaction. Even with controls like better social distancing in classrooms and dining spaces, students still gravitate toward one another. What about sports teams? Even with spectators socially distanced, players need to be in close proximity, and often can’t wear masks as part of practice and play. How will you handle the potential rise in infection risk that comes with more interaction?
  • Keeping the community strong. One particularly unique aspect of a K-12 private school is the close-knit community that brings together educators, administrators, parents, students, and staff. Ensuring they all feel supported and safe is crucial, and that requires more communication about what’s being done to keep everyone healthy. Do you know what to convey when it comes to assuring all stakeholders that you’re doing as much as you can?

Because of factors like these, private K-12 education requires a unique approach that addresses these issues on multiple levels. That leads to the biggest question of all: How can you reopen safely when resources may be limited?

Value of an Experienced Partner

Awareness of the unique needs of a campus environment is just the first of many steps toward creating a cohesive, meaningful plan for reopening. In upcoming blog posts, we’ll go more in depth regarding a proactive approach to facility services, and the importance of operations coordination.

Be sure to check back for more blog posts, and don’t hesitate to contact UG2 to talk about your specific needs. If you work in the private K-12 education space, now is the time to build capability and resources for reopening, and UG2’s deep experience and insights have proven valuable to a range of educational customers.

Our UG2 ReNewSM Cleaning4Health and Engineering4HealthSM programs are designed to ensure you have what you need, well before anyone returns to school—and long after they’re back, too.