Facilities @ Management

3.7 Workplace Evolution in Ireland and Beyond

Bernie Gorman

World events of the past few years have seen seismic shifts in how and where people work. We are in the midst of a workplace evolution with both challenges and opportunities for the built environment and in order to examine where we are headed we must first look to identify the drivers of change and how we use this to re-imagine the customer journey.

The economy, technology, society and the environment are all key drivers for change. The large-scale disruption and crisis that was the COVID-19 pandemic affected multiple drivers all at once and triggered a colossal change in facility management (FM). The pandemic response resulted in an overnight shutdown of offices and workplaces globally. Workers set up temporary workspaces in the home and businesses scrambled to get them the supplies needed. Demand for IT equipment and home office furniture outstripped supply. Access to global supply chains for goods and services was severely impacted.

Over time, workers advanced from the initial juggling of the multiple demands of working from home, childcare, home-schooling and family life to become organized and structured in a new way to support their new normal. Temporary home office setups evolved into more permanent, personal workspaces and with the daily commute a thing of the past workers eased into a new rhythm. Many offices, however, remained near empty or closed.

In terms of FM, this represents a challenge for companies, ...