Chair’s Column

PETER ANKERSTJERNE

MBA, COP, IFMA FELLOW Chair, Board of Directors

From the Chair

New digital solutions, new offi ce design models and the evolving concept of workspace post COVID-19 are challenging the role of the facility manager, now and in the foreseeable future. The turn towards hybrid work has changed facility management — perhaps forever. Allowing for more fl exibility, and with that more uncertainty, is not a trivial problem in an industry that has been late to adopt new technologies and where success has been defi ned by our ability to manage and reduce cost.

In a post-pandemic world, FM is the center of the workplace transformation to connect the workforce with that workplace. This brings opportunities to create new workspace environments which may change in size and form on a daily basis. A fl exible workplace that caters to the needs of a hybrid workforce will be a challenge, but it also is a major opportunity for FMs to create an engaging workplace that attracts the right employees to the business. Form follows function has been the guiding principle for designers for years. However, we still fi nd ourselves in the ironic situation that 90 percent of all workplaces have not changed over the past decade, despite the technological and organizational advancements. The pandemic has off ered FMs an unprecedented opportunity to take a leading role in discussing and reassessing the purpose of the workplace. It has become evident that form actually does follow function and is not just an adage preached by architects. As functions change so should forms, which must be analyzed and reassessed on a regular basis. With that axiom in mind, we need to build eff ective workplace solutions around employees — including home working — that enable them to do the very best they can in the roles they are in. The threat of COVID-19 is not over, and we as FMs must remain vigilant and fl exible in our approach to bringing people back to the workplace. But the pandemic spotlighted FMs as we have been front and center in the response, recovery and fi nally the reimagination phase of this crisis. As one of IFMA’s World Workplace sessions questioned: Now that you have a seat at the table — what are you going to do with it? This is a key question all FMs should ask themselves to be able to continue infl uencing the C-suite, also after the pandemic is over. In IFMA’s Experts’ Assessment, 249 subject matter experts identifi ed the shift from purely operational to a more strategic position as the primary change in the role of FM. This change is not just a convenient side eff ect of working from home during COVID-19. It is directly tied to the hybrid work model and how we design — or actually redesign — the workplace to serve a diff erent purpose, which will probably be more connected to collaboration, social and cultural cohesiveness, learning and hospitality — rather than solely focusing on productivity, effi ciency and cost. Along with the responsibility of working with a more fl exible and unpredictable workforce, there is also an opportunity to benefi t from the hybrid work model at a more principal level — the opportunity to manage a high degree of fl exibility in contracts with suppliers and subcontractors. To meet these challenges head on, FMs are required to maintain a close understanding of employee experience. This will inform service innovations, while simultaneously still creating more cost-eff ective and effi cient ways of working with workplace strategy. By utilizing service design principles and tools, such as journey mapping and personas, FMs together with their HR teammates should be able to adapt swiftly to changes in employee experience and to develop more personalized interactions throughout the service delivery. This will command higher levels of confi dence and trust, which in some instances will require a diff erent approach to leadership. IFMA can support you and your organization in your journey to becoming more strategic and more intentional about your workplace and service design — check out the many articles on this topic in both FMJ and in the Knowledge Library or join our Workplace Strategist program off ered in collaboration with the WE community of practice. There are plenty of opportunities to lead the way when you are part of IFMA!