9 minute read
Perspectives
MONICA HILL
ARCHITECTS OF OUR FUTURE
MONICA HILL is workplace manager at law firm Pinsent Masons LLP
I’m so inspired to be a part of the workplace profession right now. Ours is a productive industry focused on improving service operations and enhancing the workplace experience. Helping to deliver this new future, right at our fingertips, is technology – much of it being tech we already know.
Technology has always played an important part within the workplace but never did we think it would matter so much. It is allowing us to rethink the way we work, and to embrace, empower and transform our workplace experience – in the office and at home.
Despite the shock of 23 March 2020, making working from home a new experience for many, I am astounded at the way we have all adapted and embraced our new way of working.
But as we return, the workplace and facilities management profession is helping to shape the future of work. Organisations choosing to work from home are devising new strategies to make this a permanent reality. It’s set to disrupt the status quo and create an entirely new energy for the future.
Some buildings are destined to become large empty and unproductive spaces. Others are filled with possibilities for redevelopment, optimising space and making technology a fundamental part of the building fabric. We are in the process of creating an enhanced and healthier workplace for all users. Getting this right will surely boost productivity levels.
Following the digital roadmap has helped our facilities teams to be more flexible and reliable. They have found ways to simplify the complexities of our changing business needs and to confidently deliver a comprehensive end user experience.
Let’s continue along this upward trend, think holistically and deliver an agile and collaborative working environment. More change is on the way; are you ready? I n the race to create the hybrid workplace, we must remain vigilant to ensure it is accessible to and inclusive of everyone.
Early data is showing that younger workers favour being in the office more than their older colleagues. The reasons vary but include younger people in cities having less space in their living arrangements than older workers. However, those from older generations tend to have caring responsibilities and favour more time working from home. An immediate concern, then, is whether the hybrid model could create a generational divide.
Young employees benefit from being mentored, formally and informally, by their older colleagues. As many with in-office experience know, a great deal of learning and sharing happens during informal moments. Younger staff build relationships with older employees during casual exchanges. These older colleagues often become advocates for their mentee, helping them to work on new projects or secure promotions. How do we compensate for that if we don’t take steps to consider the potential generational divide? How are we going to build that into the way we work? How can we use the workplace to ensure equal access to this support for development?
Workplace and facilities teams already play a huge role in delivering accessible and inclusive workplaces but need to be even more thorough as we redesign our hybrid workplaces.
Spaces should encourage mixing, facilitate informal exchanges and opportunities for learning, which most of you reading would have been saying for years already.
The work-life balance is key and I believe the hybrid model has much to offer many workers. But we need to proceed with caution, compassion and understanding. We need to reflect before rushing the redesign of our offices.
We are in the process of creating an enhanced and healthier workplace for all users Young employees benefit from being mentored, formally and informally, by colleagues
NICOLA HANNAM
APPLY YOUR D&I LENS
NICOLA HANNAM is company secretary and chief of staff at CIPFA
WILL VD LAAK]
BE BOOK SMART
WILL G. VAN DER LAAK is a senior CRE and workplace solutions lead
I’d like to recommend three books that have helped to make me a more all-round ‘client-side’ CRE professional, enabling me to deliver a triple bottom-line – People, Planet and Profit (Value). The Employee Experience Advantage by Jacob Morgan(2017)
“How to win the war for talent by giving employees the workspaces they want to go to, not have to go to, the tools they need and a culture they can celebrate.”
The book focuses on improving the employee experience, resulting in higher engagement. Shortterm band-aid solutions to boost engagement result in a short-term “champagne effect”. What you want is a long-lasting effect by creating an experience. Key lesson: Handing over a fantastic new workplace and ‘walking away’ is not enough. With the FM partner, I have maintained the “Spirit of Day 1 Novelty” and obtained higher Employee Net Promoter scores. The Elemental Workplace by Neil Usher (2018)
“Everyone deserves a fantastic workplace.”
Why you need a fantastic workplace, how to create it and what it comprises. Key lessons: Workplace should be in permanent beta mode. It is not a oneoff project you invest in before occupying it and expect the asset to remain unchanged for X number of years. And imitating fancy workplaces like Google does not make sense. The workplace should reflect your own corporate culture. Where is my Office? by Chris Kane with Eugenia Anastassiou (2020).
There has been a real disconnect between providers of space and those who occupy the finished product. What is required is ‘Space-asa-Service’. A company’s property portfolio can be used for organisational change and should move from being a cost centre to value creator! Key lesson: We need to un-silo CRE/FM, HR, IT and procurement – and not only when there are workplace projects!
DEBBIE PENN
EVOLVING RELATIONSHIPS
DEBBIE PENN is account director, commercial FM at Mainstay Group
The role of workplace management teams has never been more important. Workers are readying themselves for their first trip back to the office, with many having been away for more than a year.
First impressions are vital and a reassuring smile from the receptionist, security guard or concierge will stay with people for a long time, calming any ‘first day’ nerves.
Looking ahead, workplaces will be used differently, with colleagues seeking social, collaborative working rather than just sitting alone in front of a PC.
This is where workplace management will come into play. As ‘agile space reconfigures’, we will be setting up workspaces for classroom-style meetings, training zones, and any other set-ups our colleagues need.
FMs will shift from working quietly in the background to being at the forefront as the ‘go to’ person for helping people log back into their phones, use long-forgotten meeting equipment, and find newly allocated desk spaces.
Hygiene and cleanliness will remain our key focus and our teams need to be highly visible so building users feel safe. They will want to see touch-points cleaned and meeting rooms sanitised after use. We will be the workplace’s ‘unsung heroes’, keeping our communities safe.
The environment of the workspace will also become critical as users need to know how the air they breathe has been conditioned. It is vital that we give our own workplace teams a clear understanding of the measures and controls in place for fresh air management – and the tools to allow them to confidently explain what we are putting in place to ensure that their working environment is safe.
From security to cleaning and from maintenance technicians to FMs, we are the glue that holds together the workplace community. This is a revolution for our sector, as our roles shift from operational to strategic to cultivate safe, cohesive communities.
FROM AN IWFM IMPACT AWARDS JUDGE
Shumon Choudhury
I’ve recently had the opportunity to be a judge in the 2021 IWFM Impact Awards Team of the Year category. It has been rewarding but challenging. Choosing a winner wasn’t easy but the judging process revealed just how much talent we have in this profession.
We are a profession full of passion and transformational leaders who provide structure for their teams to achieve – even in our challenging climate currently. Reading through the entries has provided me with insight into the dynamics of a successful team: effective communication, personal development and career progression and reward and recognition.
A team is a dynamic group that needs to be encouraged to work more efficiently while being rewarded for its good work. It needs to be full of members who are eager to learn, develop and grow, taking on new skills to tailor the offering to their clients or organisation.
The effects of Covid-19 have revealed a resilient profession. Frontline FM workers have shown determination and bravery. These teams have often been led by inspirational leaders capable of prioritising culture cohesiveness and on-thejob training to ensure that short and long-term commercial goals are met.
It is clear that the IWFM Impact Awards is seen as the gold standard.
While everyone would prefer to win, I can safely say that being a finalist is a huge accolade worth celebrating. In all of the finalists’ submissions, we saw workplace and facilities management teams that had created an impressively employee-focused culture, implemented efficient processes that have streamlined operations, and provided an environment to achieve professional and commercial excellence.
For me, working alongside experienced judges has been humbling and educational. I have learned from them as I have learned from those who have entered the awards. There is a huge amount of talent, insight, knowledge, experience and motivation in this profession.
SHUMON CHOUDHURY is residential property manager at Lendlease
VOLUNTEER VIEWPOINT
DITCH THE OLD SCHOOL MODEL
JULIE HULME is commercial director at Expeditious Services, and member of IWFM North and IWFM Customer Experience group
Traditional contract management in FM is what I describe as ‘old school’: long hours travelling between sites for planned face-to-face meetings between office hours. While many believe these ‘real life’ visits are essential to contract success, they often paint a distorted view of a contract and can lead to contract manager burnout.
The effects of Covid-19 have shown that the old school model is not necessary. Instead, we have seen the value of online communications and remote working. We were lucky because this was already our approach to managing contracts with clients. So when many account managers at other organisations were struggling to adjust from real life meetings to the digital realm, our processes carried on as normal.
Successful contract management simply does not need contract managers onsite; if anything, it’s counterproductive.
Security in particular and FM more broadly have been slow to adopt modern work practices and embrace new technology. But Covid has resulted in clients wanting to explore new ways of working.
We’ve also found an insourcing model to be advantageous in nurturing relationships with clients, bringing teams closer together, and delivering economic benefits. These evolving relationships from new management models improve efficiency and remove the burden of success solely resting on one contract manager’s shoulders – rather, it’s spread across the account management team.
I envisage that more teams will be adopting similar models to keep up with modern workplace management. It reduces costs, and benefits the environment, employee wellbeing and client relationships. While many other organisations are shifting to be remotely managed – why not FM contracts too?
