FOCUS FM SURVEY
of what proportion of people will work from home in the longer
term that’s where we’re really going to expect to see the e ect on
budgets”, said a panellist. “This could be a five or even 10-year
plan where we see these budgets evolve and change, dependent
on the leases organisations have on their properties.”
How is your organisation supporting home workers?
Regular online meetings 82.61%
Remote access to work files or network 78.26%
Computing equipment, mobile 75.47%
Video conferencing 70.19%
Ergonomic furniture (e.g. chair) 42.86%
WiFi network connectivity 36.34%
Other (please specify) 5.59%
As the lockdown richly illustrated, the FM remit extends way
beyond the o ice door to where ever sta are based. The scramble
to send people home in March meant that many organisations
made what they thought were temporary arrangements for
home workers, but the long lockdown requires more stringent
management. It was disturbing to see then that just 42 per cent of
respondents to our survey had secured ergonomic furniture and
equipment for home-based sta . How our panel handled this issue
did vary. Early on in the pandemic, some distributed existing o ice
furniture which ensured sta had access to the same equipment
they’d use in the workplace. Those who did not have the logistics
to manage sending out equipment and furniture put assessments
online and allowed home workers to make purchases based on a
check list. Whatever the solution, it was agreed on the importance
of maintaining ergonomic standards and ensuring there is an audit
trail of equipment and furniture.
Does your organisation have mental health & wellbeing
procedures in place for employees who are working remotely?
Yes 58.07%
Unsure 22.05%
No 19.88%
Concerns over the wellbeing of those working from home were
reflected in the results of the survey, with over 82 per cent of
respondents citing regular online meetings as a key way of keeping
sta engaged and supported. Our panel concurred this was vitally
important and longer term are also looking at “how we can improve
the employee experience whilst still looking at being cost neutral;
that includes both the environment for those who work in the o ice
and those who work remotely”.
Delving deeper into the wellbeing of those working from home,
the survey found that more than half (58 per cent) had wellbeing
procedures in place, a tally which was echoed by our panel. They
reported a range of initiatives, from regular quizzes to access to
online support. Interestingly, much of this area of responsibility is
being le to the FM discipline.
“Occupational health and safety are having conversations about
what needs to be done, but the actions and ideas are moving into
the realm of facilities. With FM e ectively being on the ground
and people seeing us more of the time we can feed back into HR.
Whatever the HR strategy, the actual implementation will fall to the
FM remit. In our business we formed a working party which takes
a multidiscipline approach to looking a er those working from
home.”
38 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2021
What technologies is your organisation looking to adopt to
help deal with COVID-19?
Digital technology to help manage the
supply chain (e.g. scheduling visits,
43.17%
reducing need for physical inspections)
Infection control systems (e.g.
temperature monitoring systems) 40.37%
Communications so ware platforms 34.16%
Automated booking systems to
manage space usage 33.23%
Hands free automation (e.g. automatic
doors, taps etc.) 31.37%
HVAC systems designed to reduce
airborne pathogens 25.16%
Remote worker monitoring so ware 23.91%
Development of apps (e.g. for zero
touch sign in) 21.74%
IoT sensors to measure occupancy 15.84%
Other (please specify) 9.32%
One of the most notable consequences of the pandemic has been
the development of a range of technological innovations to help
combat infection, reduce contact and support social distancing. We
wanted to know which of these technologies were most relevant
to our readers. The most popular were digital technologies to help
manage the supply chain, for example, scheduling visits or reducing
need for physical inspections (43 per cent) and infection control
systems, including temperature monitoring (40 per cent).
However, for our panel, (and this impression is backed by
anecdotal evidence from FM services suppliers): “Far more
importantly is that our people are seen on site so that occupants
are reassured that somebody is there to make it a safer place.
Technology has a role to play but FM is far more about the personal
touch.”
The panel also agreed that sometimes there’s a tendency to use
technology for tech sake without necessarily having a problem you
want to resolve. However, most reported a rise in investments in
IoT sensors to manage foot fall and the use of apps to enable virtual
queuing to avoid for example, refreshment areas and toilet areas
being overcrowded.
Finally, the results of the survey and the views of the panel confirm
that FM is essentially about looking a er people, not buildings. For
despite the belief that technology will play a greater role than ever
in the sector following COVID and that corporate real estate may be
reduced to accommodate higher rates of home working, wherever
and however the workplace is run, it’s the people aspect of facilities
management which remains the most crucial part of the role.
THE PANEL
Sara Bean, Editor FMJ
Vicky Thorp, Head of Facilities, CLS Holdings
Charles Siddons, Head of Operations, NHS Property Services
Alan Hutchinson, Facilities Director, Howard Kennedy LLP
Jan Portch, O ice Manager, Landsec
Simon Francis, Principal Lead, Estates and Masterplanning, ZSL London Zoo
Darren Miller, Head of EMEA Facilities Operations, Paypal
Lucy Hind, Non-Executive Director, Harrogate Healthcare