Hybrid FM: An Everchanging Landscape- By Boaz Keidar, CEO, ServicesApp

With over 30 years of experience in the Facilities and Property Management space, we have

learned to adapt to the everchanging tides. Yet, the “new normal” of remote and hybrid work

environments accelerated by Covid-19 has been the most drastic adjustment for many

organizations, posing unique challenges to an already complex space that is often riddled with

inefficiencies.

Landlords, IFM providers and tenants are responsible for maintaining safe, efficient, and costeffective operations while navigating a myriad of complexities. They often deal with multiple

sites, locations, and disparate compliance requirements. Many of the management tools on the

market are outdated, leading to insufficient communication with end-users and serviceproviders, a lack of visibility into facility operations, inefficient use of resources, and difficulty

monitoring service agreements with vendors.

Not to mention a demand for an enhanced user experience. Organizations are expected to

provide end-users (employees, residents) with a powerful technology to improve

workplace/residential/academic experience.

Now, Real Estate teams, Facilities/Property Management, HR, and IT teams are faced with not

only the “classic” challenges posed by managing one of the most complex aspects of operational

budgets, but with a set of new challenges brought on by remote work.

More than two years into the Covid 19 pandemic, research suggests that hybrid work is here to

stay. Not only do employees desire hybrid work environments – with 73% reporting they are

interested in maintaining flexible work options post-pandemic in a recent Microsoft survey – but

research also suggests that many employees are actually more efficient when allowed to work

from home.

Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford University economics professor who has studied remote work since

2004 recently shared with Microsoft his perspective on hybrid work – opportunities are abundant

for companies and executives who embrace flexibility and think creatively. According to Bloom,

tapping into these opportunities requires the use of technology that enablesremote and hybrid

work.

So, what kind of technology should organizations utilize to support the “new normal”?

We know that enabling hybrid work is an organization-wide effort and involves several

stakeholders – Real Estate teams, Facilities/Property Management, HR and IT teams. This means

that the technology used should serve all stakeholders, with a focus on streamlined processes

and integrated systems, resulting in harmonized data and better visibility of data and analytics.