Ep 20: From Building Ops to Employee Experience: Facilities Chief Christa Dodoo on the Evolving FM Role

Christa Dodoo, Facilities Chief at UN World Food Programme, shares the evolving role of facilities leaders from building ops to employee experience

Wednesday, October 9, 2024
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  • How facilities leaders’ roles evolved to prioritizing the employee experience
  • Incorporating home and office comforts to ease the workspace transition
  • Balancing innovation and feasibility in hybrid workplace design
  • Implementing non-negotiables as a constant in the face of changes
  • Using technology to connect people, place, and process

In episode 20, I’m very excited to welcome Christa Dodoo, Chief of Facilities and Infrastructure at United Nations World Food Programme. From Absa Bank to Stanbic Bank to the International Monetary Fund to the World Food Programme, Dodoo has worked in the facilities management and built environment industry for the past 20 years with extensive experience in both operational and strategic roles. 

She also serves as a board member and on the First Vice Chair Executive Committee for IFMA (International Facilities Management Association). Dodoo was recently named to Skedda’s Top 20 Facilities Leaders Shaping Hybrid Work in 2024, and that’s why she’s joining us as a hero of hybrid work today. 

Christa Dodoo intentionally pursued a career in facilities management, knowing since her teenage years that this was the profession she wanted to be in. Growing up surrounded by mentors in the built environment industry, she was fascinated by the way buildings run and operate behind the scenes. Not wanting to be a contractor or designer, she found her passion in operations and maintenance.

Adapting Workspaces for Hybrid Work

Christa Dodoo shared that the workspace has evolved from a workplace to a workspace, where people can work anywhere they feel comfortable and productive. The reality is that the tools and technology people need to work anywhere is accessible to them at all times. What facilities leaders need to do now is educate individuals on the tools, guidelines, and considerations beyond physical environments for adapting to different workspaces.

“What guidelines do you have to think about that goes beyond the physical environment that the organization operates in to where you feel comfortable with being able to take those policies and processes to adapt it to whatever situation you find yourself in?” - Christa Dodoo, Chief of Facilities at United Nations World Food Programme

Christ Dodoo mentioned that safety, economics, and well-being should be the focus when thinking about these guidelines. All those are the components that can easily be transferred from the physical space to wherever third place people find themselves in. Those are the little influences that facilities leaders can develop tools and guidelines for people to be able to adapt to their white space. 

She mentioned ergonomics guidelines as an example. How do you ensure that your home office is ergonomic? It’s important to have those guidelines that teach people how to set up a room office and consider the safety in their home work environment. It’s also crucial to ensure that the safety policy at work can be adapted to workers’ home offices.

How Facilities Leaders’ Roles Evolved to Prioritizing the Employee Experience

Christa Dodoo acknowledged that the role of facilities management has evolved to include a greater focus on the well-being and safety of individuals in hybrid work environments. The ‘people’ component of their job has always been there, as facilities management is defined as the integration of people, place, and process. Right now, the people component is becoming a priority. Facilities leaders are collaborating more with HR teams about transitioning to hybrid work, which used to be a conversation solely for HR.

See: 20 Chief People Officers (Shaping Hybrid Work) To Follow

“Facilities leaders’ roles have evolved from thinking just about the parts that connect to the building to thinking about the feelings of safety, health, and mental wellness.” - Christa Dodoo, Chief of Facilities at United Nations World Food Programme

Facilities management has evolved to prioritize employee wellness and experience, with a focus on safety, health, and mental well-being. Christa Dodoo advised new facilities leaders coming into the workforce to focus on the following skill sets that used to be pushed to the back burner:

  • Change management
  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Prioritizing well-being and wellness
  • Sustainability
  • Effective communication
  • Value proposition

Christ Dodoo shared that in the process of adapting to and transitioning people to a new space, facilities leaders’ roles have evolved from thinking just about the parts that connect to the building to thinking about the feelings of safety, health, and mental wellness. Workplace experience is more of a priority now, and collaborating with HR teams have become really effective in the past few years.

“We have a seat at the table now. The best way to take advantage of that is to be able to communicate effectively and sell yourself and market yourself. It’s all about the brand now, and we need to be able to market what we are doing effectively so that we are given the necessary recognition in the workplace.” - Christa Dodoo, Chief of Facilities at United Nations World Food Programme

Creating an Ideal Hybrid Environment: Integrating Home and Office Comforts

Christa Dodoo explained that the design of office spaces is changing in response to the shift towards hybrid work models. Companies are now incorporating more collaboration spaces and comfortable, home-like environments to promote employee well-being and productivity. 

Dodoo’s organization did similar things by setting a percentage that needs to be collaboration spaces. They put in a target of 30% of their workspace. They have individual focus booths that vary—from very formal focus booths that people can go in to concentrate on work to a place with sofas to sit down and relax and just kick back with a laptop in their laps. They also have a lot of informal meeting rooms: sofas, lounges, high desks and chairs.

See: Top 5 Companies Setting Up Hybrid Meeting Rooms Right

“The space types we offer depend on activity, mood, and the kinds of meetings conducted. We have been intentional in that every floor and every tower, that 30% of collaboration space requirement is met, so people don’t have to feel the need to talk into one corner of the building to be able to get meetings done.” - Christa Dodoo, Chief of Facilities at United Nations World Food Programme

Christa Dodoo shared that to create an ideal hybrid work environment, it is essential to listen to employees' needs and preferences. She shared guidelines that help mitigate some of the risks that come with the challenges of having different spaces types in the same environment. These guidelines also make people feel more comfortable coming into the space. It’s an important balance to incorporate some of the at-home comforts at work and some of the at-work comforts at home.

“If the office space is not so different from your home environment, those guidelines are easy to transition. The fusion of the fair spaces, the home environment, and the office, helps people to not feel that difference when they move from one space to the other.” - Christa Dodoo, Chief of Facilities at United Nations World Food Programme

By aligning office spaces with home environments and incorporating what works best for each individual and department, organizations can facilitate a smooth transition between home and office work.

Balancing Innovation and Feasibility in Workplace Design

Christa Dodoo discussed the importance of finding a balance between providing innovative solutions and feasible options in workplace design. She emphasized the need for engagement with employees to gather ideas while also setting realistic targets for implementation. Every function and department works differently and it’s crucial to understand what they want and how to provide those functional spaces.

“We can’t provide everything they want, but finding the balance is key. We are the managers of the space and we develop the strategies, but we don’t have all the answers. We may not give you exactly a pool table in the middle of your office, but we can provide something that will help you break down the monotony in the work during the day. Those are some of the things we need to think about and have set targets.” - Christa Dodoo, Chief of Facilities at United Nations World Food Programme

Christa Dodoo shared that organizations need to develop their own targets and make that non-negotiable. For them, that non-negotiable goal is the 30% collaboration space goal. That way, they can account for the groups of people who can come in anytime, like colleagues outside of HQ, people coming in straight from a work trip, member states and representatives that come in for board meetings and conferences, and others who may not have access to their booking tool but should be able to have access to a place to sit and work. By making these targets nonnegotiable, organizations can show ongoing support for their employees' needs even as they change.

Lessons Learned from a Facilities Manager on Hybrid Working

Christa Dodoo shared one of the biggest lessons she learned as a facilities manager is the importance of listening to people's evolving needs while also maintaining a center, or non-negotiable components, in the workspace. Adapting to changes and evolving requirements while having a set framework is crucial for successful hybrid working policies.

“When it comes to hybrid working, listen to the people but be prepared that people change their minds all the time. How do you keep up with the evolution of their needs and their requirements and not find yourself in this constant pendulum of going back and forth with them? That is one of the biggest lessons learned in the past few years when it comes to hybrid working.” - Christa Dodoo, Chief of Facilities at United Nations World Food Programme

Future Trends in Facilities Management

Christa Dodoo emphasized technology as a key trend in facilities management, especially with the rise of hybrid work models. Technology is everywhere, including managing spaces with a booking system, managing the facility services in the building (i.e., a cup of coffee, cafeteria services, patron services, meeting rooms), using sensors to track space utilization, using technology to be able to provide the necessary services that clients and stakeholders need.

Read more: Rolling Out a Desk Booking System? 3 Steps to Guarantee Adoption

“How are we using technology to be able to manage the spaces? The white space has evolved over time. The only way we’ll be able to provide that support and resources for everyone regardless of where they are located is the use of technology.” - Christa Dodoo, Chief of Facilities at United Nations World Food Programme

Christa Dodoo discussed the importance of being intentional in managing spaces, listening to stakeholder needs, and creating inclusive environments for the evolving workforce. Needs will evolve, and facilities leaders need to adapt to them. It’s important that they are intentional in what they do and not forget people’s needs.

“People’s needs have evolved over time. Neurodiversity, inclusion, and all that now is a very wide spectrum that we were not aware of in the past, and we need to be aware of now. Create really intentional, inclusive, and diverse spaces for people because that’s the only way that true hybrid work spaces will be useful.” - Christa Dodoo, Chief of Facilities at United Nations World Food Programme

References

  • United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

Speakers

HOST

Jenny Moebius

SVP @ Skedda | Angel Investor

Jenny is a top Go-To-Market (GTM) leader in the Greater Boston area, where she has a track record of building powerful brands and categories, generating demand (for both sales- and product-led orgs), and creating energizing mission-driven cultures of belonging in the B2B tech space.

GUEST

Christa Dodoo

Chief of Facilities and Infrastructure at United Nations World Food Programme

Christa Dodoo leads the global infrastructure strategic plan in her current role. From Absa Bank to Stanbic Bank to the International Monetary Fund, she has 20 years of experience working in the facilities management and built environment industry in both operational and strategic roles.

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