Lessons from the Facilities Reorganization at UConn

When Mike Jednak was hired as the Associate VP of Facilities Operations & Buildings Services at University of Connecticut three years ago, he was tasked with personnel issues, operational problems, and deteriorating infrastructure.

In just two and a half years, he implemented a series of changes to successfully reconfigure the department for a “service-first” culture. By embracing a customer-centered approach, Jednak and his team were able to better the university and serve its students with enhanced efficiency.

Paving the way toward a service-first culture

There’s no one magic ingredient when it comes to a total departmental reorganization. However, through readjusting many moving parts, Jednak’s efforts were met with success.

Key accomplishments include:

• Revised custodial plan to bring more in-house and save money
• Eliminated billing for services system model (which hurt interdepartmental relationships); replaced with a fair “Who Pays policy”
• Launched a self-service maintenance mobile app that lets students submit work orders
• Service level agreement with the university as a whole and monthly meetings to track progress/improve relations with each department
• Installed dashboards in all shops that rotate employees’ work orders to hold staff accountable
• Replaced ROS Forms with an online platform for ordering supplies [/box]

To learn more, watch Mike Jednak's full presentation at the Higher Ed Facilities Forum below: