Taster edition
FAC I LITATE
FEB RUARY 2020
CONTENTS COM M UNI TY
KNOW LE DGE
3 4 PE R SPE C TIV E S The four most interesting and insightful opinions on FM this month
44 TRUST EXERCISE Liz Kentish explains how a trust index gauges levels of trust among FM staff
3 7 A BIT A BOU T YOU Michelle Harris, FM at Hitachi Rail, on building a Japanese torii at the UK HQ
45 PEN A WINNING ENTRY Tips on writing a winning entry for the 2020 IWFM Awards
3 8 THINK TA NK Our takeaways on topics and trends that could affect your business decisions
46 VISUAL AIDS Simple adjustments can greatly help visually impaired people to get about
6 F M TREN D-S POTTIN G What FM trends will 2020 bring?
40 F E BRUA RY @ IWF M The people and projects currently informing IWFM activity
49 R ADON THREAT Steps FMs can take to safeguard building users from radon gas
8 FAKE N E WS ? Think tank EDSK says 50 per cent of apprenticeships have been ‘fake’
41 C A LL S TO AC T ION The events and training options that deserve your attention
53 HIDDEN NEEDS Retail FMs need to devise an effective support system for disabled customers
AN A LYS I S
COVER: ISTOCK / SHUTTERSTOCK
10 AI R APPARE N T BESA says the government must add ‘radical’ indoor air quality policies to its promised environment bill 12 HOT AIR Most of the UK’s commercial buildings are energy inefficient, warns Green Alliance 17 NEWS MAK E RS Ten top stories from Facilitate online
WHAT WE DO
Facilitate – the magazine and online news content resource of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) – keeps IWFM members and others up-to-date on all workplace and facilities management issues, ensuring you are informed of the latest developments and thinking.
LONG FORM
20
AGAINST CONVENTION Acts of rebellion are often seen in hindsight as having brought about vital change. We speak to some FM rebels about their successes.
25
NAVIGATING TURBULENT
TIMES It’s the sector’s event of the year, drawing together insights and ideas from inside and outside the profession.
26
EMERGENCY RESPONSE 2019 was a big year for environmental activism and 2020 will see more responses to the ‘climate crisis’. What is FM’s role?
– your award winning magazine
Facilitate is the current holder of the Best Magazine (10-32,000 members) award, as voted for by judges at the Association Excellence Awards, a body which assesses the media brands of trade bodies, professional membership organisations and associations. We have an ambitious programme for 2020 and look
ce forward to continuing to produce content that meets your needs.. ase We always work ahead, so please e contact us if you have an angle g. or format we should be pursuing. Got a story? email editorial @facilitatemagazine.com
TO ACCESS THE FULL VERSION OF FACILITATE MAGAZINE, JOIN IWFM W W W. I W F M .O RG .U K
3
FacilitateMagazine.com / February 2020
INSIDE 08 10 12 15 17
What’s the problem with apprenticeships? Indoor air poses health hazards UK’s commercial buildings are not energy efficient Building safety measures announced Newsmakers: The top stories from Facilitate online last month
A
number of organisations released reports about forthcoming trends in facilities management as the year began. The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated has published its annual predictions of the top trends that will affect the global workforce in the coming year. These include a greater emphasis on worker wellbeing and paid time off work. Kronos says employee wellness is set to take “centre stage as total rewards strategies drive recruitment and retention in a tight economy”. Competition to attract and retain top talent – both for office and frontline workers – will further compel employers to expand and innovate total rewards packages that support employees within and outside the workplace, it adds. There will also be more of a spotlight on mental health, financial wellness, childcare, shifts that work for all, and an individual’s sense of meaning at work as Generation Z floods the workforce. Increasingly common natural disasters and crises will challenge employers to prepare and respond with efficiency and compassion. As employees continue to expect more from their employers, organisations that take an active, equitable and inclusive approach to supporting the entire individual should reap gains in productivity, engagement and loyalty, says the report. Another tipped trend is the increase of regulating paid time off, family leave, and income stability with governments and employers alike facing increased pressure to provide a multigenerational workforce with schedule flexibility, paid leave, and stable living wages. The institute also foresees that employers must determine how they will manage controversial and potentially divisive dynamics in the workplace as “employee activism
FM TRENDS
WELLNESS TO BE THE TOP 2020s TREND
WORDS: HERPREE T K AUR G R E WA L
and looming political elections worldwide will challenge even the strongest corporate cultures”. It also says organisations must learn to broaden traditional talent pools to attract workers, including recruiting services veterans, people with disabilities, retirees, gig or contract workers, second-chance workers, and candidates with tangentially relevant skills. Practical AI uses and access to data will narrow the chasm between the HR ‘haves’ and ‘havenots’ too, says the institute. ‘The haves’ – which tend to be larger, sophisticated organisations – are experimenting with emerging technologies in advanced ways as many ‘have-nots’ drown in manual work, unable to consider the future of work automation.
TO ACCESS THE FULL VERSION OF FACILITATE MAGAZINE, JOIN IWFM W W W. I W F M .O RG .U K
6
FacilitateMagazine.com / February 2020
F RO NT D E S K A N A LY S I S
B UILDING SAFE TY
WORDS: HERPREET K AU R G R E WA L
H
ousing secretary Robert Jenrick has officially announced plans to create a regulatory body as a part of a package of building safety measures. The new body, to be a part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), will give “effective oversight of the design, construction and occupation of high-risk buildings”. Speaking in the House of Commons, Jenrick also said that from February he would start to name building owners who have not started remediation works to remove unsafe aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding from their buildings. He confirmed that the government would consult on extending the ban on combustible materials to buildings below 18 metres and seek views on how risks are assessed within existing
buildings to inform future policy. This package comes in the wake of the prime minister’s letter to the chairman of the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, updating him on the government’s response to phase 1. The Fire Protection Association’s managing director Jonathan O’Neill said the body “wholeheartedly welcome[d] any strengthening of building regulations” but said he was “concerned about the creation of a two-stream approach with the so-called ‘Hackitt Buildings’ being under a different regime than that which covers the majority of other buildings, including those where the majority of deaths and injuries actually occur”. O’Neill added: “We are similarly supportive of a review of the height restrictions for combustible materials on buildings, but remain firmly of the view that combustible materials should be banned on all high-risk buildings, regardless of their height.”
1
Building Safety Regulator The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will begin to establish the new regulator in shadow form immediately, ahead of it being fully established following legislation. It will raise building safety and performance standards, including overseeing a new, more stringent regime for higher-risk buildings.
2
Advice on building safety for multistorey, multioccupied buildings A call for evidence will also be published, seeking views on the assessment of risks within existing buildings. This important step will help to gather ideas and lead to research that will provide a firm evidence base to guide decisions for both existing buildings and future regulatory regimes.
3
Fire doors The government welcomes the commitment by the Association of Composite Door Manufacturers to work with building owners to remediate their doors that failed tests. It will continue to monitor the situation closely to
ensure that this commitment is followed through.
4
Remediation of buildings with ACM cladding To speed up remediation, a construction expert will be appointed to review remediation timescales and identify what can be done to improve pace in the private sector. Financial support will be offered to those who may not be able to afford new cladding.
5
Combustible cladding ban The government has also launched a consultation into the current combustible cladding ban, including proposals to lower the 18-metre height threshold to at least 11 metres.
6
Sprinklers The government has proposed lowering the height threshold for sprinkler requirements in new buildings and will set out detailed proposals on how it will deliver the technical review of fire guidance in February.
7
Fire safety bill The government has also set out further details of the forthcoming fire safety bill being introduced to Parliament, which will set out in more detail its response to the public inquiry phase 1 recommendations.
TO ACCESS THE FULL VERSION OF FACILITATE MAGAZINE, JOIN IWFM W W W. I W F M .O RG .U K
15
FacilitateMagazine.com / February 2020
PHOTOGRAPHY: ISTOCK
BUILDING SAFETY MEASURES ANNOUNCED
MAIN MEASURES ANNOUNCED:
LO N G FO R M
IWFM CONFERENCE 2020
KEYNOTE ADDRESS THEME: Rebellious Acts of Positive Change SPEAKER: Sam Conniff
LOCATION: Premium Suite, Etc Venues, St Paul’s Cathedral TIME: 16.30-17.15
TICKETS: www.iwfmconference.org TOPIC: Rebellious acts of positive change
Turbulence, disruption, complexity, ambiguity, fragmentation. Do we need neat strategies to deal with this disruption or simply a little more audacity? History is filled with countless rebels – and we have seen plenty on the main stage in 2019. What can be learned from small but rebellious acts of positive change?
A bit about Conniff: He ran nightclubs and managed bands in his teens, set up a content agency and ethical marketing firm in his 20s. He’s worked in publishing and television, has written a best-selling book, Be More Pirate, Or How To Take On The World And Win. He currently consults to major brands.
create a scenario of conflict and you need to enable others to see your rebellion positively,” Birnbaum says. Stead thinks similarly: rebels need to calculate the risk before taking action. “This takes quite an analytical person who can consider every outcome and make a brave decision that despite a level of residual risk know it’s still the right thing to do.” Charm helps a rebel’s cause too, Birnbaum says. But its effects are limited. “You will need an organisation and leadership function that are supportive of that way of working and sees challenge as positive rather than disruptive or negative... Balance your challenge
and rebelliousness with a genuine desire to collaborate, cooperate and support. Too much of either is detrimental.”
The profession’s support of rebels
Rebellion is a tough task in FM with its tight margins and aversion to risk. It’s even harder if working for a large FM service provider, contends Hulbert. Rebels are hindered by restrictive processes that inhibit creativity. “You must follow the procedure or you’ll potentially face disciplinary consequences,” he says. There is greater freedom to rebel when working within an SME as there’s often “a much more entrepreneurial outlook on how to deliver services, which lends itself to flexibility and driving through creative change”. But there are practical inhibitions to rebellion too. Birnbaum says there is a “bedrock of requirements that can be quite hard to maintain while also trying to be forwardthinking and progressive”. She adds: “Although the industry is looking to really embrace new ways of working and new technologies, sustainability and gender equality – you can build so much into workplace and facility management – we still need to maintain statutory requirements and PPM that you ignore to your detriment. Rebellion can only work when the fundamentals of the job are met.
Skin in the game
Codling doesn’t think there’s a direct correlation between age and rebelliousness, although he has grown more rebellious.
TO ACCESS THE FULL VERSION OF FACILITATE MAGAZINE, JOIN IWFM W W W. I W F M .O RG .U K
INSIDE 34 36 37 38 40
Perspectives – four original opinion pieces FM @ Large – seen and heard this month Behind the Job – Michelle Harris Think tank – Where is FM headed this decade? Phil Matis – ‘Doing the right thing’
D
igital Dexterity is the ability and desire to exploit existing and emerging technologies for better business outcomes.” That’s the definition of the term devised by Gartner in its research paper Digital Dexterity at Work.
Digital is imperative but people have been slow to adapt
positive about smart building tech and digital transformation generally, but believed the most likely future was one of ‘slight digital upgrade’. Big data, robotics, AI, machine learning and VR were all considered likely to exert less influence over the profession than established tech such as CAFM, BMS and so on.
THE BE ST O F THE S E C TO R’ S DI S C U S S I O N A N D DE BATE maintenance will be fully automated and the people the facility exists to serve will have an immediate, frictionless ability to instantly redefine it for their unique needs. Anyone who believes FM will be the same industry but just with a few more screens screwed on a wall is dangerously out of touch.”
Don’t fall into danger
As IWFM director of insight Chris Moriarty said at Workplace Week late last year: “We’re in danger if we think we’re just going to have a ‘digital upgrade’. We’re deluded.” Moriarty quoted ‘digital optimist’ Alistair Frost: “FM will be disrupted beyond recognition. Space equals self-management, self-clean, self-report; routine
Here’s a solution
To embrace the digital transformation and become digitally dexterous, the
Each month we explain the background to phrases you may be hearing, or the key issues currently making waves
BUZZWORDS
DIGITAL DEXTERITY
Gartner report suggests the following course of action. It is aimed at IT professionals specifically, but there’s no reason why FM cannot be collaborating to help drive transformation. Be the champion by embracing recent consumer technologies and understanding what drives the workforce; Invest in workforce analytics to upskill, while promoting a growth mindset culture; Partner with the business – think how common the refrain that HR, IT and FM could form a powerful tripartite alliance; and Unleash the digitally dexterous workforce. Download the reports: IWFM: Embracing Technology to Move FM Forward at tinyurl.com/ FacMag0220-IWFMReport Gartner: Digital Dexterity at Work at tinyurl.com/FacMag0220-Gartner
TO ACCESS THE FULL VERSION OF FACILITATE MAGAZINE, JOIN IWFM
PHOTOGRAPHY: SHUTTERSTOCK
Yet according to the company’s research, 83 per cent of leaders have not yet readied themselves for the digital transformation despite 90 per cent seeing digital as a pressing priority. They’ve been slow to respond and this is cause for concern given that digital capabilities are essential to the success of every business, the report said. The results of Gartner’s research are consistent with the findings in the IWFM’s Embracing Technology to Move FM Forward report from 2018. Most of those surveyed were
VIEW POINT
W W W. I W F M .O RG .U K
31
FacilitateMagazine.com / February 2020
V I E W P O I NT
SEEN AND HEARD
“MAINTAINING A HEALTHY, COLLABORATIVE AND POSITIVE WORKPLACE CULTURE IS KEY TO KEEPING STAFF, ASSOCIATES AND PARTNERS FROM HEADING FOR THE DOOR” SHELLEY SMITH, CEO OF PREMIER RAPPORT, SHARES A VITAL LESSON ABOUT STAFF RETENTION
“Great workplace design is not d just about creating trendy or visually pleasing spaces. It means getting to the heart h of an organisa organisation on a molecular level to understand their affordances, social proof and empathetic connections.”
STACY HOLM, SENIOR INTERIOR DESIGNER AT ALLIIANCE, RESPONDS TO AN ARTICLE ABOUT HOW WORKPLACE DESIGN AFFECTS EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE
“Don’t treat your colleagues as a number; treat them as a brother and sister. This will create a team that will develop and push each other to higher levels. Always be a good listener.” BRING THE FAMILY MINDSET TO THE WORKPLACE, SAYS NICK GREEN, FACILITIES MANAGER AT VINCI FACILITIES
Ideas and comments made around the sector this month
FM@LARGE “Honesty… it can be tough when hen you just don’t have good news, s, especially in our field of FM, but you have to be honest so you gain trust and confidence from m your client/customer. I have seen many great partnershipss go bust because the service provider outright lied to customer; never a good thing.”” HONESTY IS THE FOUNDATION OF GOOD RELATIONSHIPS, ARGUES RANDALL NIZNICK, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF FM SUPPORT AT JLL
NOTED&QUOTED “We tend to assume that a solution to employee engagement has to be complicated or grand or involve a survey and technology. That’s not the case. It is often as simple as taking a moment of time to acknowledge those around us. To offer a signal that we see and appreciate each other.”
“McDonald’s is just one of many good examples why retrofitting is better for businesses than building over. Aside from achieving energy efficiency and big ROI, businesses get to keep the original building’s exterior façade, which is worth the effort because there are so few old buildings in young cities.” SONJA ŠEPA, CMO AT SMART PLANTS, ARGUES FOR THE VALUE OF RETROFITTING BUILDING BUILDINGS
JASON LAURITSEN, WORKPLACE CULTURE EXPERT, REMINDS US THAT A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY WITH EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
“By nature, we e will never see the back of reactive maintenance,, but we can do an awful lot to mitigate the likelihood of carrying out reactive maintenance. As his is what we should be aiming towards, an industry this especially as our digital maturity is ever evolving ACCESS ess to lots of data.TO Having access toTHE with easy access ata is key to the implementation the correct data FULL VERSION e maintenance strategy.” of a predictive OF FACILITATE
MAGAZINE, JOIN IWFM
PAUL GREATBANKS,, FACILITIES MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT RS + ANDERS, WEIGHS IN ON THE ALLAT TROUP BYWATERS IVE MAINTENANCE DEBATE W W W. I W F M .O RG .U K IMPORTANT REACTIVE
V I E W P O I NT
A B IT AB O UT YO U
MICHELLE HARRIS is facilities manager at Hitachi Rail
What do you do? I’m the
facilities and travel manager for Hitachi Rail Ltd. I have responsibility for the global head office and three other offices around the UK.
What attracted you to FM, and how did you get into the industry? I was attracted
to FM as it encompasses many other genres, such as workplace, health and safety, soft and hard services. I came to the industry through first being a PA, and then I became an office manager, then FM. It was a natural progression.
How long have you been in your current role? I have
been in my current role for more than five years.
PHOTOGRAPHY: ISTOCK / SHUTTERSTOCK P
Do you see yourself predominantly as a task or a people manager? Both. I
manage a team of seven – you need to communicate and interact with every level of the business, as your stakeholders include visitors, colleagues, senior management and clients – as well as dealing with the maintenance side of the role.
Would you describe your role as predominantly
BEHIND THE JOB
MICHELLE HARRIS operational or strategic? I would say my role is 60/40 strategic, as I have become more involved in long-term projects.
affect culture,, employee wellbeing, yee wellbeing workplace, safety of staff and the daily operational costs of any business.
How many people are there in your FM team, and to whom does the FM team ultimately report? My team
Any interesting tales to tell? We built a torii, which is a traditional Japanese gate, in the middle of our breakout area.
consists of a small in-house team of three FMs, two receptionists and two in travel. The team currently reports to the FM, then HR.
If I wasn’t in facilities management, I’d probably be… I would most probably
My top perk at work is… I get to travel around the UK and overseas as part of my role.
be a travel writer, as I love to travel and write.
Which “FM myth” would you most like to put an end to? The FM is not just about
What has been your biggest career challenge to date?
maintenance – it includes many other aspects. Also that women are FMs as well, not just office managers.
Creating a new global head office within a six-month window to locate, lease, fit out and move into the office before an existing lease expired.
What single piece of advice would you give to a young facilities manager starting out? That work experience is
If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be? That
“WE BUILT A TORII… TORII A TRADITIONAL JAPANESE GATE IN OUR BREAKOUT AREA” What was the weirdest day you’ve had in the office? I was once called into the office for an emergency. I arrived in the dark at 5am to find an employee working in darkness with water dripping from the ceiling.
Early bird or night owl? I am definitely a night owl, not a morning person.
What FM job in the world would you love more than anything? I would love any FM job where employee wellbeing and workplace engagement are primary.
And where would FM be an
just as important as a absolute nightmare qualification or degree when it I suspect a listed building comes to FM as it’s a generalist would provide a challenge to role; you need to know enough maintain and upgrade. about a lot of subjects to be able to maintain and Your life outside FM mostly administer different parts of involves… Lots of travelling the business. To work on whenever I can. Last year I improving communications went to Dubai, Majorca and skills and becoming an Bali. I enjoy creative writing; influencer are good skills I go evening classes WW W.to IW F M .O RG .U K to to acquire. improve my writing skills.
facilities should be included in the strategic aspect of future planning. As FM, we
TO ACCESS THE FULL VERSION OF FACILITATE MAGAZINE, JOIN IWFM
37
FacilitateMagazine.com / February 2020
V I E W P O I NT T H I N K TA N K
T H INK TANK
THE 2020s: WHAT A DIFFERENCE THE NEXT 3,653 DAYS WILL MAKE… MIKE BOXALL
ANDREW MAWSON
Organisations will remain under pressure to be as environmentally friendly as possible, whether that’s though reduction in plastic, adoption of chemical-free cleaning or improved recycling processes. Benchmarking will allow an organisation to determine a reasonable expectation for recycling and waste management costs for their market and region. We’ll also increasingly see waste material converted into revenue streams. The ultimate goal in truly efficient total waste management is creating a circular economy.
We’ve reached a place where FM isn’t alone in viewing the workplace as a tool to attract and retain talent, break silos and raise performance – the C-suite is buying into its potential too. Creating a work environment that’s socially cohesive is tough enough when everyone is in the office, but now that they are in different locations and/or time zones there are new challenges that new tech and tools will help us overcome. Ten years ago, a small business couldn’t operate outside the UK. Now, small businesses can enter new markets without jumping on a plane.
COMING ROUND TO THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY
MIKE BOXALL is the managing director
of Sitemark
38
FacilitateMagazine.com / February 2020
THE C-SUITE IS FINALLY GOING TO ‘GET’ FM
TO ACCESS THE FULL VERSION OF FACILITATE MAGAZINE, JOIN IWFM W W W. I W F M .O RG .U K
ANDREW MAWSON is MD of Advanced
Workplace Associates
ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCK
P
redictions for the near future are always prone to ridicule in retrospect, but there’s cause to think that the workplace and facilities management sector enters the 2020s in a significant state of flux. Artificial intelligence and smart building sensors cheaper than Smarties indicate a seismic, transformative decade ahead in terms of tech. But as our correspondents document here, issues of space use and wellbeing, albeit likely to mutate, will surely set the tone of the changes we’ll witness in the years to 2030. Some predict a focus on greater flexible working, paid time off and companies having to rethink how they attract talent as businesses offer more wellness perks to employees. Just how well the mooted four-day week will seem from our 2029 lens is open to endless conjecture. We asked you what you thought would be the most pressing issues for the facilities management profession in this decade. Here are the highlights.
INSIDE 44 45 46 49 53
Liz Kentish explains how a trust index works in the FM sector Jo Sutherland offers tips on writing an IWFM Awards entry Kudirat Adeniyi: Improving accessibility for people with sight loss Øyvind Birkenes: FMs can alleviate the radon threat in buildings Paul Thrupp: FMs in retail are learning to spot invisible disabilities
V
ariety of form and brilliance of colour in the objects presented to patients are an actual means of recovery. So said Florence Nightingale. Healthcare settings are seeing the value in providing more colourful environments. “Colour is a powerful communication tool that has been proven by research to increase athleticism, sharpen focus and affect heart rates. Some studies even suggest that certain colours can reduce crime,” says Formica Group’s UK design manager Nina Bailey. In healthcare settings, the trend is to use colours of nature, which have been proven to inspire relaxation. So when artist Leah Bartholomew was commissioned to create artwork for the Sheffield
Children’s Hospital, she chose a wildlife theme. “I sat with my Dad in hospital for months once and I still remember the Ken Done work that he had to look at every day and he loved it. I would love my work to resonate with someone like that piece did,” says Bartholomew.
KNOW HOW THE L ATE ST L E A RN I N G A N D BE ST P RAC TI CE
The artwork was printed on Formica Laminate and bonded to the doors. Formica HPL was used because it is durable, easy to clean, resistant to heat, humidity and scratches. It can also be steam-cleaned and disinfected without the material being affected.
HEA LTHCA RE DE COR
COLOUR ME WELL
COLOURS TO AVOID IN HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENTS ORANGE is mentally stimulating so best avoided in mental health settings;
PHOTOGRAPHY: JULES LISTER
RED raises blood pressure and is associated with blood so keep it out of cardiac or surgery settings; and YELLOW makes babies cry and makes diagnosing jaundice harder so don’t use it in neonatal and maternity wards.
TO ACCESS THE FULL VERSION OF FACILITATE MAGAZINE, JOIN IWFM W W W. I W F M .O RG .U K
43
FacilitateMagazine.com / February 2020
DATA
The facts, figures and projections worth being aware of
For more FM business news, analysis and contract wins, sign up for the Facilitate daily newsletter at www.facilitatemagazine.com/news/e-zine
INDICATORS
U S EF U L S TAT I S T I C S
Rates
23% of building workers lack pensions
Light flirting at work can ease stress Researchers at Washington State University have found that flirting with your co-workers could help reduce stress at work and potentially boost your self-confidence.
Economy
(EIA/Greenpeace)
AI fears put strain on 56% of workers
More than half (56 per cent) of employees think the prospect of greater workplace automation affects their mental health in some way, according to research from Canada Life Group Insurance. (Canada Life)
2 20% of Brits ‘posh up’ for work
56%
2 in 5 would ‘pull a sickie’
Two in five adults would fake a sick day if they needed time off, suggests a survey for the BBC by corporate research consultancy Savanta ComRes.
Bank of England base rate: 0.75 per cent as of 19th December 2019 Source: Bank of England (bankofengland.co.uk)
Consumer Price Index (CPI): The CPI 12-month rate was 1.3 per cent in December 2019, down from 1.5 per cent in November 2019.
The CPI including owneroccupiers’ housing costs (CPIH) 12-month inflation rate was 1.4 per cent in December, down from 1.5 per cent in November.
HRS
The main contribution to the CPIH 12-month inflation rate in December came from housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (+0.36 percentage points).
49hr+ workweeks push up blood pressure
Source: www.ons.gov.uk
Office workers who work more than 49 hours in a week can elevate their risk of developing hypertension, or high blood pressure, indicates a study by Laval University in Quebec, Canada.
Employment
National Minimum Living Wage Category of Current Hourly worker hourly rate from rate April 2020
(AHA Journals)
1/5 of workers admit data slips
Nearly a fifth of British office workers admit they’ve made a ‘catastrophic’ error at work by leaving sensitive information lying around or losing something important, according to research by Shred-it. (Shred-it)
(Savanta ComRes)
One in five Britons puts on a fake voice to try to sound more professional at work, according to telecoms firm 4Com.
Source: GOV.UK
49
Supermarket plastic hits 900k tonnes a year
Despite retailers making public commitments to cut down their plastic packaging, seven out of top 10 UK supermarkets actually increased their plastic footprints last year, according to a report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Greenpeace.
VAT rates: Standard rate — 20 per cent Reduced rate — 5 per cent
23%
(Unite)
900k
(ScienceDirect)
Just 23 per cent of blue-collar construction workers are saving into a workplace pension, a Freedom of Information request by trade union Unite has revealed.
25 and over £8.21
£8.72
18-20
£6.15
£6.45
£3.90
£4.15
21-24
Under 18
Apprentice
(under 19 or aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship
£7.70 £4.35
£8.20 £4.55
Real UK Living Wage
TOLocation ACCESS THE of Hourly rate FULL VERSION worker from April 2019 OF FACILITATE UK Living £9.30 Wage MAGAZINE, JOIN IWFM
20%
Living £10.75 WLondon W W. I W F M .O RG .U K Wage
[4Com)
63
FacilitateMagazine.com / February 2020
BAC K PAG E
EPHFMERA
Facilitate, incorporating FM World, is the publication of IWFM, the professional body for workplace and facilities management. For information on membership, qualifications and training contact us:
The stories that just don’t fit anywhere else (Email us: editorial@facilitatemagazine.com)
T
he robots are coming; no wait, they’re already here. And they’re stealing your jobs. But don’t worry – it turns out they’re useless and you will be back at work in no time at all. In a past Ephfmera, we detailed how a security robot at a mall misjudged its trajectory and toppled into a water fountain. Another mall robot
Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management Charringtons House, 1st Floor South, The Causeway, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire CM23 2ER, UK
reportedly crashed into a child while on patrol. Most recently, in Los Angeles, the same model of robot – HP RoboCop – refused to assist a bystander trying to alert the RoboCop to a nearby street brawl. Cogo Guebara told NBC News that she pushed the alert button on the robot, which elicited the response of: “Step out of the way.” Afterwards, the robot wheeled off humming a tune, interspersed with the worthy but admittedly ill-timed request to “Please keep the park clean.” The robot is only five feet tall and unarmed – an unusual description of a US cop – so being able to alert danger, record crimes on its camera, and offer pithy reminders of positive social behaviour is all it can do. The local police arrived at the scene after Guebara dialled 911 on her phone. The police have since revealed the HP RoboCop, which costs around $70,000 a year to lease from its creator Knightscope, is in a trial period and its alert button had not yet been activated. So it turns out RoboCop could only record crimes and chant slogans. If the trial is successful, the alert buttons (once activated) will be redirected from the company to the police dispatch system. For security personnel or other front-of-desk FM staff fearing the robotic takeover, it seems they’ve got a few pay cheques left at least.
PHOTOGRAPHY: XXXXXXXXXX
RoboNot
Tel: +44 (0)1279 712 620 Email: admin@iwfm.org.uk Web: www.iwfm.org.uk
Redactive Publishing Ltd 78 Chamber Street London E1 8BL www.facilitatemagazine.com EDITOR Martin Read 020 7880 7664 martin.read@facilitatemagazine.com
DEPUTY EDITOR Bradford Keen 020 7880 7615 bradford.keen@facilitatemagazine.com NEWS EDITOR Herpreet Kaur Grewal 020 7880 8544 newsdesk@facilitatemagazine.com
SUB-EDITOR Deborah Shrewsbury 020 7880 6223 deborah.shrewsbury@redactive.co.uk SENIOR DESIGNER Seija Tikkis 020 7324 2746 seija.tikkis@redactive.co.uk
PICTURE EDITOR Claire Echavarry 020 7324 2701 claire.echavarry@redactive.co.uk CONTENT ASSISTANT Prithvi Pandya 020 7880 6229 prithvi.pandya@redactive.co.uk
SALES — DISPLAY, DIGITAL, EVENTS 020 7880 6206 display@facilitatemagazine.com
SALES — RECRUITMENT 020 7880 6212 recruitment@facilitatemagazine.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Aysha Miah-Edwards 020 7880 6241 aysha.miah@redactive.co.uk
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Joanna Marsh 020 7880 8542 joanna.marsh@redactive.co.uk Subscriptions IWFM members with Facilitate subscription or delivery queries should call the IWFM’s membership department on +44 (0)1279 712650. Facilitate is sent to all members of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management and is available on subscription to non-members. Annual subscription rates are UK £110, Europe £120 and rest of world £130. To subscribe call 01580 883844 or email subs@redactive.co.uk – alternatively, you can subscribe online at www.facilitatemagazine.com/about-us/subscribe/ Editorial Advisory Board Simon Ball, market director, Engie UK & Ireland Peter Brogan, head of research and insight, IWFM Rob Greenfield, director, Assured Safety & Risk Management Ian Jones, director of facilities, ITV Martin Stead, managing director, Sewell FM Dr Matthew Tucker, Liverpool John Moores University Jo Wake, head of global workplace, Deliveroo Kate Smith, solutions development director, CBRE Liz Kentish, managing director, Kentish and Co. Simone Fenton-Jarvis, Workplace consultancy development director, Ricoh
TO ACCESS THE FULL VERSION OF FACILITATE MAGAZINE, JOIN IWFM
Printed by Warners
your magazine’s plastic W W W. I WRecycle Fwrap M .O RG .U K – check your local LDPE
Average net circulation 14,996 (July 2017 to June 2018)
66
FacilitateMagazine.com / February 2020
facilities to find out how.
FACILITATE IS THE MAGAZINE OF THE INSTITUTE OF WORKPLACE AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENT. TO ACCESS THE FULL VERSION EVERY MONTH, JOIN IWFM TODAY. WWW.IWFM.ORG.UK
OR, IF YOU’RE ALREADY A MEMBER, LOG IN TO ACCESS YOUR ONLINE COPY HERE: WWW.IWFM.ORG.UK /FACILITATE
ENJOY!