Key Facility Management Trends in 2018: Community Management

In my previous post in this series on trends affecting facilities management (FM) professionals, I spotlighted how today’s employees work differently. One distinction is that they expect a higher level of service. This challenges organizations looking to recruit the best talent to offer an attractive workspace supported by customized services and leading edge digital technology

In this post I’ll highlight how, in addition to using the latest technology, another approach to help attract and meet the needs of today’s new breed of workers is to integrate what Canon refers to as a community management model into the company’s range of facility support services.

In our experience working with clients, workplace support services span such areas as mail, shipping and receiving; conference services; copy/print center support and records management activities. Typically a number of employees are dedicated and possibly cross-trained to oversee these and other services. However, a relatively new, alternative approach is taking hold. Instead of teams of employee running the mail center or records department, for example, Canon is helping organizations transition to a more centralized, high-level community management structure.

For example, Canon community managers are adept at knowing particular items, such as snacks and beverages, that employees like to have available in vending machines. Our community managers are also capable of coordinating transportation and facilitating leisure activities including exercise classes for employees at client sites. The key point is that community managers are not typical support staff assigned specifically to mailroom or copy center activities. Instead, these are highly compensated individuals with the skills needed to meet the needs of a new generation of workers. Consequently enterprises today are challenged to find and recruit the right individuals who have the talent and temperament to effectively communicate with and service its workforce.

In my next post I’ll spotlight how, in addition to providing a superior workspace and top quality services as well as considering a community management model in order to attract today’s best workers, facility managers face the perennial challenge of meeting such objectives while containing costs. Another way to put it: FM professionals are constantly asked to do more with less. In the meantime feel free to visit the Facilities and Logistics Management Services page of our website. There you will find additional insights on industry trends and best practices include case histories, whitepapers and more.