facilities management
Over the past year+ Facilities Management teams have demonstrated an agile and flexible response to COVID-19, playing a key role across all sectors of industry. This was celebrated on World FM Day, as Pat Gaughan from Advanced Workplace Solutions and Fionnuala Byrne, of Google, explain.
‘Celebrating FM: standing tall beyond the pandemic’
T
he IWFM Ireland Region and Ibec (Irish Business & Employers Confederation) came together on World FM Day to reflect on this extraordinary year and discuss the future of Facilities Management with an expert panel who shared their experiences, challenges and successes.
Challenge and opportunity A central message was that the past twelve months had challenged the FM industry but had equally brought great opportunity. From enabling the mass transition of homeworking to ensuring healthcare professionals can work in clean, safe environments, to maintaining and securing buildings – though empty of people – and more, workplace and facilities practitioners worldwide have played a key role in the response to this global crisis. As we look with hope to the future, we can be proud of the crucial contribution our profession has made as we explore new possibilities beyond the pandemic. We looked forward to celebrating the profession standing tall on World FM Day and beyond.
Recognise and celebrate World FM Day is a global day to recognise and celebrate the vital work that
highlighted the possibilities for the future of the profession. It was about recognising the FM teams who quickly became essential workers, ensuring that our built environment continued to remain open – healthcare settings including nursing homes and hospitals, manufacturing, essential retail including supermarkets, pharmacies and banking. It noted the importance placed on enhanced cleaning, sanitation and health and safety protocols so that everyone felt safe in our workplaces and in the wider community. We also heard of the rapid and evolving nature of many aspects of the services delivered by FM teams – whether in our local parks, which have been a vital resource for so many or in healthcare settings ensuring that our most vulnerable were kept safe.
Pivot
ABOVE: Fionnuala Byrne
workplaces and facilities managers and the wider industry, contribute to business and the Irish and global economy. It aims to raise awareness of the facilities professions anywhere that its practitioners influence the health, safety, productivity and wellbeing of people who use the built environment. This year’s event saw a celebration of the FM profession and a recognition of the work carried out by a broad range of services throughout 2020 and 2021. It was honest and candid but overall positive on the challenges that our industry has come through and it
Facilities Managers pivot – its what we do. This was the action of an entire community of professionals. As Ireland was gripped by the virus, workplace and facilities professionals stepped forward and spun around to support organisations and wider communities in so many different ways. Reflecting on the FM profession over the past year, whether it be a cleaner or a technical service provider, we can really help to understand and learn from what makes these inspiring individuals stand apart. We can take the many examples of where our profession went above and beyond as an inspiration to others in the sector to build back stronger and better; to inspire young people to choose workplace and facilities management as a career; and encourage everyone to move our profession forward.
‘The past twelve months+ has challenged the FM industry but has equally brought great opportunity.’ 5 0 | Construction Management | Summer 2021
