EuroFM Celebrated World FM Day 2022

From the 19^th until the 22^nd of October 2021, the 10^th international week organised by the Facility Management department of Zuyd University of Applied Sciences took place in Heerlen.

This year, the organization was strengthened by a close cooperation with the EuroFM association with great success. More than 160 students from Germany, Austria, Belgium, and The Netherlands participated during this EuroFM international Autumn School Facility Management which was conducted exclusively through an online environment.

Students were challenged to get out of their comfort zones by communicating in English within their project groups. Before the international week’s launch, these groups contacted each other in order to get acquainted as well as to start brainstorming their ideas surrounding working from home.

During the international week, the students were charged with designing a floor housing 100 workspaces in a new office building belonging to the Dutch Tax Authorities (de Belastingdienst) located in Amsterdam. The Belastingdienst challenged the students to design this floor with three types of employees in mind; the home worker, the office worker, and the hybrid worker. Aided by various guest speakers who shared their knowledge and expertise about workplace design, community building, and data collection regarding workspace experiences, the students formulated personas and set their sights on creating an environment in which all personas were represented. Their work would then be translated into a video presentation in order to benefit their storytelling.

The students completed their assignments with great success! The members of the jury, comprised of teachers representing various participating schools and board members from both EuroFM as well as the Belastingdienst, felt inspired by the students’ results and elected the three best presentations. The members of the winning team were invited to visit the World Workplace Europe in Amsterdam on the 22^nd and 23^rd of March in 2022 and took home a certificate for €1000,- in order to facilitate their travelling and lodging costs during this visit. On top of that, the three best project groups were also invited to visit one of the ultra-modern hybrid office buildings of the Belastingdienst.

Quotes from students and contractor

“At the beginning I was nervous and sceptical about the project. My concern was that the team couldn’t get along in such a short time and because of that the output would not be satisfying. But the exact opposite was the case. I felt like the whole team had a strong will to create good work. Also, the fact that we had to talk in English, which isn’t the first language of either of us, didn’t affect the teamwork at all. The project also encouraged me to look for more international work, for example an internship abroad, in the future.”

Anna Eisenbichler, student Fachhochschule Kufstein Tirol Bildungs

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“Even though this international week took place entirely online, I found these days to be very inspiring. No one from the group knew each other and that took some time to get used to at the beginning, but the collaboration went very smoothly and I think that makes this result as first place a very nice achievement!”

Naud Stoffels, student Zuyd Hogeschool te Heerlen

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“The project gave me the opportunity to apply the knowledge I learned during my studies to a real client.”

Felicitas Reiner, student Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg Stuttgart

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“An interesting and specific case during which we were especially triggered by the views of the next generation on the hybrid work environment. Where do they see the possibilities and opportunities?

The results proved to be surprising, positive, inspiring, and useful to consider during our project.”

Thijs Vrijsen en Renée Braken, Hybride Werken Belastingdienst (contractor)

Dear EuroFM members,

I trust you are all doing well and staying healthy. We, the EuroFM Board, have some exciting news which we would like to share with you. But first, let us have a brief look back on 2021.

As you will remember, during the first GMM of the new Board on March 10^th 2021, we presented to you our Strategic Objectives for the period 2021 to 2024. One of the topics which we then emphasized was the need for EuroFM to create, innovate, connect and deliver tangible value to all EuroFM members. In doing so, the new Board also expressed the need for making our Network Platform as effective as possible, to Connect Disciplines, to Develop & Disseminate Knowledge, and last but not least, to Engage the Next Generation. Looking back on EuroFM activities during 2021 so far, we are happy to say that we have had a very successful Student Festival, Research Symposium and a Business Summit. The discussions that were held during and after these events have emphasized the fact the business environment has changed considerably during the last two years: FM as a professional discipline has faced many challenges and has been able to overcome difficulties imposed upon it. But it is safe to say that FM has not won this battle all by itself.  

Industry and thought leaders on the future of FM, as well as various other professional bodies and FM associations, agree on the fact that the future of FM lies in its ability to strategically connect in in multidisciplinary world. For EuroFM this also means that we as an association cannot move forward and deliver value to our members if we do not reach out and connect across professional boundaries within the playing field of this changing business environment.

Our thoughts on these topics have brought the Board to the following question:

“What will 2022 look like, and how can EuroFM move forward to achieve our strategic ambition to create and deliver member value?”

The answer lies in making strategic connections. With this as our guiding ambition, we have looked towards 2022, and what we can do to bring EuroFM members together, to facilitate multidisciplinary connections, to advance the development and dissemination of knowledge AND provide exciting new opportunities for both EuroFM members and the next generation.

As was mentioned during the GMM of June 23^rd, 2021, the EuroFM Board has had some very fruitful discussions with both FMN (the Dutch Facility Management Association) and IFMA / IFMA EMEA on the matter of strategic collaboration to ensure greater member value and knowledge dissemination across different associations and network platforms. The aim here is not to advance and strengthen just one specific association, but to do so for the greater good of the FM profession.

We as the Board are therefore happy to announce that we will partner with both FMN and IFMA EMEA in joining the organisation and hosting of the 4^th edition of World Workplace Europe in 2022 (WWE22)! Our collaboration with FMN and IFMA EMEA in hosting this event – already known to many of you – will be a pilot for future collaboration between EuroFM, FMN and IFMA EMEA.

We as the Board would like to ensure all EuroFM members that his this collaboration will not replace the annual EuroFM Conference, but provides EuroFM with a very concrete opportunity to physically meeting and connecting with EuroFM members during WWE22 which will be held from 23 -24 March 2022, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In addition to our involvement in hosting WWE22, EuroFM itself will in 2022 again arrange the EuroFM Student Festival, the EuroFM Research Symposium and the EuroFM and Business & Association Summit.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which has been signed with FMN and IFMA EMEA, gives EuroFM the opportunity to contribute to World Workplace Europe by means of what EuroFM is good in: organising the research event as well as the student activity during WWE22! For EuroFM members attending this event, there is even more to gain as the week following WWE22 there will be the Dutch Workplace Week, which will culminate in the Smart Workplace Exhibition. All in all, an abundance of opportunities for EuroFM and its members to strategically connect, share, network, collaborate and celebrate 35 years of EuroFM!

EuroFM issued a press release together with FMN and IFMA EMEA to announce and celebrate this pilot collaboration. We feel confident that this agreement with FMN and IFMA EMEA is the right way forward for EuroFM, and for us, the EuroFM Board, to deliver on our strategic ambitions: to create member value, to connect disciplines, to develop and disseminate knowledge, and to engage the next generation: Not just for EuroFM, but for FM!

Kind regards, and on behalf of the EuroFM Board

Pieter C. le Roux
Chair EuroFM

Read the full press release here.

The 20th EuroFM Research Symposium was organised 16-17 June online. We would like to thank all the presenters, chairs, committee members and the audience for inspiring discussion, new FM knowledge and new connections. In total 15 presentations were given including 12 research paper presentations. The topic in the first afternoon was ‘making work work’ including presentations on work and work environments before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The second day focused on FM and REM theories and FM education. Please find the proceedings here.

Best Paper Award

Congratulations to Minou Weijs-Perrée, Rianne Appel-Meulenbroek, Jeroen Looijen, Bartele S. Hoekstra, and Pity Jongens-van der Schaaf for the Best Paper Award at the 20th EuroFM Research Symposium! The paper studied how office workers have perceived work-related communication while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how this related to their perceived individual productivity.

The committee concluded that the paper has well-focused and relevant research aim motivated by current theoretical gaps and practical problems, is based on impressive data set and well-elaborated data analysis, and it provides novel and original contribution to the FM knowledge.

Thank you also for Theo van der Voordt, Antje Junghans and Susanne Balslev Nielsen for being members of the committee!

Please find the best paper from the proceedings (pages 13-22).

Tuuli Jylhä
EuroFM Research Chair

The papers for the 20^th EuroFM Research Symposium are published! Please have a look and download your own copy.

Presentations will follow 16-17 June in the online conference. See you there!

Check the programme for 16 & 17 June and how to register here.

On 9 June I hosted my first EuroFM Student Festival as Chair of Education. The student videos on Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), Natural Hazards, Office Circularity, Pods in Public Places and Indoor Farming in Vacant Spaces illustrates all participants innovativeness addressing key sustainable challenges in a very pragmatic and attainable ways.

Congratulations to Jan-Niklas Bostelmann, Stefanie Aigner, Randi Kleist and Sakithya Shanmugarathnam from DHBW Stuttgart on winning best video and Emma Zwartjens from Hanze University Groningen as runner up. Well done to all participants as all videos were at a high level and now available on the EuroFM YouTube channel or scroll down to view them directly.

The webinar on COIL hosted by Daniel vol Felten (ZHAW) and Reinout Klamer (THUAS) was both enlightening and engaging with the outcome of a starting point for an EuroFM COIL for 2022.

The festival was nothing without an audience and we were lucky enough to have a very active and engaged audience.

Thanks also to my co-chairs on EuroFM Pieter le Roux, Tuuli Jylhä, Natalie Hofman and Levent Alatli and everyone behind the scenes in organizing the festival- successful events do not happen without a good team behind them.

Carmel Lindkvist
EuroFM Education Chair

EuroFM, have been working with the African FM community on a survey which aims to identify the gap in skills and training within the existing and future African FM community.

This survey is now ready for distribution, so please share with your relevant African network in order for this work to reach a wide audience as possible https://lnkd.in/d69f37A. 

EuroFM is proud to support the African FM community along with IFMA, RICS, and national FM professional bodies including SAFMA, AFMPN, and GPFI, and with the participation of two institutions, University of Cape Town, South Africa and the University of Lagos, Nigeria.

Please also contact Carmel Lindkvist if you would like to know more or get engaged with this work.

The EuroFM Student Competition recognizes the value of sharing bright ideas, knowledge, insights and research findings created as part of Facility Management programs in European Universities. We ask students of both Master and Bachelor programs to share this with EuroFM and her members, by creating a 3-4minute film clip. This film clip must present findings as result of a thesis, internship or project.

Proposed topics identified by EuroFM Ambassadors are – Covid19; FM, ethics and issues; Business Continuity Management; Cross cultural management; Soft skills in FM; Sustainability; Integrated business operations and ISO standards.

Eligibility
Registered students or recent graduates of relevant Master and Bachelor programs in European Universities who are members of EuroFM. The student must be nominated by their lecturer or course leader and registered as a EuroFM member. Each university are limited to submit 4 videos. If not a member or for questions regarding the procedure or requirements please contact EuroFM’s Operation Manager; Barbara Ginter at bginter@eurofm.org.

As a participant please send the necessary information (the filled in entry form by the lecturer or course leader) to: bginter@eurofm.org.

Criteria
We ask students to share their findings in a film clip or vlog to be presented at the virtual EuroFM Student Festival on 9 June 2021. Film clips must clearly communicate the purpose, content and quality of research findings. Not only to inspire the public, moreover to create a maximum impact in the field of Facility Management!

Film clips last a maximum of 4 minutes, are English spoken and subtitled and contain copyright free images and/or music.

Main criteria:
• Design (clear message, exciting, creative, language use)
• Content (knowledge, support of findings)
• FM added value (innovative, impact, inspiring, future-oriented)

A number of 8 nominees will participate in the finals at the virtual EuroFM Student Festival and the videos will also be uploaded to YouTube before June 1st 2021 at the YouTube channel of EuroFM. The final 8 nominees may be asked to conduct changes in their videos for purposes of further clarification of information. The best video will receive a cash prize of € 200 and tickets for the EuroFM Congress 2022.

The top 3 video clips will also feature in the EuroFM Research Symposium on 16 & 17 June 2021.

The deadline to enter has officially passed but if you still want to join the ‘EuroFM Student Competition’ please contact EuroFM’s Operations Manager, Barbara Ginter at bginter@eurofm.org.

Complete the Entry Form below:

Download the Call for Videos

Today is World FM Day! Through this initiative by GlobalFM we celebrate our wonderfully diverse and challenging profession, and proudly acknowledge the pivotal role that FM has played, and continues to play, in facilitating business and economic continuity of societies, communities and organizations. During this past year, and perhaps more than ever before, we have seen the strategic relevance of FM in responding to global challenges in a multidisciplinary manner to safeguard our health and well-being, and ultimately, improve our quality of life through the services it manages and delivers (ISO/FIDIS 41001:2018).

EuroFM proudly supports this initiative, and through collaboration with FM associations, FM professionals and EuroFM Ambassadors worldwide, we would like to pay tribute to the theme of this World FM Day: STANDING TALL BEYOND THE PANDEMIC! To help us in celebrating this, we have asked our EuroFM Ambassadors, as well as our professional network to share with us from their various cultural and geographic perspectives, their thoughts on what FM is and the role that FM has played in these challenging times. Contributions from Austria, Botswana, Bulgaria, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, The Netherlands, Peru, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, UAE and the US reflets the global nature of FM. We invite you to watch these reflections through THIS link, or view the recording of the online event HERE.

On behalf of the EuroFM Board, I wish you a very happy World FM Day 2021!

Pieter C. le Roux
Chair EuroFM

World FM day is on 12 May 2021 and is an initiative run through Global FM . The purpose of World FM Day is to recognize and celebrate the vital work that workplace and facilities managers do and how the wider industry contributes to the business worldwide. EuroFM wishes to celebrate World FM Day with students, educators and those interested in careers in FM who will form an important part of how FM will be “standing tall beyond the pandemic” which is this year’s World FM Day theme. 

As the future of how FM is shaped, we encourage students to engage with speakers invited to discuss career development in FM and FM trends that are arising in South Africa. In addition, we raise the question are universities doing enough for our students to prepare for the unpredictable world that the pandemic has shown and where FM has rose to the many challenges.

Programme:

15.00	Welcome • Global FM – Duncan Waddell • EuroFM – what it is and why it is good for students to be involved?
15.10	EuroFM Ambassador Videos
15.20	Developing a career in FM Christian Schlicht – Central Europe Chapter Core Net Global
15.40	Poll Questions
15.50	EuroFM Ambassador Videos
16.00	South African perspective on FM Trends Andrew Mason, CEO WorkplaceFundi
16.20	Poll Questions
16.30	Open discussion on the topic “Are universities preparing students enough for FM careers?” with guest speakers and Dave Collins (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) and Kaisa Airo (Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Finland)
16.50	Winners of Poll + Formal Close and finish with EuroFM Ambassador Videos

Additional information

Registration for this online event is free of charge and open to both EuroFM Members and Non-Members. Go the ‘Events’ page and click on the ‘Book Now’ button to register.
All timings are in CEST.

Dear EuroFM members & Ambassadors, Dear colleagues, Dear Friends,

It is with humble joy that we – the new EuroFM Board – today take over the reins from the former Board. But it is not a case of new brooms sweeping cleaner than the older ones. In recognition of their tremendous efforts, we want to thank the former Board for their dedication to the cause of EuroFM, and especially for keeping EuroFM going strong during the past year in which we all experienced the uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Subsequent to the GMM which was held on December 10^th last year, the new Board has met with both the former Board and Lejeune Association Management (our logistical and management support team) to set about defining the way forward. Our first order of business was to come up with a proposal for the distribution of the various roles and responsibilities amongst the Board members. This proposal was presented to all EuroFM members and Ambassadors on Monday, 25 January 2021 for approval. We are delighted and honoured with the vote of confidence you have expressed toward us! As Chair of EuroFM, and on behalf of all members of the Board, I want to assure you of our commitment to furthering and strengthening the goals and ambitions of EuroFM.

So how de we propose to move forward? Under the very competent guidance of Lejeune, we have expressed our individual goals and ambitions. To give you some insight in this, we gladly share this Word Cloud with you.

In the upcoming weeks the new Board will get together to define our strategy, which will include, but is not limited to:

• Setting priorities for the next 2 years;
• Identifying, consolidating and grouping relevant themes and focus areas;
• Defining deliverables and appointing ownership on the Board;
• Strengthening membership and association participation in EuroFM

The next GMM will be held on March 10^th 2021, during which we will present and discuss with you our strategy. We look forward to meeting you then!

EuroFM greetings!

Pieter le Roux – Chair EuroFM
Natalie Hofman – Chair Associations
Tuuli Jylhä – Chair Research
Carmel Lindkvist – Chair Education
Levent Alatli – Chair Business