WHAT’S NEW? TOMORROW’S W’S AGEMENT TODAY


Graham Perry, Business Unit Director of iSite, explains how facilities managers can add value to their business by using data to improve productivity.


The Stoddart Review recently reported that an effective workplace can improve business productivity by as much as 3.5%, representing a potential £70 billion bonus to the UK economy. This highlights the impact that a well- designed, efficient workplace can have on productivity but also the significant additional value that facilities managers can add by taking a leading role in how our buildings function.


The phrase ‘work smarter, not harder’ is normally associated with how people behave, but it is just as applicable to building management. The role of a modern facilities manager often bridges multiple responsibilities – from estate management to energy consumption, and asset replacement to workspace planning. Combine information from these functions with HR and financial data, and facilities management becomes the natural department to drive forward intelligent estate management.


For example, integrating HR and property data can determine how much space a business needs to house its workforce. By comparing headcount and job type against square footage, the best configuration of that space


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can also be decided. Changing an office to reflect the way people actually work, for example through the introduction of hot desks and shared working spaces for flexible workers, has the potential to not only make the workplace more effective for employees, but also make it a more enjoyable environment to work from.


A pleasant working environment is directly linked to productivity and according to the Leesman Index, a global measure of employee satisfaction, only 55% of employees believe their workplace is conducive to enhancing productivity.


It’s clear there is an opportunity to be exploited, and this can be achieved through the better use of technology. By capturing information from every aspect of an estate, and collating it into one central system to interpret and analyse, facilities managers can get to the crux of intelligent estate management.


It is about understanding the estate, its content, its operations and the people who work within it as a whole. Only then can evidenced-based decisions that drive real value be made, ultimately helping to create healthier and happier working environments, that improve employee productivity and make for a more profitable business.


We need to ensure intelligent estate management is a part of every business’ DNA.


WHAT I LEARNT


THIS MONTH Liz Kentish


Sometimes you learn something without realising that there is something to be learned.


This something had to be pointed out to me even as it was happening.


Before I tell you what it is, I must explain that I have been accused or commended (depending on whichever way it was being demonstrated) by people for this before.


I even asked my mother a while ago if I had this particular personality trait, and if so which side of the family I inherited it from. ‘Of course you do, and from your father’s side,’ she replied stubbornly, without a hint of irony.


Of course I’m talking about stubbornness. Going back to the start of my story, we were driving to the airport and en-route at a major roundabout, a big sign said, ‘A14 closed follow diversions’. Ignoring this, and my husband’s protestations, I firmly believed this was nonsense and continued driving along the A14. Fifteen miles later I had to turn around and go back to the big roundabout and follow the diversion.


My stubbornness had cost us an extra 30 miles, put us behind schedule and muttered ‘I told you so’ from my husband.


In the departure lounge, it was explained to me that stubbornness can be both negative and positive. On the bright side, it appears that my stubbornness comes in very handy in our business; because it becomes determination to see things through to the end, no matter what, to deliver the best possible outcomes for our clients.


I just hope there are no diversion signs on the way home!


TOMORROW’S FM | 13


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