Groundskeeping and maintenance is a key soft service in Facilities Management, keeping the outdoor areas of your facility looking fresh and healthy. Seasonality should play a vital role in the annual planning of your grounds maintenance, due to the varying weather conditions throughout the year and seasonal needs of plants and foliage. This summer, keep on top of your facility’s grounds maintenance by focusing on the following areas.
Overgrown or untidy grass can make your business’ facilities look unkept and less inviting. Grass tends to grow faster in the summer (depending on the type of grass) when there is more sunlight, so make sure to include frequent mowing in the maintenance schedule. However, don’t cut too short, as this can reduce the overall health of the grass through dehydration.
Alongside cutting the grass, grounds maintenance activity in summer largely consists of pruning shrubbery, hedges, and trees. It’s important to keep on top of pruning and making sure that any diseased, defective, or dead parts of the shrubbery are removed to encourage growth and restoration. Pruning also helps you stay more in control of the aesthetics of the facility’s outdoor spaces.
In the summer, we’re (sometimes) fortunate enough to experience hot weather. This can affect your groundskeeper’s plant watering routine, such as watering in the morning to make sure plants have enough water before the day’s heat sets in.
As the weather gets warmer, you may see an increase in weeds growing around the outside of your facilities. Weeding is one of the least preferred summer grounds maintenance tasks, but it can be necessary for businesses looking to keep their gardens and pathways looking neat and tidy.
Pest control is yet another soft service in facility management and may be necessary for your building during the summer. You may find signs of insect damage or rodent infestations while tidying your facility’s outdoor spaces, leading to the need for pest control services so your workplace can enjoy a pest-free summer.
Plenty of workplaces have outdoor areas enjoyed by staff and/or visitors, which are typically used more frequently in the warmer months of summer. It’s a good idea to make sure that outdoor furniture and fixtures are in good condition before they see more frequent use, and to replace any overly worn items.
Has your outdoor space looked the same since the business moved in? Consider utilising this summer maintenance opportunity to rearrange and refresh your outdoor areas to be more inviting and modern.
Areas leading up to and around your facility, especially walkways, should always be kept clean and clear of debris to ensure the safety of employees and visitors. Your outdoor spaces may become busier during the summer months, meaning you may need to implement an altered cleaning routine during the season.
You don’t have to be an expert gardener to keep up with garden maintenance tasks for the summer, but if you’re struggling to meet the demands, get in touch with Facility Services Group to take care of your soft services for you.
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Clare Jenkins | Savills Management Resources, The Red Dragon Centre in Cardiff
Facilities management is not our core business. We are here to provide specialist services and with FSG working with us, we can focus on just that. Over the last 12 months, FSG have been tremendous.
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