With potential threats running the gamut from cyber attacks to extreme weather, facilities managers must devote an increasing amount of time and energy to crisis planning.

No historical period is without its uncertainties, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that the last ten years have had more than their fair share of issues. Ever since the financial crash that began in 2008, the challenges have come thick and fast – from escalating cyber crime and climate change-related extreme weather, to the multiple potential outcomes of Brexit.

Given the potential impact of these scenarios on business, it stands to reason that crisis planning has become a very hot topic in recent years. For facilities managers this has meant a further increase in workload as they have been obliged to make contingencies for the impact of various crises on building technologies and the people who use them. Taking greater measures to protect computer networks, and build greater redundancy into IT systems, is a particular preoccupation – hardly surprising when, for example, several recent studies have found that nearly 50% of all cyber attacks target small businesses.

On an internal corporate level, successful crisis planning calls for close collaboration between facilities managers and different departments. Responsibilities need to be demarcated and allocated with total clarity, and information on various scenarios shared with all those likely to be affected. Equally important is the constant monitoring of new and emerging threats via what has come to be known as ‘change resilience’. This means that facilities teams routinely look about 2-5 years into the future, work out in what primary ways the world of work is likely to change, and then plan accordingly.

With responsibility for servicing and maintenance of core building systems including heating and lighting, often now devolved to third-party companies, it’s vital that these suppliers be in a position to support this degree of event planning. For example, here at Greenlite Group, we are able to schedule planned and reactive maintenance call-outs to ensure a company can tackle any situation as and when it arises. We implement schemes tailored to an organisation’s individual requirements, and are always available at the end of the ‘phone to offer immediate advice.

Preparing for the worst is never going to be anyone’s favourite task, but by partnering with the right suppliers and making sure that all stakeholders are engaged throughout the process, it can be rendered relatively painless.