Can workplace design drive business performance?

Les Pickford, former editor of the RICS Construction Journal looks at the Google effect and

how strategic facilities management should consider workplace design to meet the needs of

the workforce and positively influence business performance, in an article published on the

RICS website.

The article expands on thought and academic evidence that suggests, provision of a good, flexible

work environment, which is of the ‘right’ quality, will enable staff to perform significantly better.

Reports from the World Green Building Council support this view, proposing that to get the best out of

people in the workplace, having the right environment is essential. The challenge for (FM) facilities

management is in catering for a variation of working styles that exist between companies,

departments and people.

The facilities management sphere of influence in the workplace extends beyond just the working

environment. Supporting different activities, considering the physical, digital, social and service

elements of the, ‘workplace experience’. A well trained and managed workforce with the right tools

for the job will always perform better but people also need the right services to support them in their

working life, such as, parking, catering, print and security. All of these elements contributing towards

driving business performance through workplace design.

In the article written by Les Pickford and published on the RICS website, Stephen Shallcroft FRICS,

Head of Group Property and Facilities for EC Harris and a Member of the RICS Facilities

Management Board, provides insights into understanding your workforce and their needs.

Commenting on different generations and how their requirements and working styles differ, variations

in the use of technology and the type of workspace desired that is conducive to the activities in which

they are engaged. Stephen outlines the challenge for Facilities Management to provide an

environment that suits all needs, while having the ability to flex accommodation to suit the ever

changing number of people in each generational band.

Stephen also shares his thoughts on what the Facilities Management professional needs to

understand, in order to provide a solution that’s right for the company as a whole, across a diverse

workforce, now and in the future. Stephen provides examples of how EC Harris approaches desk

sharing in a global business and the type of questions posed when developing a solution.

The article, entitled, The Google effect: how workplace design drives business performance, is

available to read now, on the RICS website here: http://bit.ly/1DA4HH5 or find out more about the

benefits of RICS membership for Facilities Managers here: http://bit.ly/1z7uHqw