NEWS & ANALYSIS FMJ.CO.UK
ASSOCIATION NEWS
MENTAL HEALTH AT THE HEART OF RICS NEW INITIATIVE
8 FEBRUARY 2021
It is widely
recognised that
mental ill health
is one of the most
pressing global
public health crises,
which has and will
only be exacerbated
by the COVID-19
pandemic. According
to the WHO close to one billion people are living
with a mental disorder, three million people die
every year from the harmful use of alcohol and
once person dies every 40 seconds by suicide.
2020 was undoubtedly a traumatic year
for many, with COVID-19 having far-reaching
consequences, from fundamentally changing the
way we live to unfortunate loss of life and the
ensuing grief. Sadly, the pandemic’s impact will
continue to be felt throughout this year as well.
Engagement with RICS members has
highlighted not only their personal struggles with
mental health, but the devastating consequences
of this crisis, with some talking tragically of
members of their staž taking their own lives.
In response to this, the RICS professional body
has taken action to ensure that members have
access to resources and support, building on the
valuable work LionHeart, the charity for RICS
professionals, past and present and their families,
has already undertaken.
The Our Mental Health initiative is designed to:
Use the power of the RICS as a convenor and
facilitator to challenge the stigma attached
to mental health and foster a profession that
supports openness and “parity of esteem”, so
we value mental health equally with physical
health
Work with expert organisations both at
a country and at a global level, including
LionHeart, to signpost the need for mental
health support to the profession
Foster a sense of community, solidarity and
normalcy for those struggling with mental ill
health
Working with our lead partner LionHeart,
the Our Mental Health Group within the RICS
member’s community is there to provide
members with access to resources and signpost
them to expert support. Fundamentally, it is a
safe space to share their own experiences.
RICS members are encouraged to feel free to
share their experiences, join in the conversation
and utilise any of the resources and services that
are shared within this group. We are here to help
and support them.
LionHeart recently held a special programme of
online sessions on Time to Talk Day on Thursday
February 4th, which aimed to get people thinking
about the subject of mental health and highlight
the importance of talking. The theme of the day
was “The power of small”, with the underlying
message that even the smallest of conversations
about how we’re feeling has the power to make a
big, or even life-saving, diž erence.
The pandemic has placed mental health at the
top of the agenda for many organisations. The FM
sector has long understood many of the urgent
and complex issues being discussed not only
in relation to buildings and wellbeing but also
how to support those working from home and
critically our key workers. This means that the
sector is well placed to lead the innovation and
people centric approach that is going to be so
important in the coming months.
For more information on the work of LionHeart
visit: www.lionheart.org.uk
OUR ROLE IN THE FUTURE OF WORK
On 4 February 2020, as the UK Chief Medical
O icers raised the risk to the public from
Coronavirus to ‘moderate’, an IWFM mini poll of
facilities professionals revealed that just under half felt
confident in their organisation’s preparedness for a public health emergency.
A year on and, sadly, the crisis endures. Despite that early poll, the facilities
profession has since risen to the myriad challenges of COVID-19, entering (not
before time) into public consciousness as a key service.
The full extent of COVID-19’s disruption won’t be understood for a long time
yet, but there is no doubt that responding to the global health emergency has
accelerated trends and whetted appetites for change in and beyond the sector
that have been brewing for years. We can draw inspiration from the pandemic
by building on the opportunity and the lessons it has taught us; for resilience
and business continuity definitely, but also our huge potential as value creators
and productivity enablers.
2020 showed us repeatedly that prediction can be futile, but there are a
number of trends we believe will play a critical role in the future of work,
whatever that might be, and our role in it.
Let’s start with tech. For all the talk of workplace culture change being a slow
burn až air, the way that so many ož ice-based organisations rapidly adopted
tech solutions proves our adaptability and agency for change, whilst also
opening eyes to other possibilities.
We already know there are exciting capabilities to be unlocked from utilising
data and automation, such as workplace analytics, building management
systems, customer service and field service apps. Future-proofing the
workplace requires a mindset from our profession which sees technology
beyond helping to do a job, more like redefining it to one which helps everyone
else to do theirs - wherever they are working.
Agile working came to the fore last year as employers and employees
swi¤ ly discovered that a workplace is more than a destination with a desk.
When restrictions were eased in July, our research found that 61 per cent of
employees intended to work from home more o¤ en in future; however, many
also yearn to be back in the ož ice, even if only occasionally, which makes a
measured, informed approach crucial.
Instead of taking cost overhead approaches of the past and rushing towards
the cost savings of reduced space, organisations should adopt a scientific,
value add mindset to workplace management with an open-minded review of
how work can be enabled beyond the corporate space, whilst recognising the
powerful nature of bringing people together.
Lastly, sustainability, which has come into and out of focus for some time. It’s
set to become a global priority like never before this year with the USA back at
the table, COP26 and a general desire to ‘build back greener’. We expect to see
businesses across all sectors implement new sustainability plans, and those
with them already in place pushing harder to reach their goals. With most
facilities managers in the UK already taking responsibility for sustainability, we
expect their role and agency to be enhanced.
Paul Bagust - Global Property
Standards Director, RICS
Chris Moriarty, Director of Insight and
Engagement, IWFM
/www.lionheart.org.uk
