FEATURE


THE WORKPLACE SHAKE-UP


Chris Moriarty, Director of Insight and Engagement at the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management, comments on what 2021 and beyond has in store for the industry.


The COVID-19 pandemic has brought incredible disruption to all aspects of our lives over the past 12 months, not least our approach to work. Never before has the future of the workplace looked so different, so quickly. The way organisations across all sectors operate has been turned upside-down.


A year where many thought sustainability goals would frame the agenda was quickly overtaken by the pressing need to control infection, keep people safe and simply keep going; yet because of the pandemic we did see some major, possibly permanent, shifts in corporate mindsets, notably toward remote and agile working. Whilst this turbulent year has taught us that it is difficult to predict what will happen in the future, there are a number of trends which we believe will continue to reshape the world of work in 2021.


Technology Collaborative technology has been around for some time but when the first national lockdown forced many desk-based professionals to work from home, organisations had to swiftly embrace technologies such as Zoom, which rapidly became a household name after its worldwide daily users exploded from 10 million in December 2019, to 300 million in April 2020.


For all the talk of workplace culture being as easy to change as a tanker is to turn, the way in which so many office-based organisations rapidly adopted tech solutions has served as powerful proof of our adaptability and agency for change,


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whilst also opening eyes to other possibilities. COVID-19 forced the change; now it provides an opportunity to rethink how we do things and embrace further change whilst a limbo of ever- changing social distancing measures prevents workers from returning to offices – the old-style business as usual - on a permanent basis.


“Our research found that 61%


of employees said that they intend to do more working from home in future.”


Many facilities professionals already know there are exciting capabilities to be unlocked from utilising data and automation, such as workplace analytics, building management systems (BSM), customer service apps and field service apps.


To ensure the workplace remains future-proof, our profession needs a mindset which sees technology not only as helping to do a job, but redefining it, to one which helps everyone else to do theirs - wherever people are working. Some may balk at


Tomorrow’s FM Yearbook 2021/22


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