CAFM & IT: PRODUCT FOCUS TRUST IN TECH
Jon Seal, Managing Director at technologywithin, explains how and why new developments in technology will change our workspace.
Last year, the UK’s workforce became majority-millennial for the first time and, with Gen Z following hot on their heels, these groups are set to make their presence felt in British offices when they eventually reopen.
Tech-equipped workspace will therefore be more important than ever in 2022, with traditional offices set to find themselves playing catchup for tech-savvy workers.
FMs can adapt to this sea change in several ways. Embracing smart facilities management systems will equip offices with Covid-compliant safety measures, while also helping combat the climate crisis. At the same time, videoconferencing facilities will support workers’ wellbeing far beyond the pandemic, and investing in first-class connectivity will be vital for the businesses of the future.
Compliance Ensuring the safety of workers when they return to the office is top of the agenda for most businesses, facilities managers and landlords. Moreover, due to the latest developments in smart office technology, it will also be readily achievable. FMs can implement safety measures supported by contactless interfaces for security systems, or footfall pathways which help one-way systems mitigate virus transmission without compromising business as usual.
Simple room-booking systems can also facilitate safe social distancing between separate teams, allowing truly collaborative work to make a welcome return. Effective collaboration has been a key casualty of office closures and when they return to work, tenants will prioritise lower density communal space for this very reason.
Indeed, workers are eager to return to the office, with a recent survey by one flexspace operator reporting that only 5% want to work remotely full-time. Tech-equipped spaces hold the key to unlocking this highly popular return.
Sustainable systems Our buildings account for a staggering 40% of the UK’s overall carbon footprint – rising to 78% in cities such as London. So, environmental improvements in our offices cannot come too soon, particularly as younger generations are especially passionate about efforts to protect the planet. Positively, facilities managers can adapt successfully by equipping their offerings with Internet of Things (IoT) technology.
So how can IoT solutions help? Firstly, motion sensors can track room occupancy in real time, while smart facilities management platforms can convert occupancy data into actionable insights for tenants. Alternatively, AI-driven systems can learn occupancy patterns to adjust environmental factors themselves. With central heating
50 | TOMORROW’S FM
alone responsible for 10% of the UK’s entire carbon footprint, these innovations can radically improve offices’ sustainability credentials, making them more attractive to prospective tenants.
Furthermore, intelligent controls can cut the environmental cost of lighting. Automated dimming, daylight harvesting, and ‘task tuning’, where light output is regulated as per user preference, can all be harnessed to minimise wastage.
Workers’ wellbeing After months of enforced lockdowns, home-schooling and separation from friends and family, it’s hardly surprising that workers are also increasingly conscious of the need to look after their wellbeing. Here too smart facilities management systems can enhance the appeal of offerings. As well as saving energy, lighting controls can ensure that tenants have an optimal environment in which to work, reducing the risk of eyestrain caused by squinting at poorly lit screens. Moreover, air quality controls have a lifespan far beyond the pandemic, useful as they are for maintaining a healthy supply of oxygen in the office.
Working without office amenities has had a disastrous impact on workers’ wellbeing as well as productivity, with 29% of home workers suffering from a lack of adequate equipment at home, and only 23% receiving financial support from their employer to address this deficiency. Facilities managers should therefore invest in tech to obviate these difficulties by facilitating a return to the office.
Workers want to return to the office because they value the sense of community which comes from working alongside colleagues. So, facilities managers should put systems in place to help workers cope with the prospect of remote working in future. Something as simple as an up- to-date videoconferencing platform can benefit workers hugely, giving them a direct line to what they miss most about the offices of old.
https://technologywithin.com/
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