Forever Learning
As a seasoned, NYC-based Facilities Manager with 20 years’ experience, I generally have a “seen that, done that” perspective. Having been through 9/11, the 2003 Blackout, Midtown steam pipe explosions, bedbugs, and the 2020 Pandemic, I have seen, handled and learned a lot in my career. Even the most impactful and life-changing events have proven to be great learning experiences. However, some of the most impactful learning experiences simply come from time in the field. Experiencing how the world changes over time and how our colleagues manage those changes.
As an FM we have a front-row seat to see how corporate culture has translated to the use of space and how management addresses the needs and concerns of their team. While not as earth shattering or immediately impactful as my experiences above, the consistent experience of keeping up with culture shifts has been overwhelmingly positive and one of my favorite parts of my career.
Watching how physical environments have developed to support the needs of our people – enabling happiness, productivity and now inclusivity – has been a true perk of the job. In the mid-2000s there was a push by company leadership to keep employee productivity and comfort constantly in mind. Though not exactly overnight, the notion of “What can you do for us?” seemed to have flipped to “What can we do for you?” very quickly.
Google, Twitter and other corporate entities that I like to call “21st-Century Companies” began catering to the Millennials and Generation Y. This Gen Xer watched on with skepticism, then curiosity, before finally being fully supportive of the notion. One specific example that signaled the changing of the guard was when an employee asked for his workstation to be set up feng-shui style.
While I was immediately intrigued by this request, my expectation was that there was no way upper management was going to go for it. To my disbelief, and with just a bit more effort than normal, the changes were approved and implemented.
Other similar changes soon followed. High cubicle walls fell to open floor plans to improve productivity and communication among teams. Accent walls began appearing in offices and around the space. Free vending machines began to sprout; free lunches were offered; free gym memberships were provided to burn off those mid-day calories; and free yoga classes were offered to manage stress.
Inflexible workstations turned to height-adjustable desks and top-of-the-line ergonomic chairs. Finally, game rooms with arcade games, billiards, air hockey and foosball tables arriving became the norm. And now there are inklings of allowing dogs at work to provide employees “support.” This was to keep the new generation of employees’ needs and expectations in mind, while promoting a stronger, more community-minded workforce. When it came to attracting and retaining talent, space and culture was the name of the game.
Naturally inclusionary efforts became part of the cultural shift as companies continued making strides over the years to create a positive, all-inclusive working environment. Promoting minority and LGBTQ community initiatives was part of the conversation in my past but recently has gained traction in nearly all conversations as a positive result from the social unrest of 2020.
Most recently I have been met with the challenge of building new or modifying existing clinical space to accommodate non-binary locker rooms after a request from some of our clients. Currently most of our clinics have the traditional male/female locker rooms with matching restrooms. An internal team was quickly pulled together to examine how we can meet this request because accommodating all needs is our company policy.
I was asked to connect with local architects to review the current clinic space and develop solutions, including total costs, to meet this demand. What makes this request challenging is the fact that there is currently no industry standard driving this need (confirmed by many architects). While most everyone is working to accommodate the need, the level of experience with the challenge is simply limited.
Given the sensitivity of the topic, we are working closely with our legal team’s guidance, and that is a new and thought-provoking experience in itself. It’s an entirely new world for us, and we are eager to carefully meet the needs of the transgender population. So, while it is easy to define our understanding by the large events in one’s career, many learning experiences also are found in the many smaller undertakings. However, large or small, EVERY experience is a learning one.
Paul Haley, CFM, FMP, Facilities Manager at EHE Health, Professional Development Committee Member/ CFM Certified Instructor Candidate, Communications Committee Member
0 Comments