COVER STORY


IS TECHNOLOGY KEEPING YOUR WORKPLACE WELL?


Gary Watkins, CEO of Service Works Group explains why technology is a partnership that is already propelling the FM profession to greater heights.


Workplace wellness is currently high on the FM agenda, with many organisations now increasing their investment in the health and wellbeing of employees, as well as their physical comfort and the efficiency of the building as a whole. While this strategy requires an empathetic approach, the real driving force behind the ability to achieve results is technology, automation and data. However, this reliance on technical processes has caused some operatives concern about the longevity of their FM employment.


SMART DEVICES The rise of mobile in FM has provided


a precedent for increased productivity and work accuracy through improved communication, information and


08 | TOMORROW’S FM


simplification, and has paved the way for an increased uptake in wearable technology. An operative only has to launch an app to see their day’s work, colour coded by priority, fully optimised for a mobile handset, for ease of use in a busy environment. Smartwatches or wearable devices are the next extension, providing hands-free access to a live stream of information and further increasing job rectification times and customer satisfaction.


Wearable technology, like smartwatches and fitness trackers, are seeing the greatest take-up in the area of workplace wellbeing. Employers are investing greater resources into the health of the workforce, not only as a way of showing their commitment


to employee welfare but also in order to improve their engagement and productivity to produce better results. At one end of the scale, fitness trackers are used to help monitor and reward exercise, but technology can also allow for monitoring of stress, sleep and even location – the data from which can be used to create a more supportive and desirable working environment. Of course, this leads to data protection questions, so any company looking to start a programme of this type must ensure full compliance with data protection laws.


SENSORS Sensors are providing facilities


managers with greater insight into how the workplace is being


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