FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
SALLY WOTTON, MARKETING MANAGER AT FSI
The current situation we find ourselves in has brought FM to the fore, becoming the catalyst in making workplaces safe and efficient. Since day one of lockdown, FM professionals across the globe have played a key role in keeping buildings running smoothly in a reduced ‘mothball’ capacity, as well as ensuring the safety and wellbeing of staff, cleaners and contractors.
Even in lockdown, a CAFM / IWMS solution has assisted with remote working and mobile processes for maintaining business continuity. They have supported FM teams both vertically (for service providers and internal teams) and horizontally (on-site and off-site users across multiple regions) delivering crucial services and achieving compliance with government pandemic prevention guidelines.
A CAFM / IWMS system with a ‘contactless first’ approach provides a range of advantages by:
- Maximising the effectiveness of contractor visits and providing you with real-time updates on the status of your tasks.
- Ensuring that only qualified and validated personnel carry out work.
- Managing contact risk by allowing contractors to use their own devices to confirm proof of attendance, all controlled by geo-fencing technology.
For the vital cleaning service required in the workplace, a CAFM / IWMS system includes:
- Contactless checkpoints for your cleaning operatives to receive tasks.
- Providing safe routes to minimise physical contact.
- Maximising the effectiveness of cleaning duties.
What is obvious now is the basic but fundamental requirement to keep everyone safe and secure in the working environment, be they staff or operatives. Engagement with the workforce is key, and they must be able to raise their concerns both before and during a return to the workplace. This feeling of safety and confidence will lead to an increase in wellbeing and mindfulness, as we all know 2020 has taken its toll.
For those returning to the workplace, basic and regular office routines now take on extra importance. To raise workforce confidence, provide them with the tools to check availability and book time slots for their personal use of facilities, to avoid congregating. Assuring and addressing the wellbeing of an employee, providing regular information around the constant safety improvements being carried out, and providing live updates of the environmental status of a facility will be the key factors in bringing the workforce back to the workplace.
With a new layer of guidelines and processes added to their standard operating procedures, FMs will rely on a CAFM / IWMS solution more than ever to support the workplace and workforce. The FM industry can evolve out of the pandemic through the use of modern technology and approaches.
FM is now officially classed as an essential service across the globe, with the realisation of just how much effect is required. And the technology that was previously considered too excessive is vital for emerging out of the other side of this pandemic.
