Last Updated DECEMBER 2024
From Chaos to Control
How efficient washroom facility management helps create a positive work environment
The facilities at the core of a positive work environment
It is said that the average person will spend a third of their lifetime at work – making the workplace as crucial an environment as any. Not only is it a place of career development, but it is also a place of collaboration and needs, addressed through its facilities.
In this way, the office is more than just a building. Like how the pantry becomes more than just a corner, when in its spaces, coffee and ideas percolate alike. In similar fashion, the washroom takes on a vital role, as a place of interlude before jumping back into the hustle and bustle of a day’s work.
The washroom also takes precedence as its use serves visitors as well as workers. Hence, the washroom facility needs consistent care in making sure it can accommodate the needs of employees, while presenting a welcoming environment for the occasional visitor.
The facility manager – a force at the forefront of improvement
A workplace can shine when it gives due recognition to this importance of setting – and more specifically in its washroom environments. While a company’s culture helps in forming its positive values, its washroom facility contributes as a physical embodiment of how a company cares for one’s well-being.
This is where the responsibility of a facility manager comes in. More than making sure resources and facilities are accounted for, facility managers need to translate the shared goals and values of the company into practical means of washroom improvement. When it comes to contributing towards a positive work environment, they are at the forefront of ‘integrating people, place, and process’ within the workplace, to improve the quality of life within the premises and the productivity of the core business1.
The challenges ahead in maintaining elevated washroom experiences
However, as a facility manager, you may often find yourself in the unenviable position of having to face multiple challenges in maintaining elevated washroom experiences. First of which is the challenge of keeping costs in check. This is especially evident in terms of balancing inflationary impacts against the cost of prudent resource usage.
Cost concerns can spill over into other areas of focus – where spending on suboptimal solutions can then cause inefficiencies in operations. When striving for value in procurement, emphasis on quantity over quality may also impact the company’s efforts to control waste and result in an unfavourable washroom experience. Let’s further identify the key challenges you and your team need to tackle.
In times of tight spending, facility management budgets are often cut down in urgency – but when things improve after, they are more likely to be left in a diminished state without a rebound, leaving facility managers open to disruption in their line of work2. This could include workforce shortages, which may mean that washrooms end up in poor conditions – with wet floors and excess toilet tissues strewn about, and soap stains marking the sink.
When it comes to quality, output often depends on the input. This applies in the case of the user experience in your washroom facilities. When the solutions in place are not up to par, the washroom experience can become one of faults and inconsistency – with dispensers that are malfunctioning or frequently empty.
With rapid population growth and continuous urbanisation, the World Bank estimates that annual waste generation is expected to increase to 3.88 billion tonnes by 20503. It’s imperative that we start from our very own workplaces. Inefficient waste management can often incur severe costs, with accumulated waste requiring more hands on deck to clear, while improper waste storage can lead to higher risks of spillage and cross-contamination.
Taking control in facing the challenges
How can facility managers face these challenges and excel in maintaining washrooms consistently? As a facility manager, your success is dependent on the support you have in your cleaning staff – and teamwork is key to more efficient results4, as are the right solutions.
- Take control in managing cost
To work within tightened budgets in washroom facilities, solutions like controlled dispensing systems can help you keep your resource focus in check. By delivering the right amount of hand towels or soap each time, these systems help to curb excess and wastage – like spillage of soap on sinks, and unused hand towels on the floor. On top of that, these controlled and high-capacity dispensing systems require less maintenance and are quick to refill when needed, hence freeing up your cleaners’ time to tend to other tasks in your facility. - Take control in maintaining quality
Dedicating care in providing quality solutions in your workplace’s washrooms can make a noticeable difference. For instance, by having brands like Scott™ and Kleenex™ which are known for their quality in view of visitors and employees, you can help them feel assured that your company cares for their well-being5. 93.6% of customers surveyed chose Kimberly-Clark Professional™. over other brands in APAC6, backed by over 150 years of industry experience and expertise. - Take control in more mindful waste management
Positive change starts with practical methods, like with the controlled usage of resources. In the washroom, controlled dispensing solutions for soap, toilet tissues, and hand towels can enable mindful usage with dispensing that delivers just the right amount. Hand towels with absorbency pockets that enable better absorbency and stay strong when wet7 means that visitors don’t have to use as many sheets8. With less towels used, less waste gets generated – helping with cost efficiency in waste management too.
How these improvements foster positivity beyond facilities
From the washroom to the break room, and spaces in between, a conducive work environment gives space for employees to define their value and purpose.
Through the effort of keeping the washroom clean, well-maintained, and fully stocked, you can contribute to an environment of well-being – where a positive mental state can then feed into better productivity.9
With your attention to the details, your task of elevating the working environment is not just another day of business as usual. It is a wholehearted investment into the welfare and success of the entire organisation that can begin with having the right solutions in your washrooms.
Disclaimers:
1 International Facility Management Association (IFMA), ‘What is Facility Management’, 2024
2 McKinsey, ‘Six emerging trends in facilities management sourcing’, 2019
3 World Bank Group, ‘Solid Waste Management’, 2022
4 N.H.C Manjula, S. Seranatne, ‘Teamwork in Facilities Management’, 2012
5 Global study done on branded towels in 5 countries in 2018: Brand Differentiation: Scott™ Pattern Acceptability Study Report
6 Kimberly-Clark Professional, KCP Voice of Customer Survey of KCP customers across Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand, 2023
7 Applicable on 86222, 86223, 86224, 86225 Scott Rolled Towels
8 Based on internal lab tests conducted in 2019 by comparing relevant competition products across selected APAC countries. Applicable on 86222, 86223, 86224, 86225 Scott Rolled Towels
9 J. Revesencio, ‘Why Happy Employees are 12% More Productive’, Fast Company, 2015
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