World FM Day

The purpose of ‘World FM day’ is to applaud the successes within the sector; discuss trends or potential challenges arising for the future, and raise the profile of Facilities Management professionals and the significant work they do.

World FM day this year will be celebrated on 17th May with the theme ‘enabling positive experiences’. This theme will highlight the developments that the sector has undergone to create exceptional customer/client experiences.

Over recent years, we have seen how Facilities Management roles have considerably developed, the list of skills required and responsibilities these roles entail are ever-growing. Gone are the days of facilities management seen as maintaining a building, now these professionals need to be strategic, business-minded and customer focused.

Facilities Management professionals need to be confident in building relationships, including tenant relationship and guest experience management. JLL commented in FM-World magazine (April 2017 addition) that FM is moving to be H2H (human to human) rather than B2B (business to business).

FM professionals need to be tech-savvy. The amount of technological developments that have come into the sector is extremely impressive, and there is constant research into developments that will be introduced in the near future. With the number of responsibilities growing for these professionals, technology is essential to manage and monitor every aspect of the business; ensure that tenants are happy and that guest experience is never compromised.

Further to this, energy and sustainable practices; waste management; security and health & safety, are all equally as important to a facilities management strategy.

FM professionals are working hard to improve real estate performance; their work affects anyone who operates in the built environment. As working environments develop and advance, facilities management professionals have to react and change their strategies in response.

Working in the Facilities Management sector is never boring. I have been working in the sector for almost two years, and within this time the amount the sector has developed is remarkable. The skill-set demanded from clients for the same roles I was working in the past has changed dramatically, and I am sure this will continue to do so in the months and years to come.

World FM Day is a great tradition the sector has created to recognise developments in the industry, and the people within it. I am looking forward to seeing what the ‘Facilities Management’ sector will look like in the next two years!