In FMJ's regular monthly column, our team of FM experts answer your
questions about the world of facilities management
THE FM CLIENT’S VIEW
SIMON FRANCIS,
PRINCIPAL LEAD,
ESTATES AND
MASTERPLANNING, ZSL
The rapid growth of the
coworking revolution took
a knock this year as the
sector’s clear leader and
trailblazer su ered some
significant, perhaps fatal,
challenges. A er having
to pull the plug on its IPO;
bouncing from PR crisis to
PR crisis, losing its founder
and CEO and finally seeking a rescue deal – all within
the space of a few months - the once mighty
WeWork crashed down to earth with a bump.
But did it bring the coworking revolution
down with it? I suspect not. With new spaces
opening up across the country over the
course of the year, ever competitive pricing
models and the continued uncertainty in the
economy promoting short-termism, I suspect
the sector will grow and grow. Perhaps
WeWork were always going to be the Myspace
of the coworking revolution?
Similarly, while the media has been filled with
stories around the misuse of data and its impact on
our privacy, the increased digitisation of the workplace
has continued apace. While there has clearly been some
disruption in the marketplace, I feel that the positives are still
20 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2020
outweighing the negatives.
With even the basics, like the
o ice 365 suite, giving the
FM unprecedented flexibility,
mobility and resilience
without the need for physical
infrastructure. A future without
the physical o ice is probable now,
not just possible. It certainly feels like
the quality of the IT infrastructure is now
more important than the bricks and mortar.
Indeed, is there a case that Maslow now needs
to add ‘internet access’ to his hierarchy of needs?
Does this then mean that the FMs days are numbered? I think
not, providing we embrace the ‘workplace’ culture and ensure
we embrace digitisation, but we must adapt or die if we are to
avoid being swallowed whole by our IT cousins as they take
over the world.
It is clearly not possible to review the last year or make
predications for the next without reference to Brexit. That
collision between a rock, a hard place and a clown car. Having
never been convinced of the benefits of Brexit (being quite
happy with my passport colour) I really am failing to see the
upside for our industry. The last year has felt stagnant and
challenging within the sector, with stories abounding from
colleagues of reduced income, cost increases and delayed
investments. Sadly, I don’t think next year will get any better
unless there is a sudden outbreak of common sense in
Westminster.
However, I do feel there is some positivity on the horizon.
There seems to be a renewed appetite for true partnerships.
The success and growth of a number of SMEs that are
challenging the creaking ‘big beasts’ of the FM industry is
a positive development and the long promised,
but never quite delivered upon, embrace of
the sustainability agenda by FMs across
the country is, while long overdue, truly
welcomed. Let’s hope 2020 sees a more
sustainable FM industry than 2019 did.
THE RICS’ VIEW
PAUL BAGUST, GLOBAL PROPERTY
STANDARDS DIRECTOR AT RICS
Over the past year we’ve seen how
digitisation has been embraced by much
of the profession. This is encouraging,
but there is much more the sector can do to
demonstrate the value of technology and the
ways in which it can use data to add value. Up to now
the FM sector has been quite good at capturing data but not
FM CLINIC
Just some of the
predicted trends
in FM for 2019
were; evolution in
the way contracts
were outsourced and
managed, a greater
emphasis on health and
wellbeing, the impact of the
coworking revolution, coping
with the challenges caused by Brexit
and the disruption caused by the increasing
digitisation of the workplace. How accurate were
these predictions and what do you think will be
the challenges and opportunities in FM for 2020?
Simon Francis
ADVICE & OPINION
A future without the
physical office is probable now,
not just possible. It certainly feels
like the quality of the IT
infrastructure is now more
important than the bricks and
mortar.”
– Simon Francis