‘Standing tall beyond the pandemic and fulfilling the workplace opportunity’: CEO Linda Hausmanis’ statement for World FM Day 2021

News

In late 2018, we rebranded as IWFM and set out to foster a better understanding of the value that workplace and facilities management professionals can contribute to the success of organisations. Just eighteen months later, the world faced an unprecedented crisis which would showcase our profession’s strengths and underline its importance to organisations and the economy.

When infections rose and the strain mounted, you kept buildings safe, clean and operational.

When offices closed, you helped millions make successful transitions to home-working and maintained the buildings they left behind.

Now that we are on the roadmap out of lockdown, you are playing your next major role: helping organisations to shift to hybrid working and preparing buildings for people to return to safely.

Throughout all of this and despite the profound pressures you have faced, many of you have also continued your professional development journeys and engaged with our resources to support you through the crisis.

I am left speechless by the resilience and professionalism you have shown. You have proven yourselves indispensable and I am immensely proud to be associated with this profession.

It may not have been achieved in the manner anticipated, but you are fulfilling the workplace opportunity for the facilities management profession.

The coming year is your chance to cement your positions as drivers for and facilitators of change; change that will be key critical to ensuring we all emerge from the crisis safe, healthy, productive and prosperous; change that helps millions of people live and work better; change that intensifies and expedites progress on the sustainability agenda.

Stand tall this World FM Day, celebrate your successes and we will continue to stand with you as we all take our next steps towards a better future.

Linda Hausmanis
Chief Executive, IWFM