The importance of sustainability to facilities management organisations continues to be very high, according to the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management’s (IWFM) 2018 Sustainability Survey. This year’s survey had 242 respondents. Four in 10 are at managing director and senior management level – the people who hold the most
The ballot of members on the BIFM’s proposed name change to the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management has taken place, with those who voted deciding in favour of the proposal by a margin of three to one.The vote, which took place at the BIFM’s annual general meeting in Manchester’s
Leading manufacturer Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings is supporting a new initiative to raise the level of fire safety standards worldwide. The International Fire Safety Standards (IFSS) Coalition – led by a range of professional bodies worldwide – aims to develop a set of common high-level standards to address fire
Facilities Scotland, the only event dedicated to the Scottish FM and workplace industry, has today announced a host of senior leaders from the UK’s FM and workplace industry who will be taking part in the Facilities Scotland conference programme when the show returns to the SEC, Glasgow on the 12 –
The specialist recruitment company, Hays has formed a collaboration with the BIFM after hosting a series of talks at the BIFM Careers Zone which took place as part of the Facilities Show 2017. The collaboration that has been formed between the two companies have released an extensive guide designed to
The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) has announced its next Chairman as Stephen Roots. Roots currently works at AA Projects as Divisional Director FM and Health & Safety and will start his new role at the institute on January 1 next year, succeeding current Chairman Julie Kortens. Meanwhile, Ashleigh
Most recently, BIFM has announced the realise of its annual sustainability survey, servings as a means to observe the ways in which FM professionals and organisations are working, most specifically looking at their engagement with the agenda for sustainability. Created in conjunction with BIFM’s sustainability special interest group, the survey
The importance of sustainability to facilities management organisations continues to be very high, according to the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management’s (IWFM) 2018 Sustainability Survey. This year’s survey had 242 respondents. Four in 10 are at managing director and senior management level – the people who hold the most authority to promote the sustainability agenda. Of those surveyed, 31 per cent of respondents said it was extremely important; 35 per cent said it was very important; and 23 per cent said it was important. In total, 89 per cent rated sustainability as at least important – and only 11 per cent as not or not very important. To further underline sustainability’s importance to FM organisations, 71 per cent commented that governance support of sustainability in procurement activities is viewed as either extremely important (13 per cent), very important (27 per cent), or important (31 cent). In the past year 20 per cent of FMs have noted a considerable increase in the number of tenders with sustainability criteria; 42 per cent noticed there’s been some increase; and 38 per cent said there has been no change. Environmental considerations dominate the sustainability criteria on tender forms, with 48 per cent of respondents reporting these as the most frequent criteria. Just over a quarter (26 per cent) of respondents claimed tenders embrace equally a range of sustainability aspects with none given precedence. These aspects are: local economic considerations (16 per cent); social value (8 per cent); and ‘others’, which includes a mixture of sustainability, diversity and pay equality and environmental and economic (2 per cent). The importance of finding new approaches to sustainability is underlined by the latest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which highlights once again the need for businesses to take urgent action to combat rising global temperatures.
The ballot of members on the BIFM’s proposed name change to the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management has taken place, with those who voted deciding in favour of the proposal by a margin of three to one.The vote, which took place at the BIFM’s annual general meeting in Manchester’s Friends’ Meeting House, was taken as a special resolution; 75 per cent of those who voted opted to support the institute’s manifesto for change, comprising the name change and the move to pursue chartered status. BIFM has called the name change a “springboard” to help “reposition FM and raise the profile of the profession”. During the four-month campaign in support of the proposals, the institute made clear that it would continue to understand and share its members’ pride in their work and status as facilities managers – “and your unwillingness to throw away the history of professional endeavour which that evokes”. Taking advantage of the ‘workplace differentiator’ would, it said, help to “improve your status as a facilities manager”. The chairman of BIFM has responded to members voting at July’s AGM in favour of a special resolution to become the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management. Stephen Roots told members that in voting for the new name, “you have also approved the direction we have set out for the next phase of our proud and progressive professional body”. The institute’s chief executive, Linda Hausmanis, (right) said that the IWFM “will be the professional body for the facilities and workplace profession – working to advance the profession representing those who contribute to workplace productivity and to operating and optimising our built environment”. During the campaign, BIFM had outlined its vision as being “the pioneering facilities and workplace management institution; the catalyst driving change for the future workforce; and the definitive voice enabling people to transform their organisations and their environments, inspiring and creating productivity and performance”. Commenting immediately after the vote at Manchester’s Friends Meeting House, Roots said: “This Special Resolution, quite rightly, required a high level of support to succeed. I want to say to everybody, whether you supported the name change proposal or not, that the board and I are absolutely committed to shaping an inclusive organisation that is fully committed to advancing the FM profession. “The Institute has a role in helping to reset expectations and forge ahead with making workplace and facilities management a career of choice for the coming generation. This mandate means we can really grasp the opportunity presented by the leading-edge associations of workplace to reposition what FMs do. “What we will now do, both in name and in deed, is to reframe expectations of the FM role, adding to it without taking anything away – and that includes our Britishness. “We are changing our name, not our geographical focus, but we do acknowledge that many of our members, including those overseas, have broader outlooks and we will continue to work closely with them as we have done for many years. “We have been preparing the ground for some time to strengthen our foundations and fit ourselves for a future of sustained development. “Our plans to refresh our brand and systems are already in progress and now that you have decided, we will adopt our new name and our new look before the end of the year.”It is expected that the new institute title will be adopted in November of this year. 1. How does all of this affect me? In summary, we aim to reposition FM as a workplace ‘interconnector’ enabling high-performing workplaces, and underlining the value, rather than the cost, of the function. By raising BIFM’s profile and the contribution of its members, we will start to produce information and tools to help members improve their personal status and skills and raise the profile of Workplace and FM more generally. During a period of transition, there will be no change to a member’s post-nominals: ABIFM, MBIFM, CBIFM or FBIFM will remain in use. We will communicate a timeline for the transition to IWFM and after that time a member’s post-nominals will change to e.g. AIWFM, MIWFM, CIWFM and FIWFM. We will communicate new post-nominals to each member at the appropriate time. In line with our pledge to minimise cost, we will send out new certificates as members renew their membership. For those working towards a BIFM qualification the title of their award will depend on the timing of their achievement in relation to the name change. The content and status of the qualification will not change, but once we become the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management on 12 November, qualifications will be named and certificates presented in the new company livery. For example, if you achieve your qualification before 12 November a BIFM Level 4 Diploma in Facilities Management certificate will be issued by BIFM; if you achieve after that date both the qualification and the certificate will be IWFM Level 4 Diploma in Facilities Management. Over time we’ll work to include essential workplace elements within the FM professional standards and they will become The Workplace and FM Professional Standards. Qualifications will be reviewed in 2019, which may result in a revised qualifications suite, but the structures and formats of the existing ones remain valid. Learners who complete their BIFM qualification before November will receive a BIFM-branded certificate. Learners who complete their qualification after November will receive an IWFM-branded certificate. We will announce a detailed timetable of any changes in due course. 2. When will the name actually change? We will become the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management on 12 November 2018. 3. How else will the institute change because of this vote? Things have already changed; we’ve upped our game on policy and research, improved our governance structure and strengthened the team; we’ve process engineered our internal systems to become more customer-focused and are working to develop new member benefits. This is helping us create a framework for ever greater support for FM professionals, not only in terms
Leading manufacturer Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings is supporting a new initiative to raise the level of fire safety standards worldwide. The International Fire Safety Standards (IFSS) Coalition – led by a range of professional bodies worldwide – aims to develop a set of common high-level standards to address fire safety in buildings. Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings endorses the aim to set and reinforce the minimum requirements professionals should follow to ensure building safety in the event of a fire. Bob Glendenning, global fire engineering manager for Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings, said: “We wholeheartedly support this initiative to improve the standards for fire safety across the board from design through the fire engineering process. With our own developments in technology and science, we are continually looking at ways of improving product specification to meet the most exacting of standards.” The IFSS Coalition says that as the property market has become increasingly international with investments extending across national borders, the sector still lacks a consistent set of high level global standards that informs the design, construction, and management of buildings to address the risks associated with fire safety. Once the standards are developed, the IFSS Coalition will work with professionals around the world to deliver them locally. The standards will be owned by the IFSS Coalition and not by any one organisation. The IFSS Coalition will create a Standards Setting Committee that will draw on a group of international technical fire experts to develop the details and ensure they are fit for purpose across global markets. Members of the IFSS Coalition include the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE), Local Authority Building Control (LABC), the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), the Singapore Institute of Building (SIBL), the Australian Property Institute (API), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and The World Bank. Sherwin-Williams has supplied its diverse range of fire protection coatings to a number of landmark construction and engineering projects including London’s The Shard, Azerbaijan’s Flame Towers, and the Leadenhall Building, known as The Cheesegrater.
Facilities Scotland, the only event dedicated to the Scottish FM and workplace industry, has today announced a host of senior leaders from the UK’s FM and workplace industry who will be taking part in the Facilities Scotland conference programme when the show returns to the SEC, Glasgow on the 12 – 13 September 2018. The programme will be delivered by leading voices and experts and feature a combination of panel discussions, keynote presentations and case study insights all curated under the theme ‘Building a Scottish FM Powerhouse’. The event comes at a time of great unrest in the UK’s FM industry and Western Business Exhibitions, organisers of Facilities Scotland, have promised sessions will showcase the very best of Scottish FM and give focus on the latest trends shaping the FM market in the region. In addition, these series of talks are specifically designed to give attendees vital information on the state of the FM industry today and help facilities managers enhance their CPD. Tim Else, Director, Western Business Exhibitions comments, “We wanted to design a programme that was pertinent for the FM community in 2018 and of real value to our attendees. The session topics will give members of the industry the opportunity to hear the views from the top and give FM’s visiting the show this opportunity to be part of the conversation. Never has there been a more urgent time for FM’s to get involved in their community and help shape the future of the industry.” SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Wednesday 12th September (Opening keynote session) Can Scottish FM plot a new value-driven path for the sector? A panel discussion featuring Mark Whittaker, business development manager at Integral UK (part of JLL) and Sandy McNaughton, BIFM Scotland chair: Facilities management can often feel like a sector in the doldrums – much of which is down to the constant flurry of negative outsourcing stories in the national press which of course are sometimes justified. Carillion’s collapse, for example, shined a light on areas in need of real reform including public sector procurement and the ‘race to the bottom’ that now pervades the outsourcing of facilities services. But good FM practice does exist. In fact, there are thousands of FM businesses and practitioners across the UK who are doing fantastic work, delivering real value for customers. From FM to workplace: What does this change mean for FM practitioners? Presented by Chris Hood, director of consulting EMEA, Advanced Workplace Associates: A growing movement of individuals and organisations within the FM profession recognise the effective role that facilities managers can play in the design and management of the workplace. Most recently, BIFM members voted to change the name of the 25-year-old membership body to the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management. This shift has huge implications for FM, as it evolves into a more strategic discipline. Chris Hood, director of consulting EMEA at Advanced Workplace Associates, discusses the growing significance of ‘workplace’ to the FM role and how practitioners should prepare for the changes ahead. Are existing FM service delivery models fit for purpose? A panel discussion featuring Sandy McNaughton, BIFM Scotland chair, Mike Floyd, managing director, Atalian Servest FM and Graham Box, managing director – Scotland, Sodexo: The FM market may soon need to develop new service delivery to meet a plethora of contemporary challenges. A panel of experts will discuss the merits of existing service delivery models, and what a new option could look like? Thursday 13th September How do international standards affect me? Presented by Stan Mitchell, CEO, Key FM and former chairman of BIFM: Developing international standards for FM is more important than ever. In an increasingly globalised world, it is now a must that the entire FM community uses the same language and terminology. Stan Mitchell, a past chairman of the BIFM and CEO of Key Facilities Management which is based in Scotland, will guide delegates through the new ISO 41001 Management Systems Standard (MSS). This benchmark standard will enable facilities managers and procurement professionals to assess whether an organisation is fit for purpose to deliver FM, and how that delivery should be structured. Learning & development in FM: What’s next? A panel discussion between Michael Kenny, soft services manager, FES FM, Fraser Talbot, head of professional development, BIFM and Jo Manifold, director of learning & development UK & Ireland, Sodexo The BIFM’s embrace of workplace management as a bona-fide discipline is just one of the factors switching the demands on facilities managers. These new challenges require up to date knowledge and skill sets. A panel of FM professionals and academics will debate the skills today’s facilities managers need to succeed and the steps necessary to become strategic leaders within their organisations.
The specialist recruitment company, Hays has formed a collaboration with the BIFM after hosting a series of talks at the BIFM Careers Zone which took place as part of the Facilities Show 2017. The collaboration that has been formed between the two companies have released an extensive guide designed to help those who are looking for a successful career within the facilities management sector. Both BIFM and Hays have worked together to create the guide as a resource that can be utilized as a part of the job hunting process and covers the basics such as setting out your CV to more detailed advice about how applications can then be tailored to a particular role in the Facilities Management sector. Another sector of the guide refers to how social media can be used for job searching as well as how they can have a negative impact on your job search. The guide focuses on recommending platforms that can be used to promote personal branding and the different ways of making sure that your social media can be used to showcase your skills and career interests. Also available in the Hays and BIFM guide is thorough advice for the interviewing process and how best to follow up afterwards. The Facilities Management field is diverse and offers a wide range of different job roles, the partnership between BIFM and Hays will hopefully promote this as well as the constantly changing nature of the sector in order to attract more people to start a career in this sector. The Guide: ‘ Finding a Job in Facilities Management; Your Guide to Success’ is available online and will aid people as they try and navigate the job hunting process during a period where demand is getting more and more fierce and the process of finding work at all is getting more and more complex.
The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) has announced its next Chairman as Stephen Roots. Roots currently works at AA Projects as Divisional Director FM and Health & Safety and will start his new role at the institute on January 1 next year, succeeding current Chairman Julie Kortens. Meanwhile, Ashleigh Brown will continue in her post as Deputy Chairman. One of the major developments during Kortens’ tenure has been the opening up of routes to the Board, part of the wider governance changes that were ratified at the 2016 AGM. Over the coming weeks there will be more information on this new nomination and selection process for non-Executive Director positions to the Board. Speaking on his election as the next Chairman at the October Board meeting, Stephen Roots, commented: “It was a huge honour to be voted as Chairman-Elect of BIFM and I look forward to taking up the post from January. Throughout my career in FM I have passionately supported and endorsed the role that the Institute has to play in representing the interests of the profession, raising standards and providing the educational framework and services for FM professionals to develop. “I have been actively involved with the BIFM for 12 years as a volunteer first within my region, and with the BIFM Board for 4 years and most recently as Deputy Chairman. Having worked closely with Julie and the Board, I am excited to be taking the helm to continue to build on these foundations and the strategy set by the Board, which is already starting to yield results and which I believe is the key to the future success of the Institute. “I also want to take this moment on behalf of the Board to thank Julie Kortens for all she has done for BIFM over her tenure. I have worked closely with Julie during this time and seen the hard work put in to direct, change and evolve the Institute to build its resilience and ability to grow into the future. Her continued support, guidance and counsel is invaluable, and I personally thank Julie for the support she has lent me in this transition.”
Most recently, BIFM has announced the realise of its annual sustainability survey, servings as a means to observe the ways in which FM professionals and organisations are working, most specifically looking at their engagement with the agenda for sustainability. Created in conjunction with BIFM’s sustainability special interest group, the survey effectively analyses the meaning of sustainability as interpreted and regarded by other businesses. Additionally, the survey also looks at which groups take the lead, the very nature of the role assumed by FM and how sustainability initiatives are both reported on and measured as a whole. This will signify the 10th year of the survey thus far, and this year will also see a comparison drawn between the statistics of today and those of over the last decade; effectively, not solely providing static data, but highlighting trends, changes and the evolution of how sustainability is handled over the last decade. Key areas being monitored include collaborative cross-functional working, innovation levels, the usage of both process and system, and the challenges being faced by the industry in developing the application of sustainability policy yet further. Of course, members of the FM community, including both individuals and businesses, are encouraged to participate in the survey so as best to gleam some valuable resource in the results. As highlighted by Peter Brogan, BIFM’s Research and Information Manager, it is those FM professionals themselves who are in a position whereby they can set the standard for models of sustainable practice as well as influence other businesses to also consider the sustainability agenda. Of course, highlighting the changing trends relative to sustainability may be the core goal of the survey, but it is also expected to paint something of a picture for the future of the FM sector and how the evolution of the sustainability agenda may change this.
