EDITORIAL COMMENT
SEPTEMBER 2021 3
FMJ.CO.UK
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Editorial steering committee
Alan Hutchinson, Facilities Director, Howard Kennedy LLP
Charles Siddons, Head of Operations, NHS Property Services
Darren Miller, Head of EMEA Facilities Operations, PayPal
Ian Wade, Head of UK Estates, British Medical Association
Lucy Hind, Hind Consultancy Services
Marie Johnson, Head of Workplace & Wellbeing, Nominet
Russell Wood, Facilities Manager at Dentsu Aegis Network
Russell Burnaby, Head of FM, Regeneration and Environment, Brent Council
Simon Francis, Principal Lead, Estates and Masterplanning, ZSL
Simone Fenton-Jarvis, Workplace Consultancy Director at Relogix
Stephen Bursi, Facilities Lead, BAE Systems
Stephen Vagg, Head of Estates and Strategy, National Express Group PLC
Vicky Thorp, Head of Facilities Management, CLSH Management
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That traditional back to school feel of September is
heightened this year for those employees preparing
to return to the workplace. But the realisation has set
in that we’re not moving into a post-COVID world but
instead are going to have to learn to live with the virus.
A recent survey from CAFM developer Idox (news page
7) shows the strong impact COVID-19 continues to have
on working patterns, with concerns around working
habits influencing FM professionals’ expectation of future
investment priorities. Unsurprisingly, ‘supporting flexible
working’ (64 per cent) ranked highest.
The research also confirms a continued move away from
traditional asset management to supporting the health and
wellbeing of employees. Three quarters of those polled said that
‘increasing employee satisfaction and wellbeing’ was one of their
most important roles in delivering their organisation’s strategic
goals. This ranked top alongside ‘controlling compliance risks’ (75
per cent).
When it comes to compliance, a key priority is in ensuring that
buildings are kept as infection free as possible. The September
issue features an up-to-date cleaning focus where we assess the
strenuous e orts of the cleaning services sector to guarantee
the delivery of stringent hygiene standards while adapting to
changing occupancy rates.
Another evolving issue which impacts the FM sector in
managing a largely public facing workforce, is the question of
managing unvaccinated sta . In the US where healthcare and
employment is more strongly linked, some draconian decisions
have already been announced regarding unvaccinated sta .
The idea of a ‘no jab no job’ policy is more complicated here.
Although mandatory vaccinations come into law in the UK in
November for health care professionals, many UK employers are
taking a ‘wait and see’ approach. The feature on page 60 provides
some clarification on this contentious issue, which once again
with COVID-19, moves us into hitherto uncharted territory.
As always, we’d welcome your feedback about any aspect of
the magazine, together with your insight into what’s happening
in the FM sector.
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