Wellness has quite quickly gone from being something one asks about almost automatically (and often with little interest in the answer) to a key concept in current management thinking.

Recent research looking at women in facilities management relayed the disappointing finding that half of FM businesses in the UK have no female representation at board level.

If organisations were to remove their commitments to recycling from annual reports, would they risk an adverse judgement? And how does this reflect on the role of waste management?

The concept of social value, and the notion that businesses should be striving to improve economic prosperity, is not a new thing. As a marketing professional, I have been developing these themes for some time now.

A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to lead the UK financial and professional services outsourcing business for one of the world’s largest technology companies. We worked with some of the biggest banks, law firms and advisory groups.

World-renowned business consultants McKinsey & Co tell us that facilities management is “ripe for disruption”. There’s some truth in that, for sure; but just how much truth depends on where you're standing.

When we work with clients on outsourcing projects, we’re often asked the same question: once my new provider is in place, how can I ensure they are delivering on everything agreed?

The only thing that is constant is change: perhaps a fair observation for the wider facilities management and contract service industry in 2019. So what are the main influencers and disruptors of the moment?

The facilities management industry has been a place that's good for everyone. The slow and steady growth seemed guaranteed, and there was a well-known operating model for how to win. But the good times are over.

Active Workplace Solutions worked with online facilities management resource and insights provider i-FM to survey FM practitioners on the key issues, needs and opportunities they face today. The research provided some interesting insights.

Received wisdom says that open plan offices are good for both employer and employee because they promote face-to-face collaborative working and, as a result, help harness creativity and improve teamwork.

SMEs continue to be undervalued and under-represented in FM. But they offer numerous benefits and it’s high time we offered them more support to enter and stay in the supply chain.