By taking a broad-based approach to change, Facilities Managers have it their power to transform the quality of working life in organisations.  They can ensure that people at work gain ever-increasing support from the environments in which they spend so much time.  The Impact on Organisation and Workplace Award aims to uncover working environments which in addition to being functional and desirable also make a positive contribution towards job satisfaction and people’s productivity.

DETERMINANTS OF ACTION

People’s activities and behaviour at work result from formal organisational demands, informal social needs and individual requirements for self-fulfilment.  It is by giving recognition to all these facets of organisational life that Facilities Managers can make a major contribution to the Organisation and Workplace.  Have these behavioural considerations remained at the forefront in defining a Rationale for Change?  To what extent have members of the organisation, at all levels, been involved in the process of information gathering and decision-making?  What were the organisational objectives in initiating a process of change?  Has the Facilities Management Team been an integral part of the change process from the outset?

PROJECT ORGANISATION AND BRIEF

Methods adopted in organising the project should be explained with particular importance given to the definition of a ‘brief’.  Has a balanced and accurate view of people’s needs been defined?  Have changing attitudes to management and the social climate in which people work received consideration?  Is a new location involved and, if so, how was it identified?  Has a Project Team been formed which enables key aspects of the planned changes to be communicated at all levels within the organisation?  How have key FM issues been conveyed to participating consultants eg. architects, service engineers, designers, quantity surveyors?

QUALITY, FLEXIBILITY AND COST

The process of procuring a new building or accomplishing a fit-out of existing premises can be complex: one of many forms of contract may be chosen.  But, for this Award, the judges give emphasis to the way quality has been balanced against cost.  For instance, how have various options been costed and assessed before commencing building or fit-out work?  To what extent has flexibility for change been built into the chosen scheme?  How has the final outcome been evaluated from a financial point of view – ie. by balancing initial project cost against on-going or long term savings and/or benefits?  Have on-going maintenance issues been given close consideration throughout the process of design and construction?   

SPACE PLANNING

Organisations have complex and variable styles of management influenced not only by formal work procedures but also by the way people work together informally.  Has a balance been achieved between the technical needs of groups of people working together and recognition of their social needs?  Do group layouts encourage interaction?  Does the physical configuration of on-floor work positions help the performance of tasks?  Have adequate provisions been made for meetings at the workplace and informal meetings within the group?  Have established space standards been re-applied or has a new stance been taken in defining space need?

SAFETY AND COMFORT

Entrants will need to show how requirements for safety and physical comfort have been met through the provision of adequate spatial and environmental conditions, which conform to appropriate building and health regulations. Does the internal environment  provide an integrated approach to lighting, acoustics and air temperature which gives members of the organisation a degree of control over their own surroundings?

But the focus of this Award is also directed towards people’s overall sense of well-being within the organisation. Do people experience a feeling of accomplishment and a sense of growth in the work they do?  Does the quality of furniture provided at the workplace adequately recognise people’s ergonomic needs and facilitate the tasks they perform?

DESIGN

It is in well-managed organisations, where people’s tasks are generally rewarding and provide a sense of achievement, that Facilities Management can contribute most.  In producing a greater sense satisfaction at the workplace, has design been used effectively as an instrument of organisational success?  Does the implemented design (ie the way materials, colour, form and features are combined to produce an overall ‘ambience’) reflect the organisation’s essential nature? In the knowledge that people’s needs become increasingly complex and conflicting, does the implemented design allow for the expression of individual differences?

SHARED FACILITIES

In planning shared spaces emphasis needs to be placed on the social networks which operate within them.  Much variety and stimulation within the building’s interior can be introduced by means of on-floor shared services and one-off communal facilities.  Does the provision of on-floor post/coffee/rest areas give opportunities for people to experience a ‘change of scene’?  What provisions exist for personal storage either at the workplace or within shared on-floor locations?  Apart from the provision of on-floor enclosed meeting areas, do opportunities exist for informal discussion and inter-group communication?  In addition to centralised catering facilities, is there also provision for on-floor vending?  Have spaces been made available for after-hours activities and social gatherings?  Clearly the list is endless and will be influenced largely by an organisation’s working style and the extent to which it adopts a ‘caring approach’ towards the welfare of its members?

PROJECT SUCCESS

The emphasis of this Award is on people; the key to a successful project is the extent to which each individual member has been made to feel that organisational objectives, achieved as a result of the project, are both significant and relevant to him or her.  It is this belief, which underpins all the questions raised in these guidelines.  But they are intended only as a prompt for entrants preparing a submission; for each entry there may be many other areas in which the processes of Facilities Management have made a positive Impact on the Organisation and Workplace.  Does the implemented working environment contribute to people’s ‘self-esteem’ and their ability to perform tasks creatively? Do work settings adequately support people’s use of skill and sense of responsibility?  Have organisational members gained a greater degree of job satisfaction?  Is evidence available (eg. through a post-occupancy evaluation) which proves that people’s productivity has increased as a direct result of implementing the project?