Facility Management First Aiders

Facility Management first-aiders

It takes at least 6 years to obtain a degree in medicine, including theory, practicals and countless sleepless nights. The official Red Cross first aid course is 40 hours long, the most realistic thing of which is to give a dummy a cardiac massage. You get your diploma by passing a multiple-choice test. Each qualification is what it is and serves its own purpose. What you cannot do is confuse the skills obtained with one with the knowledge and experience of the other. In the event of a traffic accident, should there be no one better qualified, a lifeguard would be of great help, but nobody would allow them to pick up a scalpel and carry out an appendicitis operation if a surgeon were available.

The situation in Facility Management

In our sector there are people who train for years by taking a university degree in Facility Management; 4 or 5 years of hard work, internships in companies, and tough exams. There are also professionals, with more or less experience, who decide to take a 30- or 40-hour course, after which they receive a diploma by simply having attended. The curious thing is that they then “compete” in the job market, as if they had the same skills as the graduates. It is as if someone with a first aid course were accepted to become a specialist surgeon in a hospital. This does no one any favours.

Our profession will never gain greater importance within companies if we accept that after a few hours or by reading some simple documents, someone will become a pseudo-qualified Facility Manager. Consequently, when the heads of other departments see this, they react by saying “anyone can do what Facility Managers do”. It comes as no surprise that universities which provide FM degree training are considering changing these courses for more attractive ones.

Adaptation not adulteration

The obvious question is, what happens when an FM degree is not available? Well, you have to look for an alternative, and make the most of what you have, but what you cannot do is call the lifeguard “Doctor”. This is not feasible because when something hurts and you consult him, you will realise that he lacks the knowledge and he will then lose all credibility. In the same way that there are doctors in a hospital, there is also a need for anaesthetists, nurses, porters and a long list of other professionals who do not need to hold this degree but who do have specific knowledge. Support departments require many types of employees with different knowledge and skills. Knowing what type of training is required is key to meeting the expectations of the client company.

There are different types of FM degrees: the oldest in the Netherlands oriented towards the hospitality sector, in Germany and Austria with a focus on corporate real estate, and recently in Scandinavian countries, focused on service design. We at FMHOUSE offer almost 3,000 hours of training and we do not cover everything. Based on our experience as consultants, we focus on the management and methodology tiers. There is no harm in acknowledging that there is much more beyond our scope which we are not able to cover. What one needs to bear in mind is that if what is required is not available, it should not be invented by obscuring needs with any old weekend course.

Facility Management “lifeguard” courses should be taken by all company managers to give them an understanding of what we do. It is hardly surprising that in business schools they talk about marketing, finance, human resources, technology, but they do not talk about FM. One day we might spend some time promoting what we do outside our circles, and valuing good training which will proffer us recognition and positioning.

share on your social networks

Do you want more information about what we do in Consultancy, Training and Research en Facility Management?

Hola, ¿cómo
podemos ayudarte?

Rellena el siguiente formulario y te enviaremos el reglamento interno y código ético:

Hello, ¿how
can we help you?

Participate in the Observatorio FM

You can choose between these 3 options to participate:





How to participate?

Collaborating with the Observatorio FM is a personal and voluntary decision, and there is no contractual obligation or economic retribution for it.

Any interested person can apply to participate as a leader of a new project, or apply as a collaborator in an existing one.

A technical committee will evaluate the subject matter of the proposed projects and the applications of the participants, deciding which ones are carried out and by whom.

Each person decides how much they want to dedicate, depending on their availability or type of project. The aim is for it to be an altruistic activity and not an additional workload.

What does it consist of?

To promote and publish studies that help professionals in the sector and to help others understand our profession and discipline.

The results and deliverables are shared openly, always acknowledging the contributions of all authors and contributors.

The Observatorio FM’s activity will respect the objectivity, ethics, rigour and good practices that govern our Research area.

Contributors have access to the best collaborative tools, sectoral information and contacts, as well as the assistance of expert consultants and researchers at international level.

Research

FM Observatory

FM Observatory is a platform which develops and disseminates Facility Management information. It’s accessible to all those who’d genuinely like to participate. Ethical use and objectivity are essential, and all results must be shared. You decide how long you devote to it and what you want to achieve.

You can participate as:

We will provide:

All contributions will be given credit in completed projects.

Research

Projects

We are part of the European research group and we work in international teams to develop different types of initiatives:

We also work for service providers who require support with decisions linked to:

Research

Standardisation

As accredited experts in the drafting processes of European and International standards on Asset and Facility Management, we are the perfect partner to assist you with:

FMHOUSE is the only Spanish-speaking consulting firm that participates in these processes.

Research

Publications

At FMHOUSE we think that progress made in Facility Management should be shared, so we strive to produce and publish the following material:

The “FM Observatory” is open, should you like to contribute with a publication.

Consultancy

Workplace

Our view of spaces or workplaces from a Facility Management perspective leads to a better understanding of such a need as a service, as it is essential to apply the same logic and methodology.

Generally we offer:

We apply our knowledge and experience to offices, learning spaces, shopping centres and the industrial environment.

Consultancy

Benchmarking

In order to make the right decisions, clear accurate market data as well as facts about the organisation itself is essential. In the Facility Management environment, this is even more critical due to the impact it has on business.

Examples of benchmarks:

These services are requested mainly by end users, but also by service providers.

Consultancy

Customer Experience

Facility Management’s overarching goal is customer satisfaction, whether they are internal or external. Understanding their feelings and needs is the key to offering a good service.

Our support is based on:

We strive to understand and get to know our clients’ customers, in all sectors and types of businesses.

Consultancy

Digital Transformation

The Facility Management world is experiencing a major transition to digital environments. We help our clients understand how it impacts them and assist them throughout the change.

Our areas of support are:

We operate as independent advisers, not as brand vendors.

We advise end-users and service providers.

Consultancy

Service Design

All kinds of companies need to define or improve the way in which it structures supporting activities provided by Facility Management.

Our main products are:

Our proposals are structured according to individual requirements.

We help end customers and also service providers.

In FMHOUSE, we use third party cookies to improve our services. If you continue with navigation, we will consider that you accept our terms of use y nuestra privacy policy y de cookies