Adopting new technology into daily working lives can be a daunting prospect for workers across the board. But done in stages, introducing new systems needn’t be so arduous.
6 May 2010
As firms pay hard for pre-crisis property expansion, now is the time for FMs to shine – maximise occupancy and save your business up to 20 per cent on its second largest expense
The past few years have seen an explosion in the amount of accommodation committed to by organisations. Much of this expansion, and the associated tie-in to long leases, was undertaken without a coherent medium- or long-term strategy and, in some cases, without one at all.
The global financial crisis of the past 12 months has meant that companies have had to turn their focus to operating costs. After all, property and/or accommodation charges are the second biggest expense after HR. It is understandable then, that companies seeking not just to survive, but thrive in the current economic climate, are looking hard at these costs. And they are seeking innovative ways to get the best out of their properties.
This renewed focus is an opportunity for facilities managers to re-establish themselves as key links in the business, with vital experience and facilities advice to help the board make informed decisions about the company’s future requirements. So how do you go about it?
1 Supply accurate data
Whether FM is in-house, or outsourced in part or total, the provision of accurate and instant accommodation data is key – not only to the success of the department and its FM staff, but to the organisation as a whole. Your pitch to the boardroom can show achievable, often significant savings on the cost of real estate. Make sure it is up-to-date.
2 Measure usage
One of the most effective ways of measuring the performance of a building or portfolio is to understand their occupancy efficiency. Measuring occupancy rates will tell you how many workstations are occupied, both on average and as a percentage of the total available, across a building or portfolio. Typically, these are between 50 and 60 per cent in a corporate portfolio. By introducing smarter working practices and maximising retained space, the FM can improve workflow and demonstrate clear savings. Armed with this and other ownership data, accommodation requirements can be reduced by up to 20 per cent.
3 Join forces with HR
Combine your occupancy statistics with an in-depth analysis of each staff member’s working pattern. This will show where you can introduce less traditional ways of working, such as desk sharing, hotdesking, home working and non-desk based activities. Working with HR will not only ease the transition but additional investment for furniture or IT will also be funded from accommodation savings. If you adopt remote working, make sure those staff retain a sense of belonging and are offered chances to meet, interact and collaborate with other team members. Careful consideration must also be given to the health and safety requirements of home-based workstations.
4 Use hosted services
Consider using specialist providers of data collection and information hosting services. Companies subscribe to a dedicated website portal that contains all of their building drawings, office layouts, occupancy details, asset locations and a range of reports. All information can be accessed 24/7 by pre-authorised users, from any PC connected to the internet. They do not need specialist software or training. The provider maintains the information and keeps it up-to-date on behalf of the client, uploading information as it changes.
The FM simply needs to ensure that all of the following information is to hand and available online via intranet or internet to authorised users:
• Building drawings and furniture layouts In a non-CAD (computer-aided design) format. The drawings should detail department space allocation, names to desks, assets and their locations. Each department should monitor the drawings for accuracy. They can also be used across other FM systems to identify locations (for example, planned or reactive maintenance locations, or people-tracking for post).
• Occupancy and internal space charge data These reports source data from live information, which is updated as it changes. Senior managers should be able to access the information and filter it for custom reports to detail current vacancy rates, department space ownership by square area and/or the percentage of the whole. Security staff could walk the buildings twice a day to undertake occupied desk checks. Of course, this is not totally accurate, as people may be in meetings or the bathroom, but if the results are averaged over a few weeks, many find they have an occupied desk count of only 50-60 per cent.
• Asset location data Authorised users should be able to search for individual assets to ascertain where they are within the building or portfolio. They should also be able to filter the audit to report on how much of a particular asset they have – information that can avoid the cost of acquisition when the buyer is unaware that valuable assets already exist.
Martin Atkinson is managing director of PiMS Workspace
Watch this space
• FMs are beginning to re-establish themselves as an important cog in the business engine – a force to be reckoned with in the boardroom.
• As businesses look to cut costs where they can, the corporate property portfolio is the ideal place to start trimming the fat.
• It is crucial then that FMs keep on top of and effectively manage decision-influencing information such as space and accommodation data, building drawings and plans, occupancy rates and asset location data.
•If the information is delivered to the right people at the right time, the profile of FM in general will be raised, and the potential benefits of the data incorporated into the strategy for the whole business, with a positive impact on the bottom line.
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