5 minute read
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.
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The 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 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
ABOVE: Fionnuala Byrne 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
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 panel of experts included:
Fionnuala Byrne, Director of Facilities EMEA, Real Estate & Workplace Google Vincent Harrison, Managing Director, Dublin Airport Chris Kane, Advisor, Advocate & Author of Where is my Office Reimagining the Workplace for the 20th Century Stephen Lynch, Global Health & Safety Lead, LinkedIn Danny McCoy, CEO, IBEC Martin McMahon, Managing Director Accent Solutions Jim Meade, CEO, Irish Rail Áine Mulcahy, Managing Director, OCS Ireland & Aviation UK Eileen Slamon, Workplace Programme Lead, LinkedIn Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste, Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment
Commission
Following a request from the Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar, TD, the Low Pay Commission has formally begun work on examining how Ireland can move towards a living wage.
In his statement he talks about redefining the traditional role of essential workers to include those who work in the FM sector.
‘The pandemic has caused us to redefine frontline or essential workers and to reconsider the value we place on their work and the reward they should get for that work.
‘Traditionally, when we thought of frontline or essential workers, we thought of nurses, doctors, Gardai or firemen. Generally, people working in the public service with relatively well paid, secure and pensionable jobs.
‘Now we think also of retail workers, drivers, security guards, transport workers and cleaners.’
Recognise and celebrate
In celebrating ‘World FM Day – standing tall beyond the pandemic’, it was important to recognise and celebrate the work carried out by those in the FM sector during the pandemic: • In particular those in roles who operate in the front line, keeping our built environment operating, safe and secure • The immediate response by the FM sector and teams across the country was significant, as the pandemic began to take hold in March 2020 – pivoting their operations and introducing enhanced health and safety protocols • There was tremendous effort by the sector in assisting in the procurement of vital PPE for workplaces • The development and implementation of new technologies in the industry to ensure that workplaces could be
maintained, either by onsite teams or virtually • The support of Irish local businesses; as many operations were forced to close or reduce their workforce, the FM sector in Ireland stepped in to support those businesses. Examples include commercial workplace furniture companies sourcing and providing necessary PPE and event companies moving to supplying workfrom-home furniture • FM companies whose workforces quickly provided their teams to organisations most in need, eg. airport staff being deployed to supermarkets and logistics chains • Workplace, OHS and Facilities professionals have been instrumental in helping their organisations confront unprecedented challenges. The sector is also at the forefront of new opportunities around the evolution of work and workplace during and post-pandemic
Far-reaching
The impact from COVID-19 will be farreaching. World FM Day was a moment for us to recognise the positive impact that we have played.
It was also a chance to consider how the workplace will continue to evolve post-pandemic and how the FM sector can continue to lean in and support that change.
