Following is a guest blog from iOFFICE, a leading workforce-centric IWMS and 100% SaaS platform designed for the Digital Workplace. iOFFICE equips C-suite executives, CRE and facilities managers with the real-time data and tools they need to plan effectively for the future of their workforce and workplace.

From making sure building systems are working properly to maintaining a clean and safe environment for your entire workforce (not to mention all the work they do to increase efficiency, decrease waste and keep employees comfortable) facilities managers are among the most important individuals within your organization.

Accordingly, it’s in your best interest to make your Facilities Manager’s job easier in order to keep them satisfied.

But what does it take to keep a great Facilities Manager happy, engaged and loyal? Raises and bonuses are great, but the most capable Facilities Managers are interested in more than just their financial compensation. As discussed in 5 Things That Make Great Field Workers Quit, the main reasons employees leave are rarely simply monetarily motivated.

Here are a few things you should do to promote job satisfaction and elevate your workplace leader’s employee experience.

Show Your Appreciation

The single most important thing you can do to increase job satisfaction among all employees is to show gratitude. And this is especially important for workplace manager.

Often, these unsung heroes’ efforts are overlooked, and usually it’s only when something goes wrong that a workplace leader is recognized. You must make an effort to demonstrate the company’s appreciation on a regular basis and show workplace managers you value them. You can accomplish this by …

Asking for feedback. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone more in tune with the goings-on of your organization than the workplace leader. Not only will asking for their feedback help show them you appreciate their opinion, but it can also help you uncover issues (and solutions) you never knew existed.
Encouraging their professional development. The world of facilities management is constantly evolving, which means workplace managers must be ready to take on new responsibilities and add new hats to the ones they already wear. Offer your workplace leader the opportunity to take a few days off to attend a facilities management conference or training seminar so they can expand their knowledge base, improve their skillset and increase their confidence.
Rewarding them for going the extra mile. Did your workplace manager stay after hours to handle an emergency? Did they put aside their own duties to help another employee or department? Show you’re aware of their commitment to your organization with public recognition and an appropriate reward, such as a few extra vacation days.

Give Them the Right Tools

Nothing kills job satisfaction faster than not having what you need to do your job well. In order to succeed in their role and keep the enterprise running, workplace leaders need technology. Job management software like Okappy can be a great tool for making facilities managers’ lives easier. Another powerful technology a company can provide its workplace manager with is an integrated workplace management solution (IWMS).

Siloed workforce and workspace management programs are inefficient and costly, and by using various stand-alone softwares, workplace leaders are faced with the challenge of trying to connect every system with the others. But with an IWMS, every facilities management need—from space management to asset management to service requests—can be handled from a single platform.

An IWMS solution replaces the traditional (and old-fashioned) method of using paper floor plans and Excel spreadsheets to manage workplaces. It reduces the time it takes for your workplace plader to find the information they need since they’re able to view real-time data in one centralized location, instead of having to dig through dozens (if not hundreds) of physical or digital files.

Investing in an IWMS proves to your workplace manager the business is committed to making his or her life easier.

Commit to a Smart, Digital Workplace

A digital workplace is one that makes use of modern solutions to successfully balance connectivity and flexibility. And when it comes to the needs of workplace leaders, connectivity and flexibility are paramount.

In a smart, digital workplace, workplace managers can take advantage of sensors powered by the Internet of Things (IoT) to capture the real-time data they need to make effective decisions about the efficiency of the workplace and productivity of the workforce.

Essentially, IoT sensors are the extra set of eyes and ears every workplace leader wishes he or she had. This technology can collect data about occupancy, noise levels, temperature and humidity and automatically feed this information in workplace management software (such as an IWMS), giving the workplace manager invaluable insight into space utilization, asset performance and more.