Citation
Finch, E. (2008), "Editorial", Facilities, Vol. 26 No. 5/6. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.2008.06926eaa.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Editorial
Article Type: Editorial From: Facilities, Volume 26, Issue 5/6.
Does facilities management have an image problem? Compare our industry to the architectural profession. The great and the good of architectural design readily spring to mind: Foster, Piano, Niemeyer, Meier and Ando are just a few such names. Each of them has made use of their celebrity status to espouse their views in various architectural debates. What of high profile facilities managers and their opinions? Unfortunately, such voices are rarely heard in the media. As a result, key opinions remain unheard on the subjects of building performance, building health, user behaviour and productivity.
One group that is trying to remedy this situation in the UK context is Action FM. This is a collaborative venture composed of corporate FMs, academics, FM recruitment organisations and FM Press. Their intention: to represent FM with a single voice. Areas of action include workplace productivity, sustainability, the London Olympics, employment conditions in the sector, corporate manslaughter and risk compliance as well as public services issues.
The group seeks to demonstrate the business benefits of facilities management covering direct tangible impacts that affect profitability as well as indirect benefits arising from improved workplace wellbeing.
Hopefully, the output from FM research such as that covered in Facilities can also have a significant impact worldwide: perhaps not with one voice, but at least through a collection of informed voices.
More details about ActionFM can be found at www.actionfm.org
Edward Finch