SOCIAL - BLOG
18 MARCH 2019
BLOG FROM RORY MURPHY, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, VINCI FACILITIES
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY
Richard Edelman the CEO of Edelman
research who recently issued the 2019
trust barometer survey concluded
that “People have low confidence that
societal institutions will help them navigate
a turbulent world, so they are turning to a
critical relationship: their employer.” Edelmans
conclusion is that “The growth of social media
platforms fully shi ed people’s trust from a topdown
orientation to a horizontal one in favor of
peers or experts. Now we are seeing a further
reordering of trust to more local sources, with
‘My Employer’ emerging as the most trusted
entity, because the relationships that are closest
to us feel more controllable.”
We see this erosion of trust in the current
clamor for Facebook and other social media
providers to deal with fake news and explicit
content. We see this erosion of trust in the
inability of our governing bodies in this country
to deliver any tangible outcome from Brexit.
We see this erosion in the lack of belief that
business leaders generally to do the best for their
businesses and not just themselves. All these
ingredients produce a toxic mix where people
struggle to truly understand who they can trust.
So how do we respond within FM to allay
the fears of the thousands that work within
our industry and what is our responsibility
as employers? At Workplace Futures this year
there was certainly a more socially biased tone,
whereby we were treated to presentations
around responsible business practices, balanced
procurement, advances in the measurement of
Social value and the benefits of Social enterprises
to name just a few. People and communities have
come to the fore, our collective responsibility as
a sector to support both our teams and the wider
community within which they live and work is
now firmly within the FM psyche and would seem
to support Edelman’s hypothesis.
Running businesses that balance the
economic, social and environmental aspects of
everything they do to support their sustainable
long-term goals is no longer the stu of theory.
Businesses that blindly followed a path of growth
for growths sake at whatever cost in the pursuit
of ever reducing bottom line margins are now
having to take some very serious medicine. A
number of very high-profile businesses, despite
‘surviving ‘over the last few months will need a
generation of FM delivery to trade themselves out
of their liabilities.
What does responsibility mean in our sector
from the perspective of our business leaders? If
we address this from a stakeholder viewpoint;
our people expect us to run the operations in a
way that supports and nurtures their careers, our
teams expect business leaders to take a long-term
view and build sustainable and rewarding jobs for
all. Our teams want safe working environments
which are inclusive and respectful, while
receiving fair reward for the roles they undertake.
Edelman suggests that our people also rely
heavily on their employer to communicate clearly
and honestly. The Supply Chain who support our
operations expect fair payment practices, open
and transparent procurement activities. They
crave collaboration and want recognition for the
expertise and value they add.
The communities that we support and work
within, expect businesses to give something
back and to generate tangible and necessary
social value. They expect us to respect the
environments and give opportunities for local
employment and SME engagement. Our clients
expect businesses to take a responsible approach
to our obligations and ensure compliance
and safety are paramount. Customers expect
professionalism and demonstrable competency
and the ability to deliver against clearly defined
standards.
The final stakeholder can o en be
shareholders or parent company. This group
expects our leaders to be responsible about the
management and exposure to risk, the financial
and commercial valuation of our works, the
ethics, values and way in which the business
operates and delivers.
Business leaders need to create a culture of
responsibility and need to live and breathe the
values by which the business should operate.
They need to be set clear direction and standards
and most of all they need to understand
their responsibilities to deliver sustainable
performance. We all have a role to play in
rebuilding the trust that Edelman concludes is
sadly absent. It’s time we began to take those
responsibilities seriously.
Mark Catchlove @markcatchlove
Wellbeing is definitely not just about fresh
fruit, treadmill desks, table tennis tables
and standing desks. Although you might not
think that after attending the current talk I
am listening to.
CIBSE @CIBSE
As temperatures rise, are buildings being
designed with this in mind? Discover how
CIBSE weather datasets can be used to
design comfortable buildings for a changing
climate.
buff.ly/2BTTR2g
Dr Claire Horwell @claire_horwell
Interesting observations about masks
and other #PPE not fitting women
and other related gender #workplace
#healthandsafety issues. @BOHSworld
@OccHealthSafety @IOSH_tweets
David Emanuel @davidifm
At the @FM_Conference @ChrisMoriarty3
of @IWFM_UK explains that the institute is
an individual’s membership organisation
which represents the ‘profession’ and not
the ‘industry’, it does not represent the
corporates. Why do they have hundreds of
corporates paying them fees then?
RICS @RICSnews
World Built Environment Forum | The World
Development Report 2019: The Changing
Nature of #Work report studies how the
nature of work will change as the result of
technological advance. #WBEF #BEHour
http://bit.ly/2CByMt3
IWFM @IWFM_UK
Our annual Pay and Prospects Survey
has officially launched. Help us to
build a picture of the #workplace and
#facilitiesmanagement landscape today
and identify trends in pay and working
conditions in our profession. #GetInvolved
http://ow.ly/Mcq850kUZKM
Rory Murphy, Commercial Director, VINCI Facilities
ADVICE & OPINION
/2CByMt3
/Mcq850kUZKM