What Trends in Facilities Management Should Be Followed?

What trends are relevant to facilities management and how employees are treated? Companies must be careful about the trends they follow to ensure they support their loyal employees rather than pursue their own business goal without considering the bigger picture.

Even with technology, not every new bit of tech gear is worth using in the workplace until it’s been tested for applicability and practical usefulness. After all, it’s all too easy for staff to get distracted from their jobs by being forced to keep adapting to every new shiny object introduced in their work environment,to the detriment of productivity levels.

Here are a few trends that are worth following.

The Trend Towards Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance is a trend that shouldn’t just be paid lip service to. Many employees, especially millennials, hold work-life balance dear to their young hearts. Quite often they value experiences over material possessions, which is a change from the materialistic, capitalistic outlook of previous generations. Companies that wish to attract younger employees would do well to follow the trend of providing a more flexible work environment.

Consider remote working options andflexi-time hours to work longer days when it suits and shorter ones too. Make applying for and getting approval for vacation time easier. Younger staff will often quit their job and go on a trip away if turned down. Finding a job when returning allows them to have adventures regardless of whether it suited their employer or not.

The health of the Workforce

Keeping the workforce healthy and happy is a full-time job in itself.

Being overworked leads to all manner of work-related or stress-related diseases. Too much time at the desk and not enough exercise (or even standing and moving around) can lead to health problems. Bad eating habits and poor drinking habits by consuming caffeinated, sugar-filled drinks also leads to health problems like weight gain and sometimes diabetes, too.

Start by offering new beverage options like those from Bevi. They have drinks dispensers with flavored water in several different flavors for employees to stay hydrated and healthy conscious while not pushing up theirdaily sugar intake.

One of the other facilities management trends we’re seeing is providing gym access via a discounted membership program. Pick the nearest gym to make getting there as easy as possible. To get more facilities management ideas, read this for the latest trends in 2018 and this year too.

Embrace Technology Where Appropriate

There are plenty of trends with technology that apply directly to the workplace. Some of them are good for companies and others are useful for employees.

Curved displays and wider displays are useful technologies for people that prefer them over a multi-display setup. Researchers, programmers, designers, architects, and a host of other workers find either a wider display and multiple screens useful for their productivity. Flexible displays for smartphones have arrived, but it’s yet to be proven what practical benefit they have for employees who are issued a company phone.

The use of artificial intelligence such as active systems that respond to sensor feedback, robotics, and machine learning to answer frequently asked questions are all gaining a foothold. Companies must be smart in how they deploy such technologies to make use of them while not making employees feel under threat because of their implementation. A balance must be found there.

There’re many facets to facilities management. It’s not all about the building. Mostly it’s focused on what goes on inside the building and how to support the people who work there.

Image source : foundationrecruitment.com