Encouraging Participation and Engagement Through Workplace Experience
The facilities manager is no longer a supporting role in the workplace. As the FM profession continues to become more than maintaining a company’s largest asset, the building, what does this mean for our industry? How should we adjust to succeed in this new role as leaders in the space management world, where we are part of the discussion on how to bring happy employees to our workspaces? Both John Parsons and Peter Ankerstjerne agree it has to be about serving the workforce, and giving them what they crave in an environment that makes them want to work in your space.
Workplace Experience & Start Up Culture in Silicon Valley
John Parsons | CFM, Director of Workplace Experience, 23andMe
“I consider what we’re doing now…our team is trying to deliver concierge services. It’s not just trying to get the best value for the dollar but we need to create an experience within the workplace that will enable them [the workforce] to do their best work.”
A Roadmap to How FMs Can Deliver ROI Through Workplace Experience
Peter Ankerstjerne | MBA, COP, FRICS, 2nd Vice Chair IFMA Board of Directors
“I think there is no doubt, and I think everybody in facilities management knows that it is the personal interface that counts. It is the human contact that creates the excitement, the loyalty, the connections, the engagement – and we can facilitate that.”
Hailing all the way from Copenhagen, Denmark, Peter Ankerstjerne is the newly appointed Second Vice Chair on IFMA’s Board of Directors. A familiar face in the FM world, Peter understands facilities management on a global scale, and has some interesting perspectives on the importance of the workplace experience that he shared during our live webinar hosted last month at IFMA’s Houston headquarters.
During our webinar, Peter brings up how the typical business professional perceives “work” and where it is done in a much different way than he did just a few years ago. As technology progresses employees are able to choose from a multitude of options for where they get their work done, including working from home, to coworking spaces and the traditional office – employees now have the luxury of selecting the best environment for them. However, the importance of intermediate face-to-face interaction has never been more apparent. Peter goes on to explain how as facilities leaders it is our job to provide workspaces that people want to come to, so once in an office employees will have those personal interactions, plus they’ll have the tools they need to work from home when they choose.
Peter also brought up another question during our webinar, “who is the workplace’s customer?” Considering the facilities management focus is on the workforce and the space, it’s quite accurate to say the employee is the customer in this instance. During this 20-minute snippet of the webinar, we cover how FMs can serve the needs of the workforce while maintaining the ROI data expected of them from their organization.
