Historically, facilities managers and cleaning professionals have been given the responsibility to maintain and clean buildings with little input into the design of the buildings in new construction or remodeling projects. Or they are handed the keys to a new building and told "Clean and maintain it. Oh, and by the way, your budget will remain the same."

The solution to this situation is for facilities and cleaning professionals to be actively involved in the design process, because they know best the costs involved in maintaining a facility. Unfortunately many organizations do not recognize these professionals as valued resources in the building-design process.

Therefore, it falls to the facilities managers and cleaning professionals to demonstrate their value to the organization as an important component of the building-design process.

This can be done through education, communication, documentation, and dedication.

Education
The first step in becoming a valued resource is education, which includes:

• Knowing your operation
• Joining organizations
• Attending seminars
• Attending conferences
• Reading industry publications
• Using the internet wisely
• Networking.

Knowing your operation is a key to being valued. This includes knowing or having quick access to building information such as square footage, types, and quantities of floor coverings; number of restrooms and restroom fixtures; mechanical systems; type and quantity of light fixtures; and other data related to your building or buildings. Much of this data can be obtained through the use of CAD drawings and physical inspection.

It is also important to know the hows and whys of your cleaning and maintenance procedures. Using this information, a professional can calculate costs and cost savings of selected fixtures and finishes. As an example a vinyl-composition-tile floor requiring floor finish can cost 40 percent more in labor to maintain than a ceramic tile floor that does not require finish. The payback for using ceramic tile is less than four years on a forty-year floor.

Joining organizations is another source of education. A professional organization provides opportunity for growth through certification programs, local networking and national resources. Today many professional organizations affiliate with other organizations providing additional opportunities for learning and growth. ISSA currently has a number of affiliated professional organizations including IFMA, BSCAI, BOMA, IEHA, PRSM, and APPA.

Attending seminars sponsored by professional organizations or vendors usually provides frequent local opportunities to keep abreast of the latest in industry innovations. Many of these seminars are available at little or no cost and cover a wide variety of topics.

Attending conferences such ISSA/INTERCLEAN^® provides many educational opportunities in the form of educational sessions, networking opportunities, a keynote speaker, and tradeshow featuring booths with products and services.

Reading industry publications either through subscription or online provides in-office education at a convenient time for the professional. Many publications also offer online searching capabilities for past articles and topics.

Wise use of the Internet can provide in-depth information on various topics as well as opportunities for discussion and networking with other industry professionals. A word of warning: Not everything on the internet is fact, so be judicious as to where you choose to surf. A couple of reliable Web sites are:

www.issa.com
www.ifma.com
www.carpet-rug.com
www.faciltyzone.com

Networking is a very valuable way to gain information on products, procedures, and programs from other industry professionals.

Communication
There are many aspects of communication that can contribute to becoming a valuable member of the organization:

• Employees
• Vendors
• Peers
• Customers
• Administration.

Communication with employees is critical because of the valuable information that can be obtained from the people who are the most knowledgeable about the day-to-day operations and procedures. They are the best equipped to analyze what design selections can cost more to maintain or don’t function appropriately.

Communication with vendors can keep a professional up to date with new products and solutions to a multitude of problems encountered in daily operations. The caution is to make sure the vendors are worthy of trust and remember that they don’t get paid for advice but for selling product (do not abuse a good vendor).

Communication with peers is a means of mutually elevating professional stature and also the most trustworthy source with which to share problems, solutions, and constructive criticism. Industry professionals must support each other to enhance the profession.

Communication with administration is all about speaking the right language: “dollars.” Administration wants to know the costs and the cost savings so it is important to communicate this both verbally and in writing. This will be key to establishing the professional’s value to the organization.

Documentation
Establishing a readily accessible written record is critical because it when needed to demonstrate your value to the organization. Here are three things you should make sure you are documenting.

Document costs caused by design in existing buildings to demonstrate ability to prevent future costs if a member of the design team. Communicate these costs and keep them in a file for future reference.

Document cost savings generated from operational improvements, problem solving, and innovation. Celebrate and communicate these savings with team and administration.

Document how the operation functions, enabling the professional to communicate aspects to staff and management and to review regularly for possible improvements.

Dedication
The most important aspect of becoming a valuable resource to one’s organization is dedication to the previous strategies. The principles are tried, tested, and will work—if the professional is dedicated.