Insights
Author: Ross Penzer, Associate Director
Managing infrastructure and support services is a fundamental part of running an organisation. Every business needs to make sure its maintenance, cleaning and security are running smoothly. While this might seem like a tough task, there’s a way to manage all of these things together – and that’s through integrated facilities management.
Integrated facilities management allows businesses to manage all aspects of their assets at the same time. There are two types of IFM: soft facilities management and hard facilities management. While different from each other, they each play a distinct but interdependent role. Understanding the difference between these helps improve operational efficiency and overall workplace experience.
So, what is facilities management? It is the practice of coordinating the many moving parts of an organisation, maintaining and operating a building’s physical, structural and engineering systems to support the people who use it. This type of management covers everything from pre-planned maintenance and asset upkeep to energy management, health and safety, and the functioning of essential building services.
Effective FM ensures that workplaces remain safe, efficient, and compliant, while also increasing the lifespan of the infrastructure. By integrating these responsibilities, FM helps companies create well-managed environments that enable productivity and reduce operational risk.
Facilities management is often split into two categories: hard and soft facilities management. Together, they form the foundation of effective building operations and optimal performance of assets.
Hard FM revolves around all things physical with an organisation. This includes elements such as structural and engineering elements of a building that are essential for safety and functionality. These services are often governed by regulations and include systems that must be maintained to strict standards. For instance, fire safety systems and plumbing systems need to be adequately maintained for safety.
Soft FM, on the other hand, is service-based and people-focused, supporting comfort, wellbeing, and workplace culture through day-to-day operational services. While hard services keep buildings safe and operational, soft services ensure they are welcoming, productive, and pleasant to use. Successful hard soft facilities management strategies recognise that both are essential: one supports the building itself, the other supports the people inside it.
Hard facilities management focuses on the physical and technical parts of a building that keep it safe and working properly. This includes essential systems such as:
These assets must be regularly inspected, maintained, and repaired to avoid breakdowns and safety risks. Hard facilities management is strongly driven by legal requirements in the UK, including health and safety and fire safety regulations. Because these systems are critical to building safety and compliance, hard FM is not optional. Organisations must manage them correctly to meet the law, protect occupants, and ensure buildings remain usable and comfortable for its occupants.
Soft facilities management covers the non-structural services that support people in a building. This type of FM doesn’t focus on the building itself; however looks after the day-to-day services that make an environment clean, safe, and pleasant to use.
This might cover things like cleaning, security, catering, reception and front-of-house services and waste management. Unlike hard services, soft FM is flexible and can be tailored to suit the needs, culture, and size of a business. The right combination of soft services facilities management plays an important role in employee wellbeing and even productivity levels. It also influences how visitors and clients perceive an organisation’s brand.
To clearly understand the difference between hard and soft facilities management, it helps to compare them side by side. While both fall under the broader scope of hard soft facilities management, they serve very different purposes within an organisation.
Hard facilities management focuses on the physical assets and infrastructure of a building. These services are essential for safety, compliance, and the building’s basic operation. In most cases, hard FM activities are legally required and must meet strict regulatory standards.
Soft facilities management, on the other hand, is centred on people, comfort, and experience. These services support how a space is used and how it feels to employees, visitors, and customers. Soft FM is usually driven by business needs rather than legal obligation, allowing organisations more flexibility in how services are delivered.
Together, hard and soft facilities management ensure that buildings are not only safe and functional but also clean, secure, and pleasant places to work.
The differences between Hard FM and Soft FM can be clearly outlined across several features:
Knowing the difference between hard and soft facilities management helps FM teams make better decisions about budgets, resources, and priorities while reinforcing the importance of facilities management in supporting safe and efficient workplaces.
Hard FM services need to be funded and managed correctly to meet statutory obligations and avoid safety or compliance risks. Soft FM, while more flexible, plays a key role in shaping the workplace, supporting employee wellbeing, and allowing effective day-to-day working. Knowing where responsibilities sit also influences strategic choices, such as what services to outsource, how to select the right vendors, and how to use CAFM systems to manage performance and data.
Most importantly, hard and soft FM are best managed at the same time. When both are planned and delivered together, organisations benefit from becoming more efficient, improving occupant experience, and better overall performance.
Managing both hard and soft facilities management is best when delivered through an Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) approach. Rather than treating services in isolation, IFM brings physical infrastructure and people-focused services under a single, coordinated strategy.
Technology plays a key role in making this possible. CAFM (Computer-Aided Facilities Management) systems allow FM teams to schedule maintenance, manage suppliers, and track performance across both hard and soft services in one place. This joined-up view supports better decision-making and clearer reporting.
By integrating hard and soft FM, organisations can ensure compliance is met, services are delivered consistently, and workplace experience is drastically improved.
Facilities management plays a critical role in keeping buildings safe, compliant, and enjoyable to use. Understanding the difference between hard and soft facilities management helps organisations plan more effectively and get more value from their FM strategy.
Key points to remember:
By taking a joined-up approach and using the right systems and partners, organisations can create workplaces that are not only functional and compliant, but also productive, welcoming, and adaptable. To learn more about facilities management, and how Macro supports integrated FM, explore our facilities management services and discover how FM24 can provide additional help and support.
