Hard vs Soft Facilities Management: What’s The Difference?
In many businesses, there are a number of different services employers must implement to make sure things run efficiently. These services include both hard and soft facilities management, which between them ensure that workplaces are safe, secure and pleasant working environments.
What is the difference between soft and hard facilities management?
Hard facilities management refers to physical structures that are directly related to the fabric of a building, such as plumbing, heating, lighting and electrical. Soft facilities management refers to elements that can be managed to make the area safer and more comfortable, such as cleaning and security.
Complying with the regulations
In order to comply with the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, satisfactory provisions must be made for the following facilities:
Cleanliness
Hygiene
Lighting
Toilet and washing
Ventilation
Temperature
Rest and eating
Workspace dimensions
All of these factors must be assessed and be up to the required standards in order for a workplace to meet regulations. However, making sure every base is covered can be difficult for a busy company to keep up with, especially alongside the running of their actual business.
What is soft facilities management?
Soft facilities management refers to services that make the workplace more secure, pleasant and comfortable to be in. Here are some examples:
Window cleaning
Catering
Waste management
Landscaping and gardening
Cleaning
Security
Decorating
Not all of these services are required by law. A poorly decorated building is not something you can be penalised for, but it is something that will impact the well-being and productivity of your employees.
It can also damage the brand image of your company and leave a poor first impression on visitors and potential customers. For this reason, soft facilities management is still extremely important and something all business owners should consider.
What is hard facilities management?
In contrast, hard facilities management pertains to the physical structures in a building. These services are mostly required by law as they directly affect the safety and welfare of staff, visitors, customers and third-party contractors.
Hard facility management services include:
Plumbing
Heating
Fire safety
Air conditioning
Building and equipment maintenance
Mechanical systems
These services are non-negotiable, with many of them relating directly to the building fabric of the workplace. Failure to implement hard FM services can put visitors on your site at risk of a number of hazards. You will also be at risk of incurring heavy fines if you are found to be flouting the health and safety requirements.
How can a facilities management company help?
The role of a trustworthy facility management company is so important because they can take care of both soft and hard facility management across multiple sites. These managers are experienced in overseeing the smooth running of buildings of all sizes, making sure that there is site-wide compliance with health and safety.
They can also assist with a number of other tasks that you might expect in a busy workplace. For example, providing handyperson services to deal with minor repairs and breakdowns like broken door handles and leaky taps. This means you won’t have to waste time and money contacting multiple contractors; instead, you will have a fast and flexible all-in-one solution.
Reach out to us today
To find out more about any of our services, give us a call today or send us a message through our contact form. We can help with all aspects of building management, from cleaning and hygiene to fire safety.
We also provide a 24/7/365 Helpdesk service, so you can contact us at any hour of the day. In case of an emergency or a worst-case scenario, you’ll have peace of mind that we’ll be there to take your call.