An MRI Software
Company
Connecting
people, property
and data for peak
performance
Concept Evolution
CAFM / IWMS
FSI GO
Mobile Workforce apps
Concept
Advantage
Workplace apps
T: +44 (0)1708 251900
E: info@fsifm.com
www.fsifm.com
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 21
FMJ.CO.UK
challenge that
will require new
ways of thinking.
The global
pandemic has
thrust us into
a new era of
oŽ ice utilisation.
Every building
and client are
unique and has
its own modus
operandi. How
FMs service the
needs of each
workplace and workforce will happen when we come out
of flux period into a regular rhythm. This will not settle
any time soon. 2022 will continue to see frequent change
before any real routine or ‘new normal’ is established.
Monitoring how oŽ ices are being utilised is the first step
in understanding how they need to be serviced. FMs must
watch, listen and learn before acting.
Some organisations are making the decision to close
the oŽ ice on a Friday with little consideration of the
bigger picture. Businesses need to think about the
impact on receptionists and cleaners, for example. Their
roles and responsibilities can’t be conducted from home,
so are they expected to take a 20 per cent reduction in
hours and therefore pay? It’s a diŽ icult scenario that
needs a holistic approach. Piecemeal planning could
cause irreparable damage.
Investment in facilities will also come under scrutiny.
Typically, capital budgets for fit outs, reallocation of
space and installation of new furniture present a business
case for ROI, but rationale will be made ever more
complex if the space is only in use for three days a week
at a decent level of occupancy. Collaboration between
business leadership and FM will need to be stronger than
ever to make the most of corporate real estate. FMs will
need to implement a solutions-based approach and to do
that they will need to think outside the box.
There’s a mass of technology unveiling but unpicking
what is going to be of value is tricky. There’s no value in
deploying smart gadgets if they don’t deliver. It’s diŽ icult
to concede the potential impact technology could have
on the workplace: AI, augmented reality, greater use of
data, IOT and sensing technology, the possibilities are
endless, and we are yet to see what that could mean
for our industry. The smartphone has fundamentally
changed how we do things and how we do things 10
years from now will be radically diŽ erent, still.
With increased use of technology, we will see more and
more data landing on the desks of FMs. This data needs
to be both quantifiable and meaningful to influence
positive change. Upskilling will be needed in some cases
to process this information and deliver the most fruitful
outcomes.
FMs have little power to nudge behaviours in a
workplace so they will need to be prepared for more
downstream challenges over the next year. Agility,
open-mindedness, and innovation will be key to sailing
the seas of 2022 and cementing the new world of the
workplace.
WORKPLACE INTERIORS PROVIDER’S
VIEW
ANGELA LOVE, DIRECTOR, ACTIVE WORKPLACE
SOLUTIONS
The ongoing
disruption
and fallout
from COVID-19
continues to
shape our sector.
This has
obvious
repercussions
for how oŽ ice
spaces are used,
with a shi—
away from the
majority of space
being taken up
by individual workspaces towards more collaborative
environments.
There is no doubt that the challenges of supporting
these newly remote and hybrid workforces will have
changed the way FMs do things, both now and into the
future.
As well as the heightened emphasis placed on hygiene
and making spaces safe, our sector must support
businesses and their need to bring people together to
collaborate and create the energy to drive progress.
Indeed, as the course of the pandemic has unfolded,
we have seen many facilities managers morph into
workplace experience managers, a transition which has
extended their remit beyond looking a— er a building
or workspace. Now, FM very much involves supporting
hybrid workforce, from helping IT in getting the right
technology to employee’s homes to setting up wellbeing
and collaborative spaces in the oŽ ice.
Another challenge centres around the adoption
of technology, not least in supporting FM’s role as a
workplace experience manager. Here, uptake of systems
that enable the remote booking of desks and meeting
rooms are already proving extremely useful. This is
especially the case when they are used hand in hand
with cleaning scheduling so— ware, programs which
communicate with on the ground staŽ via automated
alerts when rooms need preparing and cleaning, before
and a— er use.
Indeed, onboarding FM staŽ and client employees
will be critical to the success of FM operations in 2022.
And we also need to keep in mind that technology can
and should be adopted to make FM processes smarter,
regardless of the changing dynamics we find ourselves
immersed in.
FM CLINIC
Angela Love
Technology for
a smarter world
@ConceptCAFM
FSI (FM Solutions) Limited
@fsifm
Alistair Craig
ADVICE & OPINION
link
/www.fsifm.com
