FM has a significant impact on improving quality of life in the workplace, according to new research from Sodexo and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) published on World FM Day.

The survey of international FM professionals sought to uncover attitudes of those working in the field, revealing how FM is increasingly becoming a strategic management discipline crucial in helping increase organisations’ productivity and wellbeing.*

The majority of those questioned (61%) said that improving the workplace environment and employee well-being would have a high impact on their organisation over the next two years. Improving workplace environment and services can enhance social interactions among colleagues (cited by 30% of respondents), improve ease and efficiency in daily tasks (22%) and promote a positive impact on health and wellbeing (22%). These are among the dimensions of quality of life identified by Sodexo, which the Group’s services can impact.

The marketplace is also continuing to move towards integrated facilities management (IFM) in the opinion of those surveyed, with nearly one third planning to integrate their service outsourcing in future, while almost half already use an integrated or bundled strategy.

According to survey respondents, the most important advantages of integrated or bundled outsourcing are cost efficiencies (75%) and the creation of a single point of contact for clients (68%), which simplifies supply chain administration and avoids duplication of management systems.

The research also examined trends in facilities management services themselves, showing that cleaning, maintenance and security are the most outsourced services.

Satya Menard, CEO of Service Operations worldwide for Sodexo, said: “We are delighted to have commissioned this research and to publish it on World FM Day. The findings highlight the fact that many companies are moving to implement robust industry standards and best practice in their FM planning strategies. More and more, clients are looking for IFM partners who can provide a workplace environment where employees feel engaged, safe, healthy, happy and productive – where their quality of life is a priority. This confirms what we see every day around the world with our clients.”

Paul Bagust, director, Facilities Management Professional Group at RICS, said, “This research presents some highly interesting findings for us, particularly for the future of FM and its relevance on a global scale. As the findings show, businesses planning their outsourcing – an integral area of FM – are increasingly placing the importance on the quality of the services they procure over cost reduction. The research also shows that staff wellbeing is also an important factor for many FM professionals as a way of improving overall productivity in their organisation.”

This research builds on the recent Sodexo – Harris Interactive survey, “How Leaders Value Quality of Life,” a global survey of 780 leaders from corporate, healthcare and educational institutions. The survey revealed 66% of the top managers are totally convinced that improving quality of life is a strategic priority for their institutions. 86% of those questioned had implemented at least three specific quality of life initiatives.

Sodexo, with Harris Interactive, also carried out a survey with 1,000 students in five countries to compare the views of current leaders with potential future leaders. Sixty-nine per cent of high potential millennials totally agree that improving quality of life will have an important impact on the performance of their future organization, versus 57 per cent of current leaders. Next generation leaders ranked quality of life as the number one driver of performance for organizations, while current leaders ranked it fifth.

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