NEWS & ANALYSIS FMJ.CO.UK
WEBINAR - MONEYPENNY
FUTURE OF THE WORKPLACE
Recent research carried out
by Moneypenny found that
while almost half (45 per cent) of
the o ice workers surveyed had
already returned to the o ice,
nearly two thirds (61 per cent)
were working to a staggered start,
break and finish times, in order
to support social distancing. With
so many people still working from
home (WFH), we were keen to find
out what this could mean for the
workplace and the FM role, going
forward?
Moneypenny’s Head of Operations,
Ceri Henfrey reported that those
customers who already used their
switchboard service found it was a
straightforward process to convert
to home working because their
phones could easily switch from
desks to mobile. Simon Booth of
Moore Kingston Smith extolled the
value of communications technology
in keeping lines of communication
open. “Whereas before everything was
anchored to the built environment,
we are now using teams and other
platforms for daily huddles,” he said.
Even before lockdown there was
evidence of a stronger focus on
wellbeing at work, with the growing
acknowledgement that FMs do much
more than just look a er buildings.
PARTICIPANTS
Sara Bean – Editor FMJ
Ceri Henfrey - Head of
Operations, Moneypenny
Lucy Hind – Non-Exec Director,
Harrogate Healthcare Facilities
Management and Director,
Hind Consultancy services
Alan Hutchinson – Facilities
Director, Howard Kennedy LLP
Simone Fenton-Jarvis –
Workplace Consultancy
Director, Ricoh
Emma Doyle – Facilities
Manager at THB Group
Simon Booth – Head of
Premises and Facilities at
Moore Kingston Smith
10 SEPTEMBER 2020
Yet according to Alan Hutchinson
of Howard Kennedy LLP, some old
perceptions persist. “During lockdown
an old FM colleague of mine was
asked, ‘how come you’re still busy
if you’re not in the o ice, the toilets
surely can’t be getting blocked?’ It’s
amazing that the concept of facilities
and workplace management is still
very much focused on a building,
when in fact there are so many other
things being covered. ThIs crisis has
highlighted the key role that FMs can
play in keeping businesses going.”
WAYS OF WORKING
Simone Fenton-Jarvis of Ricoh believes
the crisis has helped to demonstrate
that we can change our bad working
habits. For instance, travelling long
distances for meetings. “It’s so much
easier to meet virtually, saving so much
time and e ort, so in that way, there
are some good things to have come
out of this,” she said.
Another key takeaway from the
e ects of the lockdown believes FM
Consultant Lucy Hind is a fundamental
change to how we approach work
and productivity. “Employers are now
working towards more of an output
model for their people. Rather than
expecting sta to sit in front of a
computer from nine to five, it’s about
looking at the di erent ways people
can actually work and allowing work
patterns to change to a more flexible
model.”
For his part Simon Booth says that
we moved far away from the culture
of spending long hours in the o ice,
as the crisis has sped up the adoption
of more flexible ways of working. He
explained: “Most of the culture change
wasn’t about whether agile working
would happen, but then it happened
in about 24 hours, it’s been the rate of
change that’s been the curve ball for
all of us.”
MONITORING WELLBEING
With so many individuals working
remotely, the panel agreed that
facilities managers are in a unique
position to help monitor both their
physical and mental wellbeing. A er
lockdown, Emma Doyle of the THB
Group noticed that as time progressed,
sta who’d assumed they’d be working
from home for just a short period got in
touch requesting ergonomic furniture
to support home working.
When it comes to the mental
health of those WFH, Lucy Hinds
believes that FMs probably know
more people within their organisation
than individual managers. “I foresee
that our role as FMs will change now,
and with the level of flexibility being
driven through business with WFH, our
responsibilities will see us liaising with
home workers on a day-to-day basis.”
FM has always been the hub of the
o ice pointed out Simone Fenton-
Jarvis and the value of this has been
demonstrated through this crisis.
“It will be a new strategy for many
organisations to move past the
building management stu to looking
at how we’re connected to all the
people in the o ice.”
Checking on the welfare of those
working away from the o ice is key
agreed Alan Hutchinson which is why
his organisation regularly surveys sta
WFH. He added: “We follow up on the
results and ensure that what needs
to be tweaked is carried out, which
means we shouldn’t shy away from
asking those awkward questions.”
RETURN TO THE WORKPLACE?
Since lockdown ended there hasn’t
been a rush of people returning
to the workplace. Moneypenny’s
survey found that just over a third
(34 per cent) of workers are entirely
comfortable returning to the o ice,
with 48 per cent admitting to having
some concerns about COVID risks. Ceri
Henfrey found that the reason clients
choose their workers remain at home
is because “it is working for them
productivity wise and it’s what their
people want.” But she pondered, “It’s
the social side which is harder to crack.
We’re remaining productive but is it as
much fun without the o ice chat?”
Most of the panel planned to ‘test
the water’, bringing people back into
the o ice for part of the time, to help
with social distancing. Said Emma
Doyle: “Most o ices in London have
desks crammed into them so many
organisations are looking at ways of
splitting sta into smaller groups.”
Alan Hutchinson was clear about
what the post-Covid o ice shouldn’t
look like. “Don’t use realms of hazard
tape to seal o desks, as you’ll make
it look like a crime scene. Instead aim
for a welcoming space where people
can be productive.” Ceri Henfrey was
able to demonstrate the approach
Moneypenny has used towards social
distancing for its returning sta .
The panel concluded that the
purpose of the workplace has
changed. As Simon Booth summed
up: “The o ice isn’t going to be what
it was. People will only come in for
specific reasons so we’ve got to be
careful not to lose the communications
between colleagues and ensure they
get the best possible experience out of
their time in the workplace.”
When FMJ held a webinar with leading outsourced communications provider, Moneypenny on how
to deal with the challenges of COVID-19 in the workplace; the discussion ranged from maintaining
good communications with clients to building trust between managers and dispersed staff