CAFM and wellness

How CAFM can enhance employee health and wellness

The Middle East facility management market has witnessed significant growth over the past few years and is expected to grow further. According to Goldstein Market Intelligence, it is set to reach $73.8bn by 2024, at a CAGR of 8.4% over the forecast period. New market prioritisation and entry of new players in the FM industry is driving the growth of the revenue.

Changes in the employers’ and facility managers’ priorities after Covid-19 can greatly explain this shift. Companies today are not only looking at expanding their workforce but are more concerned with how to maximise space for employee wellness and sustainability. As companies increasingly embed well-being into their people strategy with benefits such as work-life balance, personal time-off, mental health programmes and more, ensuring that work facilities accommodate employee well-being is no exception. Facilities management do not only cater to employee well-being on work premises but extends to remote work.

Initially, companies were resistant to changing their office design due to privacy and cost concerns. However, FM has been found to reduce costs through CAFM (Computer-aided Facility Management) that enable predictive maintenance planning, optimised space management, tasks automation, enhanced energy savings and reducing employee turnover. As employers have seen tangible results of creating synergistic workplaces that promote collaboration and productivity, companies began to realise that employee happiness and wellness is key to long-term success and longevity.

Matthew Smith, associate head of the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University Dubai, discuss how employers are leveraging CAFM to ensure employee well-being.

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