SOCIAL - BLOG
@stevewbrewer We’ve just won an award!
For our design work for WD-40 Company.
Thank you, @BCO_UK Sit back and enjoy
a quick journey around WD-40 Company
workplace brought to you by @honestdesign
+ @CollinsConLtd + Spring4 #BCOawards
#BCOvirtualAwards #honestdesign
#viveleworkplace
JLL Technologies linkedin.com/company/
jlltechnologies/ As COVID-19 impacts the
world’s buildings, this technology has
re-emerged to offer unmatched control &
intelligence for building owners and managers.
https://lnkd.in/gHviBHT
@oseland My views on how we feel about
returning to the office at 22 minutes https://
youtu.be/kfwurp8U4JY Thanks to Sharp.
Neil Usher linkedin.com/in/neilusher
Chief Workplace & Change Strategist @
GoSpace I learned this morning that a number
of workplace folk were to start trying to clarify
a number of terms for the physical workplace
that are often used interchangeably - such
as agile, flexible, activity-based and hybrid.
Or any of the many other names for the same
thing that have been invented since lockdown.
#workplace #change #office
@FMJOBFINDER Changes to Contracting &
IR35 - Tackling the tax elephant in your room
https://buff.ly/2TsPZgR #fmjjobs #IR35
#employmenttax
Gabriella Lewis MWIFM linkedin.com/in/
gabriella-lewis-mwifm-1118077 a Facilities
Contracts Manager at the Ambassador Theatre
Group. After 3 months of job hunting, 70+
FM jobs applied for, and 8 interviews, I’m
absolutely ecstatic to announce I’ll be joining
Virgin Media as a Mobile Facilities Manager!
And for everyone who’s still struggling to find
a job, PLEASE keep the faith... you cannot be
unemployed forever! #facilitiesmanagers
#facilitiesmanagement
@CIBSE The latest version of the CIBSE
COVID-19 Ventilation Guidance has just
been released and published on our website.
Download your copy now: https://buff.
ly/34s71Sz
18 NOVEMBER 2020
BLOG FROM RAJ KRISHNAMURTHY, CEO, FREESPACE
LONG-TERM THINKING
It’s time to think about the long-term. And,
amidst the madness and uncertainty, take
a positive stance. COVID-19 will be here
for some time. More flexibility, pivoting and
adaptation will be required. Yet, despite the
regrettable but understandable side-step from
the ‘return to work’ push, we must recognise
that sometimes a step back is needed in
order to have a running start. Therefore, this
period should be used to plan, prepare, and
collectively further our understanding on the
long-term role technology will play in the
o ice. The spotlight is on the enlightened FMs
who are rightly resisting knee-jerk responses
when it comes to deciding the fate of the
future workplace.
COVID-19 has brought unprecedented
personal and professional challenges. FMs have
risen to this, acting swi ly to safeguard their
employees and adapt to an unforeseen new
way of working. They should be proud of that
and take stock of the role they have played thus
far. However, the journey is only just beginning.
The latest ‘pause’ should be used to reanalyse
the large-scale work from home experiment to
address the dilemma they have on their hands
when it comes to surplus corporate real estate.
Workplaces are near empty and, coupled with
social distancing rules when the time comes
to return, have too much space to host what is
predicted to be 30 per cent -50 per cent drop
in occupancy. It’s time to reimagine how work
is done—and what role o ices will play—in
creative and bold ways.
This has all shi ed FM up the business
agenda, and you can rest assured that it
will remain at the top for some time. That’s
because social distancing is going to transform
the workplace. E ective workplace social
distancing goes beyond removing desks or
marking one-ways systems with coloured tape.
Everything should be e ectively configured
with clearly marked and coloured coded desks
and spaces which can be used each day. These
systems can be displayed on digital signage
throughout a building and on employee return
to work (RTW) apps which allow an employee
to pre-book a cleaned desk and co-ordinate
diaries with colleagues. The overarching
objective is to aid business continuity and keep
people safe.
This is an opportunity for FM professionals
to make a big di erence. A combination
of behavioural change and new systems,
processes, policies and ways of working will
be vital in achieving a safe return to work
programme when the time comes.
Employers will need to remain proactive and
nimble given the highly unpredictable situation
and the constant possibility that additional
outbreaks will occur. A data-led approach will
support this and ensure longevity when it
Raj Krishnamurthy, CEO, Freespace
comes to business continuity and workplace
safety and compliance. This insight, gleaned
from workplace technology, can support FMs as
they challenge plans to dramatically downsize
property portfolios.
Space bookings and occupancy sensors
which are linked to cleaning systems and
processes can provide a highly e ective and
visual reassurance of internal COVID-19
control measures. There are fiscal benefits
to be had with this and it provides a full audit
trail and traceability. Environmental sensors
can also play a role with automated and
localised adjustments to Building Management
Systems (BMS) and HVAC conditions which
are critical in maintaining a safe and healthy
environment across di erent parts of the
building.
However, workplace technology must be
combined with proactive communication. Sta
will want to be reassured that their employers
have taken every possible measure to keep
them safe and protected from infection risks
with digital ‘building health’ displays linked to
the BMS and digital signage. This demonstrates
that the building is maintained within ‘safe and
complaint’ environmental conditions.
Many of us want to get back to the
workplace. But we need to accept the situation
for what it is and work together to simply make
things better and more streamlined for when
we can eventually return to the o ice. It’s time
to break from the past by dispensing with
suboptimal old habits and systems. Change
is here and we must accept and adapt to it.
The union of FM and workplace technology
will enable us all to create a better workplace
experience for talent, improve collaboration
and productivity, and reduce costs. That
kind of change will require behaviour which
is grounded in facts. Data from workplace
technology can provide just that.
ADVICE & OPINION
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/gHviBHT
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