Once a year, the global facilities management community comes together to celebrate the FM industry. World FM Day 2019 on 15 May last week was a celebration of Global ISO FM Standards and it acknowledged the milestone of creating the ISO 41000 series of Standards and Technical Reports focussed on the industry.
Stan Mitchell, Chair of ISO TC 267 Facility Management, with Key FM celebrating World FM Day 2019
“Developing ISO Standards is a massive game changer for our industry,” said Duncan Waddell, Chairman of Global FM, the organisation which founded World FM Day. “These standards represent a significant step forward in the standardisation of FM management professional practices internationally.”
Facilities Management is a US$1.15 trillion global industry, with 65,000 professional and industry participants worldwide and World FM Day allows these professionals to celebrate the significant contribution that FM makes to the global economy.
But once the publicity around World FM Day has calmed down how do FM professionals around the globe keep the momentum going throughout the year? How can we ensure we continue to recognise the vital contribution that facilities management professionals make to business worldwide from health and safety and productivity to the well-being of people who utilise the built environment?
With this in mind a report published by the IFMA to celebrate World FM Day asks 11 FM professionals globally to explore the opportunities and threats facing FM today.
On the one hand outsourcing and integration of FM services as a business model has been open to criticism but at the same time, many people outside of the FM profession have woken up to the importance that a pleasant workplace has on productivity. This talent agenda is bringing new interest into that “wellness” aspect of the profession.
Here are some of the highlights from around the world:
Bulgaria, Petar Tashev, Editor-in-chief of Facilities Magazine
“Our main challenge, though, is to market FM better in order for potential clients to understand what is FM for – not saving money, but increasing the wellbeing of the people inside the buildings.”
Sweden, Helena Ohlsson Skjeld, Director of Services, Scania Region
“Another challenge is competence. The universities here have tried to develop education and training but most people in leading roles in FM come from other sectors. How do you train someone to handle such a broad and complex role?”
Nigeria, Adejumoke Akure, Partner, Estatelinks Ltd
“International standards are at the very heart of the success of cross-border FM. Defined and measurable standards give clarity to operations and relationships as well as provide the ground that activities can be built on without ambiguity but with a caveat! Local culture must be clearly addressed so standards and its continuous improvement can be successful.” Source: IFMA, World FM 2019 Day Report
The full report makes interesting reading, download it directly from the IFMA.
From our in-house ISO expertise, our Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with The University of the West of Scotland to our inherent belief running through everything that we do that buildings are about the people that use them, speak to us today about how Key FM is tackling both the threats and opportunities covered in this report.
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