MSc Digital Innovation in Built Asset Management
Management Concepts for Facilities (BID10006) Assignment 2020/21
You are the Head of Facilities & Asset Management for Blue Horizons Ltd (BHL). BHL is a Small/Medium Enterprise (SME) fintech company operating in a central city location, leasing 4 floors of an office block, over a 5-year period. The office lease has 3 more years to run with an option to extend or terminate within the next 12 months.
The purpose of BHL, (the company) is to provide international customers with direct online banking services, utilising a smartphone app with a 24 hour, 7 days a week customer support service division. The company mission statement is “We’re changing the way people send money abroad. We’re taking something complicated and making it simple”.
A large open plan customer service call centre located on the 2nd floor is available 24 hours per day seven days a week, to support the international on-line and telephone queries from customers.
The other floors of the leased offices include staffs undertaking corporate functions such as procurement, marketing, information Technology (IT) development and support, Finance and Human Resources, but these services are operating from Monday to Friday 8.00 to 18.00hr. There is a small, shared reception desk in the ground floor lobby.
The nature of how the organisation uses space within the office block has been changing for some time. Open plan offices with activity-based working within different zones had been the overarching design of the office floor plan. The last 12 months have been challenging for the company. The COVID 19 pandemic has meant the company has had to adapt its working practices with a mixture of staff working within the offices or working from home.
As the facilities management lead for the company, you have played an integral role in helping the organisation to be agile in developing short term solutions to enable the business to continue. BHL are keen to get back to operating normally but appreciate that COVID19 has had a big influence on what the future workspace may look like and how to return staff back to the office safely.
BHL ask that you, as the facilities management lead for the company, develop a 2500-word report to the BHL Board with a recommended strategy on what the BHL workplace could look like in the future. The strategy will need to set out clear recommendations on how the building can be adapted and managed to enable BHL to maximise their asset. The report should set out how facilities management proposes to safeguard the building
and protect, as far as possible, those who work or visit the building. The use of digital
technology as an enabler to support these recommendations would fit in well with the
business image as an innovative company.
Retention of staff is important to BHL therefore the strategy will need to include wellbeing
ideas to create a pleasant working environment to attract and keep staff. The company is
also conscience of its commitment to sustainability, and any initiatives would need to be
environmentally sustainable and support the business corporate social responsibility
aims.
The report to the Board should demonstrate a good understanding of the relationship
between organisational functions and facilities management, the role and
responsibilities of facilities managers, the relationship between facilities management
and organisational performance, the management of space and accommodation with
regards to staff health, safety and wellbeing.
You should make such other assumptions as are necessary to effectively address the
brief.
You are limited to 2500 words. The assignment should be in a board report format and the
work should be fully referenced using the Harvard referencing system.