FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
THE FM SERVICES PROVIDER’S VIEW
RACHEL MCENTEE,
MARKETING DIRECTOR, PARETO
As the workforce dynamic evolves, FMs find themselves at the forefront, tasked with enhancing facilities services to attract and retain talent in this new landscape.
Smaller, more agile workspaces equipped with more contemporary features hold appeal for employees seeking flexibility and convenience. These spaces foster collaboration, creativity, and a sense of community, key elements in a hybrid work environment. By investing in flexible, tech-enabled spaces, businesses can create environments that cater to diverse work preferences while still maximising productivity and engagement.
The role of FM in managing remote workers is multilayered and crucial. Beyond traditional facility maintenance, FM professionals play a pivotal role in supporting remote employees by ensuring pain-free connectivity, access to resources, and inspiring work environments. From implementing solid IT infrastructure to providing ergonomic spaces and furniture, FM teams are instrumental in enhancing workspaces for employee comfort and productivity.
By creating virtual community spaces, organising team-building activities, and facilitating clear communication channels, FM professionals can contribute to building a strong remote work culture. FM can implement the technology to monitor and understand the use of workspaces, informing strategic decisions that will maximise on effective space and resource allocation.
As businesses continue to navigate the complexities of the hybrid work landscape, collaboration between HR, IT, and FM is key. By aligning strategies and resources, these departments can create holistic solutions that support the diverse needs of employees while driving success. It’s crucial for businesses to understand the importance of fostering a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) in the workplace. Considering the unique challenges that individuals returning to work after having a baby or those who are neurodiverse may face, businesses should be dedicated to implementing policies and initiatives that support these employees.
From influencing flexible policies and procedures, to designing innovative workspaces, FM professionals can actively support employees, and help create environments beyond visible elements like desks and lighting to shape workplace culture, where they can thrive and excel, and so are instrumental, in shaping the future of work.
THE INTERIOR DESIGN AND FIT-OUT EXPERT’S VIEW
SARAH SYSON,
HEAD OF DESIGN AT CLAREMONT
Whether hybrid working requires more or less space is asked frequently, but the answer isn’t easy. Smaller estates can be effective for some, and we’ve seen some businesses reduce their square footage, but it’s not easy for companies to extricate themselves from leases.
The real trend we’re witnessing is occupiers reimagining their relationship with space. They are ditching old space standards to curate vibrant and collaborative workspaces that are sought-after destinations. Consequently, most occupiers either maintain their current real estate and add new features or expand. This shift in perspective is inspiring, as it shows the potential for offices to evolve and thrive in the hybrid era.
Much of this can be attributed to employers’ realisation that to incentivise workplace attendance and unlock the benefits of bringing people together, you must offer desirable experiences to help employees thrive professionally and personally.
A significant aspect of this transformation is the brand. Over the last 24 months, most of our clients have been actively dedicating space to their brand and culture so their hybrid employees get a ‘shot’ of shared purpose. Offering culturally rich experiences makes employees feel valued, supported, and integral to the business, encouraging them to return to the office.
In some cases, we’ve seen clients dedicating whole floors to culture through wellness and social activities. Cultural experiences can be delivered via town hall spaces that accommodate company-wide meetings and events and act as venues for blood donations, yoga workshops, and jewellery classes. Workplaces also need dedicated areas for relaxation, wellbeing, games, and socialising. Cultural and social experiences incentivise employees to unite as a community, forging connections with each other and the employer brand.
The biggest driver of all this change is that employees want and need more from the workplace; it’s not just work that will bring them into the office. Yes, there may be mandatory activities like attending a sales meeting or a face-to-face project update, but it could also be taking part in the office ping-pong league, learning a new skill with friends, or using on-site wellness facilities. Showing hybrid workers that workspaces can meet their holistic needs is critical to sparking a return to the office.
Several of our clients were able to rationalise the cost of overhauling their workplaces to meet new hybrid requirements once they realised just how much money they’d been spending on third-party venues to host company-wide meetings, training, and team socials. Now, with their own creative and well-equipped workspaces, they can keep these activities onsite, add more to their cultural events calendar and create compelling reasons to visit.
For FMs considering their future real estate requirements in response to new hybrid behaviours, it’s helpful to consider the cost of not having enough space before making any decisions. Suppose space is reduced dramatically. Might this limit the variety of work settings or experiences you can offer? And how will you support changing occupancy levels throughout the week?
Smaller office estates with more attractive spaces will work for some businesses, but not all. Employers striving to find the answer would do well to understand their people’s wants, needs, feelings and behaviours, identify work patterns and occupancy trends and consider the culture and employee experience they want to bring to life. These insights will put you on the right path to solving the hybrid workplace challenge for your individual organisation.
