FEATURE
BEYOND THOSE WORKSPACE WALLS
FM's true contribution to organisational wellbeing and engagement must be beyond the physical demise – Ian Ellison and Jill Fortune, 3edges, an
independent workplace research, insight and change expertise partnership, discuss how to unlock the power of the workplace to improve performance.
The first formal association for FM dates back less than 40 years to 1980, when the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) was formed by a group of US office administrators. The actual term ‘facilities management’ is acknowledged to have been imported across the Atlantic from the US ‘facility management’ in the late 80s.
So the built environment is clearly central to FM, but the idea that a building in use could, and indeed should, be an authentic representation of the purpose and culture of an organisation emerged from one of the founding fathers of FM in Europe and the UK, architect Frank Duffy and his partnership
40 | TOMORROW’S FM
company, DEGW. Frustrated by the idea that homogenous design and universally-styled workspace solutions were expected to contribute to business efficiency and effectiveness, Duffy championed a design movement based on paying attention to organisational culture and needs-based work settings. He also emphasised the value of FM during and after the design process in order to maximise functionality of the building throughout its lifecycle. So at this point, almost 30 years ago, it is clear that FM and workspace were being considered in a mutually- reinforcing capacity.
More recently, attention seems to have turned to the role FM can play
for organisations in terms of the work experience for employees, not just their workspace. We can think of this experience as an envelope that contains physical, physiological and psychological aspects. Let’s pause and explore this for a moment. Many subscribe to the idea that employees are more engaged, purposeful and productive when they perceive that they feel valued by their employer.
So if you’re reading this at work - or if you’re not, just imagine for a moment that you are - look around. What things can you see, hear, feel, touch, taste that FM has a role in providing, and how do they make you feel, positively or negatively? Hopefully you don’t need much more convincing. FM
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