05 Jun Guidance and advice to help facilities lead hybrid working policies
The hybrid workplace will only become a reality if facilities managers play a leading role in transforming their organisations. Creating better workplaces hub provided by the Institute for Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) and Ricoh can help you accelerate transformation in your organisation.
Facilities managers play a crucial role in addressing their organisation’s challenges during the transition to hybrid working, supporting vital business functions. Offering a collection of research and resources, The IWFM and Ricoh have collaborated since 2019 on the Creating better workplaces’ hub to help businesses optimise for the future.
The rise of workplace transformation
Over the last 18 months, the IWFM carried out three separate surveys, researching attitudes toward hybrid working, surveying a group of 2,000 UK office workers:
- Most office workers believed they were equally or more productive at home than at the office and said they would prefer to work from home.
- While the outlook was optimistic for home working, half felt their employer needed to do more to support hybrid working.
- Office workers missed some office elements, such as meeting colleagues face-to-face.
How can facilities managers optimise transformation for a hybrid workplace?
This research paints a compelling picture for facilities managers. The office no longer needs to be a building, and facilities departments can respond to this shift proactively. Collaborating with HR, IT, and senior leadership to maximise employee satisfaction, productivity and transformation.
Offices can become more fluid, acting as a hybrid space to unify people. A destination where people want to go to imagine, create and work collaboratively. The UK workforce is eager for change.
How does transformation work?
Facilities managers must review the entire workplace experience and culture in partnership with other business areas. Therefore enabling people to do their best work from any location. With unique insights into working environments, facilities management professionals are best placed to devise and realise the necessary changes. Gathering support from the wider business, including its employees, and combining it with insight to achieve the desired results.
Key questions for facilities professionals to consider when considering transformation
Help your organisation understand and navigate the space, process, technology and cultural matters that create people-centred workplaces. In short, here are some key questions that must be considered:
- What does the future of your workplace look like from a technological perspective?
- What could future changes in working practices mean for the spaces your organisation inhabits?
- How can your culture be shifted to facilitate transformation?
- What are the human and organisational impacts of workplace change?
- How do you communicate the value of the workspace?
Discover the Creating Better Workplaces hub
No matter your organisation’s hybrid working strategy, your workplace and facilities professional is the lynchpin who can help unite your key teams in forging your workplace strategy. And the journey to transformation does not mean avoiding risk. While many businesses move to a hybrid working, facilities professionals have to reach a long-term solution. In addition, embracing the culture and people with an agile test and learn approach.
To help you and encourage your broader organisation to get on board, discover the ‘Creating better workplaces’ hub at the IWFM website. The hub includes eight guidance notes and a variety of other resources, including webinars and reports, which can help you transition to a hybrid model of working. Some resources require IWFM membership to access..
Further reading for facilities management on transformation
Please visit our On-demand Facilities Management webinar to learn more about our Work Together, Anywhere approach. Read our latest business article on building a better workplace in partnership with IWFM.
