WASHINGTON, D.C.,, Jan. 29, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the leading global real estate organization, released their Global Facilities Management (FM) research report today, revealing how organizations can increase efficiency and productivity, and be better prepared for the workplace of the future
"How can we gain a competitive advantage?" is the question that businesses are looking to answer every day. FM initiatives have proven that when closely aligned with corporate strategy, they can provide some of the greatest cost-savings and heighten the competitive advantage of any organization.
Findings of the report, 'Raising the Bar: City Roundtables Report (Phase II)', commissioned by the RICS and to be launched today in Washington D. C., added to robust evidence that Facilities Management (FM) should be considered a strategic business function. The research demonstrates that Facilities Management is most effective when incorporated into the highest level of business planning, and is vital to boosting workplace productivity. The new report proves that FM is key to increasing profits across the industries and organizations of the 21st century.
Authored by the Occupiers Journal in partnership with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the report has revealed that Facilities Management is as much about efficiency as it is about workplace strategies: aligning IT, HR – the second largest line item on a typical organization's balance sheet -- and FM into corporate strategy is critical for optimizing the return on an organization's productivity. For example, the Internet has enabled employees to engage regularly in tele-work and virtual meetings, having huge implications on the delivery of optimal workspaces in the digital age.
Global organizations facing an era of rapid urbanization and increasing energy prices are realizing that facilities management must be understood as a business function in order to maximize performance. In this lies the huge growth in demand for sophisticated FM services.
James Ware, Ph.D., Global Research Director, the Occupiers Journal:
"Senior FM executives have been talking for years about the strategic FM impact of the workplace, yet the majority of heads of FM spend only about one day a week planning for the future. Too many of them are mired down by day-to-day crisis management. We need to develop organizational practices that enable us to clearly demonstrate the business impact of the decisions and strategies we deploy."
Scott McMillan, Division Chief – Facilities, International Monetary Fund:
"Facilities Management is a strategic function that helps to significantly increase productivity and overall efficiency of an organization. The research report 'Raising the Bar: City Roundtables Report (Phase II)' demonstrates that there is massive opportunity to build on the capabilities, knowledge and skills of those in the FM field. By being part of this project, it demonstrates our commitment in helping to improve and innovate across the FM industry worldwide."
Neil Shah, Managing Director of RICS in the Americas:
"RICS' "Raising the Bar" research is groundbreaking in that it raises the profile of Facilities Management from pure execution of tasks, to being able to drive property life cycle costs strategically. It gives the Facilities Manager a seat in the boardroom, instead of the backroom, and brings to the forefront his or her capacity to drive return on property assets."
Notes for editors:
A copy of the 'Raising the Bar: City Roundtables Report (Phase II)' can be accessed here: www.rics.org/uk/research
The report summarizes the ensuing conversations in each of the cities where a RICS roundtable was held in 2013, followed by a summary comparison looking across all twelve roundtables. The report also offers the author's own interpretations and recommendations for moving forward.
Location of city roundtables:
Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Chicago, United States; Guangzhou, China; Hong Kong, Hong Kong; London, United Kingdom; Los Angeles, United States; New York City, United States; Singapore, Singapore; São Paolo, Brazil; Sydney, Australia; Washington D. C., United States; Zurich, Switzerland.
About RICS
RICS is the world's leading qualification when it comes to professional standards in land, property and construction.
In a world where more and more people, governments, banks and commercial organizations demand greater certainty of professional standards and ethics, attaining RICS status is the recognized mark of property professionalism.
Over 100 000 property professionals working in the major established and emerging economies of the world have already recognized the importance of securing RICS status by becoming members.
RICS is an independent professional body originally established in the UK by Royal Charter. Since 1868, RICS has been committed to setting and upholding the highest standards of excellence and integrity – providing impartial, authoritative advice on key issues affecting businesses and society. RICS is a regulator of both its individual members and firms enabling it to maintain the highest standards and providing the basis for unparalleled client confidence in the sector.
About the Occupiers Journal
Authors of the report 'Raising the Bar: City Roundtables Report (Phase II)' were James Ware, PhD, and Paul Carder of the Occupiers Journal Ltd.
Occupiers Journal Limited (OJL) is a global learning and development organization with offices in London, San Francisco, and Hong Kong along with a network of regional partners on five continents. OJL serves real estate and facilities management (FM) "end users" and service providers, with whom OJL engages and cross-shares data, knowledge, experience, and case studies in a confidential environment. OJL publishes the management journal Work & Place, and conducts global research studies aimed at improving and enhancing the FM profession.