Search Results for: management

April 1, 2016

Rise in European outsourcing of real estate and facilities management ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Property

Companies outsourcing their real estate and facilities management needs have hit record levels across Europe, finds new data. According to CBRE, its EMEA Global Workplace Solutions (GWS) business received a record number of Requests for Information (RFI) or Requests for Proposals (RFP) from organisations wishing to outsource all, or part, of their real estate activities in 2015. This marks a 190 percent increase over 2012, with the data showing the most popular function to outsource is facilities management, with 64 percent of briefs including this service. The trend for outsourcing is also reflected in CBRE’s European Occupier Survey, which spans 120 organisations. Fifty-four percent of respondents noted that that they outsourced some or part of their property requirements. This figure marks an uplift from 30 percent the year before and demonstrates that more corporates are seeking, and using, specialist property advisors for outsourcing advice.

March 17, 2016

Poor line management blamed for lack of career progression at work ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Workplace

A third (33 percent) of UK employees say their career progression to date has failed to meet their expectations, with four in ten (39 percent) blaming poor line management for stifling their ambitions. According to the latest Employee Outlook Survey: Focus on Skills and Careers from the CIPD, a lack of effective training programmes (34 percent) and negative office politics (34 percent) are also to blame. The survey of over 2,000 employees considered the key factors relating to employees’ upbringing, education and workplace that affect whether or not their career progression had met their expectations. It also found that over a quarter (26 percent) of those whose career has failed to live up to their expectations identified poor-quality career advice and guidance at school as a key factor to blame, with three in ten (29 percent) saying they are in the wrong career so cannot show their strengths or potential.

March 16, 2016

The difference between ‘recyclable’ and ‘recycled’ is management not material

by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Environment, Facilities management, Furniture

The Times (paywall) has uncovered some pretty remarkable statistics about the way the British consume coffee. It appears that we now buy some 2.5 billion paper cups of coffee each year, primarily from the main High Street chains. That’s about 7 million cups a day. The good news for the environmentally conscious public would appear to be that all the chains ensure that each cup is fully recyclable and so prominently displays its green cred where the consumer can’t miss it. The problem is that just 1 in 400 of the cups are actually recycled with the rest going to landfill. The firms involved may include recycling bins in-store, but that accounts for just a fraction of the disposal of the cups. As The Times points out, the companies understand that consumers are more impressed by the claim that a product is 100 percent recyclable than 0.25 percent recycled. They are swayed by the material and ignorant of the management.

March 3, 2016

Global lack of support by management in encouraging innovation at work ⁰

by Sara Bean • News, Technology, Workplace

Too many managers expect their employees to innovate without offering them any practical support. In a global survey by consultants O.C. Tanner published in the Harvard Business Review – a poll of nearly 3,500 people from companies in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Germany, and India found that although a majority of employees say innovation is everybody’s responsibility, not everyone actually gets the resources needed to innovate. There’s an especially large disconnect on this subject between leaders and lower-level employees. While nearly nine in ten non-managers believe they ought to be involved in innovation, far fewer (roughly six in ten) say they actually are. The research claims this applied to small as well as large companies and among all age groups. The problem the review suggests, is that most employees believe that management does not inspire them to do great work — or give them the opportunity to do so.

February 9, 2016

Better workplace design and management could save the NHS £1 billion ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Facilities management, News, Property, Public Sector, Workplace design

The National Health Service could make around £1bn in savings if it made better use of its estate, including more efficient workplace design, according to Lord Carter’s wide-ranging 18-month review into the operations and productivity of the NHS. The wide ranging review claimed that a total of £5bn could be saved by adopting a range of best practice standards. Carter examined 32 hospitals as well as looking at systems in the US, Germany, Australia, Italy and France for the report. Among the differences highlighted were variations in the use of floorspace, with one trust using 12 percent for non-clinical purposes and another using 69 percent. Overall, the review suggests that the NHS could save £1bn by 2020 via from the better management of estates, such as lighting, heating and the utilisation of floor space. The challenges of running the NHS estate efficiently have been something of an issue for some time, as we have reported.

December 10, 2015

When performance management really can produce positive results ⁰

by Stuart Hearn • Comment, Knowledge, Workplace

Performance management processes have come under regular fire for being ineffective, time consuming, and quite frankly not fit for purpose. And it’s no surprise to discover exactly why employers are so justifiably disappointed in outdated performance management processes. Recent research from Towers Watson demonstrated that only 36 percent of companies consider their performance management process to be valuable, and some companies have even decided to scrap performance management altogether. While many of us don’t disagree that as a whole performance management processes aren’t producing the results that they should be, that doesn’t mean companies should be eliminating performance management from their organisation altogether. Instead, companies need to take steps to find a performance management process that gets positive results.

November 20, 2015

Two thirds of employers disappointed in performance management process ⁰

by Sara Bean • Knowledge, News, Technology, Workplace

As the economy recovers and the so-called ‘war for talent’ increases, there is a renewed focus on performance management, with 87 percent of companies in the latest research from Towers Watson, saying it is their primary method for aligning individual performance objectives with strategic priorities. However, only a third (36 percent) of companies actually consider their performance management process to be effective, and one in three managers and employees are shown to be dissatisfied with their process. According to the survey, 45 percent say managers don’t see the value in it and 53 percent say managers don’t have the time to do it well. Under 10 percent of companies have scrapped performance management altogether, or plan to do so, and though 30 percent of companies are considering eliminating performance ratings or scores, just 7 percent have already taken the step to do this.

October 29, 2015

Facilities management must become more strategic or risk becoming irrelevant ⁰

by Mark Eltringham • Facilities management, News, Technology, Workplace design

A new report claims that there are persistent and well-founded perceptions at boardroom level that facilities management is a support function with little or no strategic relevance and that this poses a serious risk to the discipline. While this may raise few eyebrows amongst those who have been aware of the problem for many years, what is startling is that the report comes from the International Facilities Management Association. The report, Redefining the Executive View of Facility Management, authored by Richard Kadzis, highlights the long reported mismatch between this perception and that of facilities managers themselves who believe they represent an industry that continues to adapt to a changing world and add value to the organisation. Conversely, senior executives see FMs as ‘glorified custodians’ whose performance should be measured in terms of the money they save the organisation.

October 25, 2015

Vacant property management survey seeks FMs main concerns ⁰

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Property

When squatting in a residential building became a criminal offence three years ago an Orbis survey revealed that a third of property managers predicted a rise in squatters targeting commercial properties as a result. Orbis has now launched a new vacant property management survey for 2015 with the BIFM to obtain views from property and facilities managers about the empty buildings in their portfolio. It seeks to understand what facilities managers’ main concerns are when it comes to empty buildings, their understanding of the legal and insurance requirements around empty properties and how they currently manage them. The survey also considers urban exploring, the exploration of man-made structures, to determine whether this is a growing trend and a threat. Guy Other, chief executive officer of Orbis said: “With this new survey we will better determine the extent of the problem in 2015, and the extent of any new threats.” Click here to take part

October 3, 2015

Death of the office + Gen Z at work + Transformational management ⁰

by Sara Bean • Flexible working, Flooring, Newsletter, Technology, Wellbeing, Workplace, Workplace design

In this week’s issue; Mark Eltringham on why the facts don’t support the myth that the office is dying; and what Anaïs Nin can teach us about the way we design and use workplaces. The CIPD issues a new set of case studies that demonstrate the important role of HR in aiding transformational change; the BSIA explains why Generation Z is the first tribe of true digital natives; and human error is still the leading cause of data loss for UK organisations. More Americans than ever choose to work from home, but homeworking Brits are growing increasingly disconnected from their colleagues. And evidence that a caring and supportive boss is the missing link between employee engagement and mental health. Visit our new events page, subscribe for free quarterly issues of Work&Place and weekly news here. And follow us on Twitter and join our LinkedIn Group to discuss these and other stories.

June 19, 2015

RICS case studies focus on business impact of strategic facilities management

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Property, Workplace

Six case studies, which outline how businesses can make the most of strategic facilities management to enhance their performance are being launched today (19 June), at the NEC in Birmingham. Developed by International Workplace for the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, the latest set of case studies in the series, provides examples of best practice as outlined in RICS’ Strategic Facilities Management (FM) Guidance Note. The case studies, which can be downloaded from RICS’ website, cover a range of strategic FM issues including procurement, innovation, technology, sustainability, talent management and health and safety. Key themes include a professional understanding of the impact of FM to a company’s reputation, brand and performance, engagement with staff and the supply chain, the importance of measuring impact and outcomes and communication.

June 10, 2015

Facilities management shown to play role in productivity and wellbeing

by Sara Bean • Facilities management, News, Wellbeing, Workplace

The role of facilities management in increasing productivity and wellbeing is highlighted in a new survey by Sodexo and RICS of their facilities management professional members and contacts to mark World FM Day. Over half of those questioned (61%) said that improvements to workplace environments and services have a positive effect on employees and that employee wellbeing would have a high impact on their organisation over the next two years. The report claims that FM is helping to enhance areas such as social interactions among colleagues (30%), ease of efficiency in day to day tasks (22%) and employees’ health and wellbeing (22%). It builds on the recent Sodexo – Harris Interactive survey, “How Leaders Value Quality of Life,” which revealed 66 percent of managers are convinced that improving quality of life is a strategic priority for their institutions.