14/01/2025

Using technology to improve wellbeing - with FMJ

This article was written by Sara Bean, Editor of FMJ

The facilities management sector has traditionally taken a cautious approach to adopting cutting-edge technology. However, over the past year there’s been a surge of interest in exploring innovations that result in a frictionless workplace which is automated through smart building controls. A variety of technologies, including sensors, AI, wearables at work and robotics are increasingly being adopted by FMs to ensure properties are maintained to the highest standard and enhance building occupants’ experiences.

But it’s not just about the buildings. It was telling that while the use of smart building tech to enhance building performance was a key topic, the annual WORKTECH London conference in November put as much emphasis on finding ways of creating hospitality-driven workplace experiences that support occupant wellbeing.

A terrific example was the new London headquarters for pharmaceutical giant GSK, which has styled an environment that prioritises employee wellbeing. This includes the use of IoT sensors to continually monitor air  quality, the design of a vertical farm with a focus on nutrition and a state-of-the-art wellness floor offering gym, treatment, massage and physiotherapy. Other examples at the conference included the venue, 22 Bishopsgate, where, like the GSK building, occupants are furnished with a digital platform that allows them to access the building, pre-order food and drink and book lockers. And crucially the developers have also worked to help create a community by providing users with updates on social gatherings.

Many of these newer buildings are designed from the ground up to encourage wellbeing, but it’s worth saying that you don’t have to move to state-of-the-art premises to find ways of encouraging people to adopt healthier habits. A range of digital apps are now available both commercially and via many of the major facilities services providers that cover a range of areas, from controlling the temperature of a space, adjust the
lighting, allow room or desk booking or enable click-and-collect to pre-order drinks and food.

Increasingly, these apps can be downloaded to a mobile phone or provided as a wearable device to track the user’s health metrics - including physical activity, sleep, and nutrition. They can also include challenges or rewards to keep employees motivated to adopt healthier habits, whether eating more healthily, moving around more or being reminded to stay hydrated by drinking more water.

It's a less intrusive way of ensuring that people at work remain engaged, motivated and happy, to maximise comfort and productivity. In fact it’s the new science of work.

 - Sara Bean, Editor of FMJ

Sara is a journalist and editor who has been writing and reporting on the workplace throughout her career, covering facilities management, workplace design, Occupational Health, and HR. She has written and reported on a wide range of workplace-related topics for business-to-business publications, national and local newspapers, and online media.