by Shane Henson — June 20, 2014—Large corporate organizations are gradually bringing property, human resources (HR), facilities management (FM), and information technology (IT) together to provide “workplace services” that recognize new working practices and the importance of people, according to a new study released by Mitie, a U.K.-based provider of facilities, property, and energy management services across Europe.
Per the report, Delivering the Vision of an Integrated Workplace, this trend will accelerate in the increasingly agile, digitally driven business environment and represents an opportunity for FM to provide new service solutions that focus more on supporting people, and less on the buildings from which they work. In particular, the report highlights the opportunities for FM providers to offer an expanded range of consultancy-style services, such as space management and the analysis of FM and property data to drive property strategy.
The research also found:
- Property consolidation: The rise of agile working and the need to save money will drive the continuing consolidation of property space over the next five years, which will thus encourage new ways of delivering FM services.
- Strategy disconnect: There is a disconnect between the business leaders and the “troops on the ground” who implement workplace strategies. Business leaders overwhelmingly predict a big reduction in property estates, whereas only 22 percent of those responsible for implementation think this is the case.
- Deserting the regions: Non-manufacturing organizations are deserting the regions in favor of consolidation in the South East in the U.K. because of the large pool of skilled labor. The trend is for “mothership” premises in the South East and supporting regional offices, with the City of London, Silicon Roundabout, Soho, and Kings Cross among the most popular locations.
- FM as a strategic enabler: There is overwhelming consensus that FM is moving from being a commodity service to a strategic enabler that brings together different parts of the business. Approximately 57 percent of end users felt this was the case, as did the majority of the participants in the executive interviews.
“This study reveals some fascinating trends, principally around the evolution of ‘workplace services,’ which all facilities management providers must adapt to if they are to thrive in the flexible workspace of the future, which is focused on the people they support,” said Martyn Freeman, managing director of Mitie’s facilities management business. “We’re going through a period of great change, but FM’s position as a central function in the evolving workplace of the future means it is ideally placed to capitalize on this to grow as an industry and enhance its strategic function within organizations.”
Nick Green, director of property at BSkyB, added, “The way we work has changed dramatically in just the last five years and will continue to do so at an increasing pace. This research highlights the importance of organizations focusing on the people and building effective workplaces around their needs, rather than focusing on the traditional measures of SLAs, KPIs and contract details. Within BSkyB we have already recognized that departments which traditionally stood alone, such as Property, FM, IT, and HR will increasingly work more closely together, and could eventually form a single ‘workplace services’ function.”
