In its latest research report, leading diversified professional services and investment management company, Colliers, emphasizes the need for facilities management to be agile and responsive to serve the needs of a hybrid work environment.
According to the report, ‘Adaptive Facilities Management’, traditional facilities management (FM) models, with fixed services, frequencies and costs, are no longer fit for purpose, due to differing day-to-day occupancy levels. By embracing adaptive FM strategies, organizations can not only optimize real estate footprint and resources but also improve the employee experience through responsive, tailored approaches.
Adaptive FM in India is crucial for responding to the evolving workplace, enhancing employee engagement, achieving sustainability goals, and driving organizational success. By embracing flexibility, leveraging technology, and focusing on strategic integration, FM can significantly contribute to the overall performance and resilience of businesses in the region.
The report highlights flexible, performance-based contracts that better align the interests of occupiers, FM providers and the people using the spaces. More organizations are also assembling groups of ‘best of breed’ FM service providers with dedicated expertise in specific markets or emerging practices like sustainability and data analytics.
“The world of work is rapidly evolving in India, with hybrid work models, shifting trends, and an added emphasis on well-being shaping the future of work. This has compelled us to revisit the facilities management services we offer to make them more flexible and adaptive. Through this report, we take a closer look at what the partnership between facilities management providers and occupiers should look like. As businesses move towards agility, so must we. This can be achieved with the integration of new technologies, ESG metrics, and data-driven strategies to arrive at solutions that are aligned with the needs of the modern-day occupier.”, says Rajesh Shetty, Managing Director, Real Estate Management Services, Colliers India.
Adaptive Approach to Technology is Proving to be Essential
Companies are now in many cases leveraging multiple point solutions and have embraced an ecosystem of technology to fit each function and situation, tied together with analytics tools as appropriate. This is a chosen alternative in many cases vs. the significant investment and long timelines associated with a one-stop-shop technology.
Technology innovations including occupancy tracking, productivity measurement, food services take-up, sensors, mechanical monitoring and the proliferation of connected devices are enabling granular, real-time analysis of the use of workplaces. Companies and CRE leaders are leveraging this data to enhance employee experience and reduce occupancy expenses and capital costs by ensuring that infrastructure and services are available when needed and accommodating diverse work styles. Further, measurement has expanded beyond occupancy cost or square feet per person, or square feet per seat, and even beyond utilization to include employee engagement, employee satisfaction, recruiting and retention metrics, and sustainability.
“Engagement and culture are directly related to employees’ perceptions of the workplace, but in most regions only a fraction of employees can be considered engaged,” notes Rajesh Shetty. “Ensuring workplaces provide a versatile foundation for relationship building, cultural connection, innovation, purpose and both collaborative and more focused work is critical to addressing this and ensuring the office brings value to the employee.”
Innovative supply chain flexibility, a technology ecosystem of multiple tools, and data leveraged into performance management diligence are keys to a FM operating model that drives excellence for companies to create productive, engaged and sustainable workplaces.
