NEWS & ANALYSIS FMJ.CO.UK
ASSOCIATION NEWS
FM SECTOR HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DRIVE REAL
ESTATE TO REACH NET ZERO TARGETS
THE WORKPLACE AND OTHER EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES
8 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022
Investors may not
be ready to fully
embrace ESG, but
there is a wealth of
opportunities for
facilities managers
to really drive down
targets and pioneer
best practice.
CityAM recently
released data
suggesting that, despite COP26, only 45 per
cent of investors have sustainable investing as a
portfolio priority, and less than a third said COP26
or UK Government policies are influencing their
decisions.
The RICS Sustainability Report, echoes this
sentiment, albeit pointed to an increase in investor
appetite for more sustainable buildings than we
saw in 2020, and some buildings are now applying
discounts if they are deemed ‘brown’ and lacking
sustainable aspects.
It may be slow but investors and occupiers are
changing the way they view buildings, leaving
facilities managers well placed to assess the future
needs of the sector. Indeed, the RICS FM Survey
continually highlights how sustainability impacts
workloads and how much focus, occupiers,
investors, and FM providers themselves are placing
on it.
Of all the sectors that RICS monitors, it is the
FM sector who are striding ahead and have a real
opportunity to influence the future of the built
environment. In a study from RICS over the course
of the past few months we’ve gauged the expertise
of our members operating in this area to assess
how sustainable the sector is and whether we’re on
the right track to meet net-zero targets.
Overall sentiment highlights that unless drastic
change happens, we will miss our targets, but there
is greater optimism about real change within this
sector.
The report ‘Sustainability rises up the agenda in
the UK facilities management sector,’ assesses the
economic responses and builds an encouraging
picture for 2021 and beyond, putting facilities
managers at the forefront of changing the way
our buildings operate sustainably. As many
respondents see an increase in the number of
end users finding ways to reduce their carbon
and addressing how to make their buildings more
resilient against the impact of climate, the legwork
is really starting to gather momentum.
Furthermore, we’re starting to see a real focus
on energy management and health and wellbeing,
which supports the need for sustainable practices,
such as the international building operational
standard that I’ve highlighted previously to drive
positive social impact.
Delivering a sustainable sector is and will
continue to be a complex field to navigate,
there are many conflicting factors to consider as
businesses ready themselves to driving down
their carbon output. RICS is determined to
support its members in the best way possible so
they are empowered to face the ever-evolving
climate challenges. The responsibility on facilities
managers is only set to increase as their practices
will make buildings more attractive to investors
and occupiers. The new RICS Responsible Business
Framework, which Rory Murphy spoke of last
month in more detail, will be another tool to
support FM providers, consultants and advisors
with practical guidance, trusted data and insights
to help them drive
down the negative
environmental and
social impact.
In December 2016, The Workplace Advantage was
published by the Stoddart Review in memory of
the late Chris Stoddart. It was a landmark piece
of work which five years on remains a beacon for
demonstrating the contribution that the workplace
can make to organisational success. A key finding
was that the tech-enabled workplace brings people
together, facilitating greater levels of collaboration
and innovation, underlining the very purpose of the
workplace as a productivity enabler.
Now, as companies continue to adapt following many months of homeworking,
workplace is front and centre and the opportunity is here for facilities
professionals to lead and enable the changes, assisted by technology, bringing
the future of work to the present. Adapting workspaces, culture and technology
to empower people to work wherever they are most productive should be the
goal, because fundamentally workplace is driven by how people work, not where
people work. That is workplace in action.
Some might say that nothing substantive has been proven on this before or
since Stoddart. That the workplace advantage is a kind of “Holy Grail” that eludes
discovery. But that could all change very soon because IWFM, Liverpool Business
School and Workplace Unlimited have launched a tool that could consign any
doubts about the return on workplace investment permanently to the past.
The Return on Workplace Investment Tool, or ROWI Tool for short, is a
calculator for determining the impact of workplace projects on organisational
performance. It has been developed for use in high-level cost-benefit analysis
assessments for new fit-out or refurbishment projects to factor in this additional
value, so they no longer depend on cost alone.
This is an important step to settle doubts about our profession’s strategic
impact once and for all and to show organisations the true impact that this
professional community contributes. First, though, we need to test it on real
workplaces. If you are interested in putting your organisation forward to beta test
the ROWI Tool, please contact research@iwfm.org.uk by Friday 17 December.
As I write this, the Omicron variant is dominating headlines, creating yet more
uncertainty. But whatever happens, 2022 presents a variety of tremendous
opportunities for our profession and these will form IWFM’s focus for the year
ahead. Above I have already covered the workplace opportunity and mentioned
the future of work. We have also spoken a lot about sustainability recently and
it doesn’t take a psychic to understand it will remain high on the agenda as our
profession strives to achieve net zero targets and other outcomes. Wellbeing,
which crosses over workplace and sustainability, is another priority, particularly
as the pandemic continues to test us. Lastly, skills is arguably our profession’s
top priority: like many others, our profession is experiencing skills shortages,
meanwhile encouraging career advancement as a path to improving individuals’
and our profession’s standing in organisations will stay in focus.
The days may be darker, colder and turbulent, but
soon we will bask in the light of opportunity. Until
then, I hope you stay safe and well, and I wish you a
merry Christmas and a very happy New Year.
Paul Bagust - Global Property
Standards Director, RICS
IWFM CEO, Linda Hausmanis
link
