Get schooled: How smart asset management can promote health and safety for students

COVID-19 forced many students and educators to rapidly change everything about how learning happened by moving school online. And you know what? Nearly overnight, everyone figured it out.

As the pandemic wanes, schools are still utilizing many of the new technologic tools they learned from the safety of their home, even as they head back to class in person.

Now, students might not notice it, but many of the rooms and buildings have undergone some updates to help keep everyone safe, but maintenance and operations (M&O) workers are well aware. Though the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff have always been a top priority, COVID-19 redirected focus to safe buildings by way of space planning and maximization, HVAC management and additional cleaning.

The concept of a healthy educational facility has taken on a new meaning. Schools now need to handle not just the health threats of today, but potential issues in the future — a challenge for M&O departments that rely on analog communication or paper-based systems to keep track of tasks, inventory, work orders, maintenance schedules and more.

Luckily, for educational institutions and the operations professionals that keep them healthy and safe, smart asset management can be easier to implement and learn than algebra from your living room.

Smart schools deserve smart tools to keep them safe

Facilities management is no small task, especially in the wake of COVID-19. As M&O teams continue to prioritize the health and safety of teachers and students, they are also doing more with fewer resources due to dispersed funding, hiring challenges and facilities that require constant upkeep.

Can we get an “A” for asset management?

Educational operations teams can more efficiently do their job (and keep students and faculty safe) if they can easily access workflows and inventory, monitor assets for performance or efficiency and plan for preventative and predictive maintenance.

A solution like Asset Essentials™ can help reduce maintenance costs, improve productivity and give leaders the information they need to make smarter operations decisions — so M&O professionals at schools can keep health and safety front and center — so students can focus on science and literature.

Stay within safe capacity numbers in the gymnasium and other venues

Schools are often the epicenter of communities. Since the pandemic, scheduling is more important than ever before to adhere to safe capacity requirements. (It’s also important to make up for lost time when it comes to revenue-generating activities).

For leaders tasked with facilities rentals, Event Manager™ can help promote school events,  and support the community while recovering costs — all while keeping health and safety front and center. And, as a bonus, it can sync with Asset Essentials™ to automate workflows and ensure educational maintenance professionals are on the same page as administrators.

Save energy with a healthy dose of centralized data

COVID-19 and safety requirements directed emphasis on systems like HVAC — which may contribute to increased heating and cooling costs. When education budgets are stretched thin, the last thing you want is a hefty heating bill due to lost energy. 

If schools empower facility and energy managers with data to better prioritize activities or make smarter operational decisions through centralized management of utilities, they can better protect the health and safety of faculty and students. Energy Manager™ can enable schools to eliminate utility waste, save money and improve sustainability efforts — contributing to a healthier and safer experience for all.

Health and safety starts with the heart of schools: operations

M&O professionals are the behind-the-scenes all-stars that keep schools and educational facilities safe and operational. Giving them the tools they need enables a more efficiently-ran facility that keeps students, teachers and the community safe and healthy.

By empowering teams with connected technology that centralizes information and is as easy to use as a mobile device (as opposed to say, learning AP Chemistry), you can more proactively cover all the basics to ensure your school or campus has the operational coverage you need to keep students and teachers safe.

Curious about current trends for M&O? Check out our guide, 5 asset management trends for education. Brightly has decades of experience helping schools optimize their operations. Want to learn how our tools can help you keep your students, teachers and communities safe? Talk to an expert today.