Between July and September 2020, as organisations worked out how and when to bring people back to the office, Peter Forshaw spoke with facilities, workplace and property leaders for our Revitalisation of the Workplace interview series. Those conversations are collected here in one place, each with its original video.
They are a record of how FM leaders were thinking at the time: about the purpose of the office, business continuity, wellbeing and the profession's place in decisions about where and how people work.
FM Expert Interview: Beth Goodyear Interviews Peter Forshaw
Peter Forshaw, Managing Director of Maxwell Stephens Recruitment, was recently interviewed to share his expertise. Beth Goodyear, owner of FMHS Consulting, got in touch with Peter as part of FMHS's 'FM Expert' series, to share his insight on the FM market with some practical tips on how to secure your next role.
Having recruited exclusively in Facilities Management since 2006, Peter's view of the market draws on conversations with candidates and employers across the sector rather than any single organisation's experience, the kind of insight Beth's 'FM Expert' series is designed to surface.
Topics covered in this interview include:
- The current state of the FM market
- Practical tips for securing your next role in Facilities Management
Watch the interview below:
The New Workplace: Jason Gurd on the Evolution of the Office
Discover what the Facilities Management community needs to be doing now, an open discussion with Jason Gurd, covering the purpose of the office, Business Continuity Planning (BCP), whether a return to the workplace makes sense at all, and the opportunity created by this fast-moving, dynamic period.
Jason's discussion touches on some of the most practical questions FM teams were grappling with at the time, not abstract predictions about the future of work, but the operational decisions that had to be made regardless of how that future turned out.
Topics covered in this conversation include:
- The purpose of the office in a changed working environment
- Business Continuity Planning (BCP)
- Whether, and how, to return to the workplace
- Innovation and opportunity in a fast-moving, dynamic world
How Do We Move Forward? Nick Brook on the Future of the Workplace
A chat between Peter Forshaw and Nick Brook about how the Facilities Management industry can help the UK get back to where it was, or towards a new future. Can we survive remotely? Do we even want to?
These were live, unresolved questions across the profession at the time this conversation took place, and Nick and Peter work through them without assuming there's a single right answer, useful listening for anyone in FM weighing up the same trade-offs in their own organisation.
Topics covered in this conversation include:
- Whether the Facilities Management industry can help the UK return to how things were, or move towards something new
- Whether organisations can genuinely survive working remotely long-term
- Whether remote working is even the right goal to aim for
A chat with Will Easton
Peter Forshaw recently spoke with Will Easton, Head of Workplace for One Eighty Group, to discuss the role of the workplace moving forward and the FM professional's role within it.
Will's perspective as Head of Workplace gives him a specific view on how the function is expected to evolve, not just managing space, but shaping how organisations use it as working patterns continue to change.
Topics discussed in this conversation include:
- The changing role of the workplace as working patterns evolve
- What this means for the FM professional's role going forward
A conversation with Andrew Brown
An informative discussion with Andrew Brown, UK Facilities Manager for Amtrust International. We discuss Andrew's experience of Covid-19, when and how to return to the office, and what the future of Workplace and Facilities Management will look like.
As part of the Facilities Management team responsible for Amtrust's UK operations, Andrew was directly involved in deciding when and how staff could safely return to shared office space, one of the most consequential decisions many FM leaders had to make during this period.
Topics covered in this conversation include:
- Andrew's experience of managing through Covid-19
- When and how to bring people back to the office safely
- What the future of Workplace and Facilities Management could look like
A discussion with David Emanuel
As part of our 'Revitalisation of the Workplace' series of interviews, Peter Forshaw recently caught up with the Managing Director of i-FM.net, David Emanuel.
i-FM.net has been a fixture of Facilities Management news and comment for years, which gives David a broad, sector-wide vantage point on how FM organisations actually responded to the pandemic, rather than the view from any single building or company.
Amongst numerous topics, David shares his insights and opinions on:
- How the FM industry, sector and professionals within it have been affected by the pandemic
- The need for effective leadership during challenging times
- Why a flexible approach is vital for the continued revitalisation of the workplace
Carley Bright on Community and Unique Spaces at 245 Hammersmith Road
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Carley Bright to discuss the impact she has made in her short time as General Manager of 245 Hammersmith Road. In this video we discuss some of the amazing things Carley and her team have done to engage with their local community, from hosting graduation picnics to volunteering with local charities, as part of their aim to be part of the local community rather than just another office space in London.
Carley was also kind enough to take us on a quick tour of some of the building's more unusual spaces, a reminder that community engagement and creative use of space can matter just as much to a building's success as its core FM services.
Topics covered in this conversation include:
- Community engagement initiatives at 245 Hammersmith Road
- Working with local charities and hosting community events
- A tour of some of the building's more unusual spaces
Watch the video and take a look for yourself.
Adelphine Williams on Helping FM Inform Key Business Decisions
I was recently lucky enough to speak with Adelphine Williams, Senior Facilities Manager for Informa, as part of our 'Revitalisation of the Workplace' series of interviews.
Adelphine's role put her at the centre of some of the most sensitive workplace decisions organisations faced during this period, from how to bring employees back safely to whether wider social movements should shape internal policy. Her perspective reflects the growing expectation on FM professionals to advise on far more than the physical building.
Topics discussed include:
- The person-centric approach taken to reintroduce employees to the workplace
- The challenges and opportunities that have arisen in recent times
- Whether the re-emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement prompted any policy changes
- The developing role of FM professionals as they adapt to new ways of working
- The potential evolution of the workplace
Mark Haynes on Thinking Differently About the Future of Work
I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Mark Haynes, the "Chief Common Sense Person" for workspace. During our conversation Mark shares his unique insight on a range of topics including what he describes as the 'porous future of work', the developing opportunities to utilise commercial and non-commercial workspaces, and the potential evolution of the facilities industry and the professionals operating within it.
Mark's framing of a more porous, blended future for workspace runs against the assumption that offices and homes are separate, competing categories. It's a useful conversation for anyone in FM thinking about how flexible and shared space might reshape the profession over the next few years.
Topics covered in this conversation include:
- The 'porous future of work' and what it means in practice
- Opportunities to make better use of commercial and non-commercial workspaces
- How the facilities industry and its professionals may need to evolve
Tahera Hammond on the Emotional Connection Between People and Places
I was recently lucky enough to speak with Tahera Hammond MIWFM, Global Head of Facilities Management for Ninety One, as part of our 'Revitalisation of the Workplace' series of interviews.
Tahera's route into Facilities Management, and her perspective on where the profession is heading, offers a useful reference point for anyone considering their own path into FM or weighing up where the sector goes next.
Topics discussed include:
- How Tahera progressed to her current role in Facilities Management
- The challenges and opportunities that have arisen in recent times
- Tips for new entrants coming into the sector
- The large-scale project Tahera has completed
- The future of the industry, including new ways of working and the evolving workplace
Neil Marshall: FM Now Is About Supporting People, Not Buildings
I recently had a chat with Neil Marshall, Workplace Psychologist and Workplace Design, Construction and Moves Programme Director for British Red Cross. In this interview Neil shares his passion and insight into the link between human psychology and behaviour, and the workplace. In addition we discuss some of the great projects and successes he has been involved with at British Red Cross.
Neil's background brings a different lens to Facilities Management than most FM interviews on this site. Rather than starting from compliance, cost or maintenance, he starts from how people actually behave in the spaces built for them, a shift from managing buildings to understanding the people inside them that many in the profession have been grappling with as workplace expectations have changed.
Topics covered in this conversation include:
- The relationship between psychology, behaviour and workplace design
- Projects Neil has led at British Red Cross
- What it means to design a workplace around people rather than buildings alone
Matt Hearn on Turning Crisis into Opportunity at Brookfield Properties
I recently spoke with Matt Hearn, Director of Operations for Brookfield Properties. In this interview Matt discusses his experience of working through lockdown, including the numerous projects he has been involved in, in addition to implementing extensive safety measures throughout their properties. Matt also shares his point of view on the 'end of the office' narrative that has arisen during recent months.
Keeping large commercial properties operational and safe through extended periods of lockdown created challenges most Facilities and Operations teams had never faced before, from managing reduced on-site staffing to introducing new safety protocols almost overnight. Matt's experience at Brookfield Properties offers a useful window into how a large operator actually managed that period, and where he stands on whether the traditional office still has a future.
Topics covered in this conversation include:
- Managing operations and safety through an extended lockdown
- The projects Matt and his team delivered during this period
- Whether the 'end of the office' narrative reflects what he's actually seeing
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