by Brianna Crandall — May 30, 2018 — The Global Facility Management Association (Global FM), a worldwide federation of member-centric organizations committed to providing leadership in FM, announced this year’s winners of the Global FM Awards on May 16 during World FM Day 2018, which the group organizes. The Awards give a glimpse into current effective best practices as well as future strategies and direction of the worldwide FM industry.
Hosted this year by the South Africa Facilities Management Association (SAFMA), the Global FM Awards recognize efforts and accomplishments of individuals or teams in FM from around the world, who are judged on innovation, advancement of FM, corporate outcomes, contribution to FM worldwide, and leadership in FM operations. The judges are industry leaders drawn from organizations around the world.
Commenting on the caliber of this year’s entries, a SAFMA spokesman said:
They have all shown an admirable passion for the advancement and development of innovative solutions to complex FM problems; increasing efficiency, reducing costs, sustainability and workforce well-being have been at the heart of this year’s stellar entries.
The Winners of the 2018 Global FM Awards are:
- Platinum Award: BIFM — J&J Workplace Experience Strategy
- Gold Award: ABRAFAC — Speed Up: The Future Has Arrived
- Silver Award: MEFMA — Leading the Digital Transformation of the FM Industry in the Middle East and Beyond
- Special Mention: IFMA — Future Facilities @ ARM
Platinum Award winner: Johnson & Johnson
The top prize was awarded to Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for its 2020 Workplace Experience Strategy, which aligns employee experience, organizational values and business strategy across the organization worldwide to boost collaboration, innovation and growth. The winner, one of three entries put forward by the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), had previously taken the top spot at the 2017 BIFM Awards in the Impact on Employee Experience category.
The workplace initiative was identified by BIFM as a world leader in workplace innovation and employee experience by the way it used the idea of the office as an expression of corporate identity, culture and values. J&J implemented the strategy via four tools used to help evaluate, manage and harmonize workplace experiences right across its global enterprise. The outcome for the business was increased efficiency and effectiveness, and better health and well-being. In 2017, two years after the project started, a Leesman survey found that 85% of employees believed workplace design mattered to their overall experience.
Presenting the Platinum Award at BIFM’s International SIG meeting, hosted by Microsoft on World FM Day, lead judge Andy Kelly remarked:
It was a tall order to determine an overall winner from such a strong field, but the success of J&J’s workplace project, to unite its 130,000 strong global team through an excellent employee experience and place them at the heart of its business, is an outstanding example of progressive FM in action. It is the absolute embodiment of today’s theme, “Enabling Positive Experiences.”
Commenting separately, BIFM’s CEO Linda Hausmanis said:
I’m delighted to see Johnson & Johnson’s workplace project win this prestigious title. The initiative is a trailblazer for a new way of thinking about facilities management — one that aligns workplace experience with business performance; a template for a value — not cost-driven approach to workplace management.
Details and strategies of all the 2018 Global FM Awards winners can be found on the organization’s website.
