Don't overlook your FM strategy

After a few false starts, we can finally talk in earnest about ‘the return to the workplace’.

Author Stuart Craig
Date 23 August 2021
Read Time 1.5 minutes

Adding the last piece to the puzzle, representing missing link

It seems clear that the old nine-to-five, five days a week is now a thing of the past.

Previous demands on Facilities Management (FM) focused on how to keep a workplace running during the height of a pandemic, like implementing one-way systems, desk layouts, spot cleaning and hand sanitisation stations. Now, the emphasis is on how the workplace needs to adapt to accommodate new ways of working.

Most organisations are considering terms like hybrid model, flexi-working, and alternating shift-patterns when thinking about the future of their workplace. The question is, have the requirements for these adjustments been reviewed by your FM team?

Staff may only need to come into the office for specific meetings, team events, collaboration with colleagues or even just to use the photocopier. Many organisations are considering extended office opening hours, weekend availability, or even 24/7 access to allow these interactions to happen.

From an FM perspective, these dramatic changes to the working dynamic need to be reviewed. It’s not just about the obvious considerations such as the impact on cleaning regimes and HVAC settings. Strategic FM should use this sea-change shift in working arrangements as an opportunity to carry out a bottom-up review of all services and how they best-meet the needs of the business and the occupiers of the building.

For example, what will be the knock-on impact for: travel plans, car parking, access systems, security and reception arrangements, room booking systems, catering provisions, energy consumption and carbon reduction strategies, business continuity and disaster recovery plans, H&S procedures, fire evacuation plans, maintenance strategies, and cleaning regimes. These are just some of the factors to consider as we head into the future workplace.

Knowing how and where to start may seem like a daunting challenge. We’ve put together a solution to help you. Check out our Strategic Workplace Review, a bespoke offering that bring together four core services to help you get the most out of your return to the workplace.

Stuart Craig, Director of Facilities Management

Stuart joined SPACE in 2017, having worked for a number of the UK’s leading FM organisations. He is a highly experienced consultant with over 18 years of operational FM managerial experience. Stuart and his team advise, support, and deliver FM services to businesses across Scotland. If you’d like to speak with Stuart regarding your current FM, email him at stuart.craig@spacesolutions.co.uk.

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