Insight 13 February 2023

Be an agile facilities manager and add value to your organisation

Facilities managers are often agile by nature. Recent challenges posed by the pandemic and the subsequent workplace revolution will have pushed this trait to its limits. Combine this agility with ambitious goals – and the data that enables you to achieve them – and you can be continually adding value to your organisation

Drawing on research from our white paper, Accelerating Facilities Transformation, we expand on some of the issues facing modern FM executives. It also shows how we use technology and innovation to help our clients manage these problems, and how your organisation can begin to approach them.

How has the role of a facilities manager evolved?

You have probably noticed a shift in focus in the organisations you support, influenced by factors like flexible working, climate change and the cost-of-living crisis.

There has also been a huge push for organisations to strengthen their commitments to reaching net zero, as many current climate targets are still not being met. Swift and long-term action is needed to reach these goals. Facilities managers must juggle tasks like improving energy efficiency, minimising existing environmental impact, and seamless service delivery.

As well as this, employees are more discerning than ever about their workspace needs. Not supporting hybrid working, and other areas of flexibility, can have negative impacts, with more instances of burnout and resignation among employees (Gallup, 2020).

Digitalisation is a huge factor in combating the issues mentioned above. And agile facilities management relies on it. The potential to automate more and more processes is driving the need for smart, well-integrated uses of technology.

Modern office workspace with different areas for employees
Employees are more discerning than ever about their workspace needs

Make sure you’re ready to meet the challenge

In a nutshell, what’s needed is digital transformation. More than anything else, plentiful, detailed and easily accessible information about your facilities, is the key to tackling these issues. How you choose to gather and quantify that information, and the action you take moving forward, is what will identify you as a value-driven FM professional, and a valuable asset to your organisation.

Reliable data collection is key to making sure your buildings are performing as expected and that they comply with regulations. Inaccurate reporting could lead to unnecessary – and sometimes financially detrimental – complications. It’s important that the right FM technology is used to capture, store and analyse this data efficiently.

Organisations are currently experiencing two conflicting shifts in employee demographics. The first is a trend that the Financial Times refers to as ‘The Great Unretirement’. Large numbers of over-50s are re-entering the workforce, possibly due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. But workplaces are not always welcoming to older employees. Understanding their needs and providing flexible working arrangements can ensure their workplace satisfaction. In turn, this enables them to perform to the best of their ability to everyone’s benefit.

At the same time, since the pandemic, we are also seeing ‘The Great Resignation’. Described by Forbes as ‘employees quitting their jobs at historic rates’ in search of greater work-life balance and better pay. This trend began in 2021 and, as of August 2022, has yet to lose momentum. Similarly, keeping these employees relies on understanding what drives them, how they work, and what you can do to make their working experience more comfortable and productive.

Our white paper details how you can use data and technology to make sure you reflect the needs of every employee.

Three people in an office looking at a laptop
Reliable data collection is key to making sure your buildings are performing as expected

How can you make sure you’re always adding value for your stakeholders?

Data-driven insight is the way to show the value you bring to your organisation and its stakeholders. It’s one reason why Mitie champions a technology-led approach to facilities management, and a key aspect of The Science of Service®.

Actioning this data to help our clients create lasting change is what our teams do best.

When it comes to your business, think outside of the box – or outside of the building – for ways to align your efforts with your organisational goals and provide added value. For example, the buildings you manage are a part of wider communities.

Making sure that your properties have a positive impact on these places can benefit not only the community itself, but also your organisation and its employees. This also ties into supporting the circular economy. This is an area which is allowing forward-thinking and value-driven FM executives to shine, as they explore ways to move away from current linear models.

More information on both topics can be found in our white paper, Accelerating Facilities Transformation.

Keen to hear more?

With input from leading FM executives, our white paper details the ways in which FM technology and data can turn challenges into opportunities, resulting in superior workspaces, happy employees and satisfied stakeholders.

Contact Mitie to find out how our team of specialists can help you become a more agile facilities manager and transform your organisation.

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