People often ask "what's the difference between workplace management and Facilities Management". There are substantial differences.
Facilities Management as defined by Wikipedia is "the management of buildings, physical plant and services. The services are sometimes considered to be divided into 'hard services' and 'soft services.' Hard services includes such things as ensuring that a building's air conditioning is operating efficiently, reliably, safely and legally. Soft services includes such things as ensuring that the building is cleaned properly and regularly or monitoring the performance of contractors (e.g. builders, electricians). The term 'facility management' is similar to 'property management' but often applied only to larger and/or commercial properties where the management and operation is more complex. Some or all of these aspects can be maintained by data-rich computer programs".
Advanced Workplace Management embraces much of the definition of Facilities Management, but is much more 'user' focused. Facilities Management tends to be more about the building and its infrastructure while Advanced Workplace Management is about focussing on improving professional and team performance by providing workplaces that help people and the organisation perform better. It is about making sure that the workplace is designed and managed on an ongoing basis with a single focus: to enable people and teams in doing their best work.
It embraces the idea that the workplace is the amalgam of the physical (space, desks, layout, ambience), the logical (IT hardware and software, printers, booking systems, telephony), the service (reception, concierge, cleaning, catering etc.) practices (the time, place, way, processes adopted for work) adopted by staff. It also recognises that the workplace may only in part be 'the office'. Other places for work such as the home, the road (mobile) or in other locations around the world.
Advanced Workplace Management differs from Facilities Management in that it is focussed on the operational AND the strategic aspects ie. Making sure that the workplace is evolved to meet the needs of the volatile business world our clients live in.
+44 (0)20 7743 7110
