Editor's Viewpoint
More questions than answers
Predicting change is a mug's game, especially these days when some of the old 'rules' seem particularly unreliable. But it does feel like the times might be ripe for some kind of tipping point in UK facilities management.
Planning for tomorrow
One of the big challenges for every FM service provider these days is sorting out its strategy for the future: how does it see its markets developing? how does it want to be perceived? what sort of clients does it want? what's the right service offer?
What's in a name?
Naming, and the related branding, forms part of the bedrock of marketing strategy. There’s a lot of science to both and a huge amount of material on good and bad experiences. But in the end, you make your decision, unveil your work and pray for the best.
Culture is more important than technology
That's the statement that stuck with me from Wednesday's Smartworking Summit, the latest in the series organised by consultancy Quora and this time focusing on AI in the workplace.
A tale of two FMs
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom. It was the age of foolishness. Sometimes it can indeed be hard to tell where you and others actually are.
Thinking about what we're doing and why
I'm usually the interviewer not the interviewee. Being the one questioned is an unusual experience for those of us on the media side of the business; but it can bring a new perspective to the issues.
The outsourcing debate: do they mean us?
Outsourcing has always been a touchy subject. It’s a good, sound business practice, widely used and time-proven; but it can also be an easy target for criticism, a magnet for hot-button claims around jobs, costs, quality, accountability and more.
Technology and people: An uneasy relationship
Videos of dogs doing tricks are always cute. But what if those dogs are actually quadrupedal robots that can open doors?
Conflicts of interest
Last week, i-FM reported that support services firms on the FTSE index announced more profit warnings than any other FTSE-listed companies in 2017. But why is this so?
Disturbing times
I’m not talking about Carillion going into liquidation or the recent news that Capita saw its share price plummet due to a profit warning, adding to market uncertainty and another knee-jerk reaction to the idea of outsourcing.
Crisis response
In over 20 years of being a part of the FM industry I don’t think I have ever seen so much change taking place in one period of time, and with such potentially fundamental implications.
Making the case for adding value through FM
Welcome to 2018, the year that is likely to see profitability at facilities management companies coming under more pressure than perhaps ever before.
The good news or the bad news
Negativity sells. We live in a moment when this observable truth feels more acute than ever.
Enduring narratives
While it seems almost unfathomable now, more than 2,000 years ago the Greek philosopher Plato was warning his peers of the dangers the written word posed to intellectual society.
We need to talk about jobs
Crisis may be too strong a word. Challenge might be a better description for the array of workforce issues that seem to be looming up on the horizon for facilities management.
The fight for professional emancipation
By far the most memorable session of this year’s Workplace Trends conference was a simulated court scene in which the issue of flexible working was put on trial.
Brand values: what do you stand for?
Brand is a simple word for a simple concept with which we are all familiar. Everything for sale is branded but the concept extends far beyond that, even to 'personal brands'. Labelling stuff has its advantages in a busy world.
Value for a new age
Not since the end of the Cold War has the future seemed so uncertain. Faith in age-old institutions is dwindling and the global hegemony feels a little less stable.
Breaking free from the echo chamber
The ultimate aspiration for any FM function is to align itself with an organisation's core business. This is a sound bite facilities management professionals hear often.
Adding value
Is this the most important goal in facilities management? Has value become the key deliverable and success in delivering it the key message for the industry?
Trusting your gut
The head and the gut are often presented as antagonistic anatomical forces that compel a person to act either on reason or emotion. Yet science tells us that this is a false dichotomy.
Working out the future of work
If there was ever a thing that might be needed it's probably a review of modern working practices. If there was ever a thing that might be difficult to do, it's probably a review of modern working practices.
It's the ethos, not the stats
I have been fortunate enough to meet some innovative leaders in their inspiring corporate offices over the past couple of weeks. All very different businesses, but they do have one big thing in common: a clear commitment to their people.
Election chatter
Buried beneath the clamour of the snap election and its surprising results last week was a story about something called the Naylor Review.
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