5 Facilities Management Trends You Should Watch for in 2022

Some fields have seen significant changes in recent years since the influx of the hybrid and virtual workforce, facilities management is one of them. Did you know that the facilities management sector is set to increase at an almost 12% CAGR during the forecast period of 2021-2026? Or that by utilizing FM technology, organizations save an average of 5% reduction in the total cost of occupancy and 3.3% reduction in maintenance costs? As the facilities management sector grows, it’s our job to help our customers stay ahead of the curve. Whether you’re a long-time customer of SCLogic or are just considering your options for a more comprehensive facility operations software solution, we’re here to help. Today, our team will be discussing some of the top expected facilities management trends for 2022 and how our software, Intra, can modernize your department. 

Trend 1: A Hybrid Workforce & Flexible Office Space

While this trend has been increasing since the pandemic in 2020, the hybrid workforce has only continued to grow. As offices return to somewhat of a normal workflow, one thing that will be a long-term adaption is the hybrid workforce. According to a study by the Stanford Institute of Economic Policy Research, 55% of people would prefer to divide their time in-office and at home, 25% want to work remotely full-time, and 20% want to work in-office full time. For facilities managers, adapting to this change with the help of operations software such as Intra can make the transition seamless and help your team thrive in a modern environment. 

Prior to the pandemic, generic office spaces had assigned seating or more stringent requirements for employees working in close quarters. This is set to change for the new year, and hot-desking is becoming the new normal. Hot desking refers to the concept of allowing employees to choose their office space each time they come into work. By utilizing Intra as an office manager, you can create customizable forms for employees to select seating, maintain oversight of where each employee is located, and set details for package delivery routes based on employee schedules. This alleviates unnecessary time spent looking for specific employees, promotes collaboration among teams, and keeps your office both functional and innovative as employees have an easier chance to communicate with one another amongst departments. 

Trend 2: Internal Push for Sustainability & Energy Efficiency

Another trend that has grown in recent years, 2022 will continue to see a push for sustainability and energy efficiency within your office or university space. Not only do organizations have to focus on setting a solid foundation for the next group of leaders to enter the workforce, but they also have to take proactive steps to reduce their carbon footprint so that sustainability is seamlessly integrated into their workplace strategy. Thankfully, implementing facilities management software such as Intra provides immense sustainability benefits, including reducing energy costs, improving reactive maintenance, and central receiving and delivery solutions to reduce your carbon footprint. 

Clear and transparent sustainability practices not only help the environment but set your organization or university apart from others. Potential customers, partners, new employees, and students will likely be more inclined to foster a relationship with your business if you have strong sustainability practices in place. This shows a long-term commitment to success outside of just financial gain and ultimately helps your team learn safe and efficient facilities management practices.

Trend 3: Improved Cybersecurity Measures

Unfortunately, as technology becomes more complex, hackers do too. While no business wants to think of their organization falling victim to a cybersecurity breach, you should always be proactive in protecting your team and customers as much as possible. That is why another significant trend for 2022 is the increase in security measures amongst a variety of industries, especially those that hold sensitive customer data, such as healthcare and government industries. If your team is working with outdated operations software, you also increase the likelihood of a breach due to dated gaps in your system. Thankfully, modern facilities management software, like Intra, is created with security at the forefront. 

With our development process, including Microsoft guidelines for secure coding, .NET framework security, and an Agile software development lifecycle (SDLC) model, adaptivity and collaboration allow for a configurable solution that solves your organization’s unique pain points while adjusting to security needs specific to your business. This way, you protect the information of your employees and customers, remain compliant, and can proceed in your daily workflows with confidence.

Trend 4: Consolidation of Workplace Technology

This trend may generally be overlooked but is something to watch for in the coming years amongst large-scale facilities and universities. So often, teams working with outdated solutions have adopted dozens of point solutions to solve specific problems in their business instead of investing in a comprehensive, full-service solution. Teams have become accustomed to using multiple pieces of technology, differing operating systems, logins, and protocols to complete the same task, resulting in a delay in task completion and an increased likelihood of human error. That is where the modern tech stack comes into play. 

 Now, this doesn’t mean that companies are going to get rid of every one of their point solutions and immediately adopt a single-solution facilities management platform, but this does mean that there will be a heavier focus in investing in systems that have extensive integration options, and slowly fading out unnecessary point solutions for many businesses. Thankfully, solutions such as Intra were created to be a one-stop-shop with a variety of integrations, including intelligent lockers, ERP systems, space management, and carrier integrations, to name a few. 

Trend 5: Data-Driven Decisions Gain Prominence

You’ll hear us say this repeatedly, but when it comes to long-term success for your business, data reigns supreme. When your team is using outdated software and point solutions, there is a limit to the information you can gather for future decision-making. When these are pulled from multiple sources, that data may not always align. In 2022 and beyond, comprehensive data metrics will become an integral part of business strategy for companies of all sizes. Even now, 7 in 10 leading marketers say their company uses data to support decision-making at all levels. With detailed data, leaders on your team can take a deep dive into identifying gaps that you have been working to close, as well as areas in which you have exceeded expectations.

 For facilities managers, this data isn’t just used to measure internal performance but customer preferences and trends, internal KPI goals, and SLA requirements with your partners. Whether you’re a central receiving manager measuring the delivery consistency of your partners or an office manager measuring employee workplace requests and completion times, you need a solution that prioritizes meaningful data capture. With Intra, we’ve built a completely configurable analytics dashboard into our software and work with your team over time to develop the metrics you want to monitor. The result? Improved insight into daily workflows for team leaders, clear identification of gaps and goals for decision-makers, and increased revenue by adopting a future-focused strategy that alleviates inefficiencies thanks to business intelligence.

See How SCLogic Helps Facilities Managers Modernize Their Workforce

With many emerging trends in facilities management, it can be difficult to feel like you’re staying ahead of the curve. As a manager, team leader, or decision-maker, it can seem as if there are endless options to improve your current workflows, and you may not know what you need. That’s where we come in to help. At SCLogic, we have the privilege of being a small-to-medium-sized business that can provide individualized customer service with our clients while having the experience of working with huge corporations. Merge these two things together, and you’re working with a team of caring, knowledgeable professionals who understand the needs of both small businesses and major conglomerates. Email [email protected] or schedule a demo with one of our team members today if you’re looking to modernize your facilities management solution. 

We look forward to hearing from you, and let’s finish this year strong!