Post COVID19,
the new normal
Many organisations are trying to figure out how they can get their workforce back in their buildings, safely and with a good sense of security for the occupants.
Covid-19: your back to work strategy
The immediate impact of this pandemic on property and facilities was to increase the focus on occupant well-being, changing the way we safely occupy space and increasing support for remote working. Most organisations are now also debating how their business strategy will change as a result of disruption to markets, customers and employees. Many consider the impact on their property portfolios and the services needed to support their businesses going forward.
We are already seeing organisations looking to radically change portfolios re-structure facilities contracts while increasing the use of workplace technologies.
We anticipate that as the world economy stabilises and recovers from the impact of Covid-19 that these trends will accelerate.
Ripper Associates can help organisations evaluate options and implement an efficient, effective, safe estate that supports their business for the future.
Property and Workplace
- Back to office strategy
- The most cost effective, business efficient portfolio mix
- Strategies to smooth demand and optimise footprints
Facilities Management
- Commercial arrangements to deliver safe services
- Future services for changing portfolio mix
- Address legacy disputes arising from lockdown
Occupant Wellbeing
- Impact of home working on employees
- Back to the office support
- Changes to building systems and FM services
Supporting Technologies
- Workplace technologies to support safe efficient working
- Workplace technologies to assess changing work patterns
- Technologies to ensure compliance
Post Covid-19
Covid 19 Property and FM Planning had three main phases that required a property and facilities response:
- Phase 1: Lock down and safe working for essential workers
- Phase 2: Phased introduction of a “new normal” working
- Phase 3: Implement long term changes to property and FM solutions
Going forward Phase 3 will become increasingly important, ensuring organisations implement long term changes to property and FM solution.
For occupier clients, making sure that lessons learnt from both Phase 1 and Phase 2 are vital to long term planning. Depending on the sector, some organisations are currently discussing reducing portfolio requirements by up to 70% and radically changing how they use property. This will inevitably change the quantity of services required from the FM market and potentially change the economics of the sector.
Impact…
The impact of Covid-19 on individual organisations’ properties and Facilities Management will vary, but almost certainly will be affected by some or all of the following:
- Reduced budgets
- Uncertainty of future income
- Significant changes to the way the organisation works (impacting amount of property needed)
- Changes to FM specification and the way buildings are used and managed.
How we can help?
We can help organisations with:
- Developing and ensuring resilience
- Post Covid impact on an occupiers’ workplace and portfolio strategy, taking into account changing patterns of occupation including remote working.
- Covid wellbeing surveys and long term planning for remote working
- FM strategy incorporating long term changes to specification such as cleaning, catering, security and maintenance structural changes arising from Covid
- Defining the digital strategy and procuring the most appropriate technology solutions to support an increasingly changing business environment.
Solutions
To a large degree, a lot of the planning for Phases 1 and 2 should be well advanced although we can help organisations think through any of the following that need further development:
- Work out the maximum population you can allow into the building to maintain safe distancing and new rules on how people use desks, meeting rooms and how they move around the building
- Identify risks for example social distancing / high density pass points and ongoing assessment of the areas with the highest risk of contamination
- Prioritising and planning for major maintenance / life cycle projects considering the constraints and opportunities of new occupation rules
- Planning works to ensure statutory and other maintenance is undertaken to allow plant to be bought back into operation to support return to work occupancy and increased requirements for ventilation
- Determine what Project work has been completed or is no longer required
- Establishing new cleaning regime to ensure areas have been deep cleaned / disinfected and infection control is appropriate
- Goods-in and post processes ensure safe distribution
- Review and assess emergency procedures and first aid changes and ensure training plans are in place
- Determine if a catering facility is necessary with reduced occupancy and to what extent this is the case as you move into Phase 2
- Develop waste collection management plan
- Contract or financial changes required to reflect new service levels and performance management
- Furniture management plan
- Review business travel policy
- Remote working equipment and services and well being monitoring
- Communications to create a shared accountability and increase confidence potentially including training
£400M
FM Services
1M sqm
Property Strategies
£1bn
FM Reviews
1997
Established
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