Ant Wilson, director of sustainability at AECOM, suggests the future is not entirely predictable and we should be ready to prepare for new trends in finance, business and the climate.
How many people missed meetings and appointments because of the travel disruption last month?

How well do we as individuals or the companies we work for cope with change?

We all have to work through difficult situations and try to plan for the future but often our plans are shattered by events outside of our control. There will always be change and how we adapt will often show how well equipped we are as individuals.

We can be sure the future will not be entirely predictable but there are trends in finance, business and the climate that we should try and prepare for. It is important to make sure cars are serviced and maintained so that they are safe and run efficiently. It is very important for building services to be maintained to provide optimal performance and avoid breakdowns. When financial pressures exist it can be seen as a quick win to cut back on servicing and maintenance but this could end in much bigger bills down the line.

At AECOM we have just celebrated the 40th Earth Day on April 22, an event that makes us look at how we interact with the planet. As I have often said we have a special position within the building services sector where we can positively impact the planet far more than many others. Good design, efficient use of resources, effective control and management of systems will all help make the world a cleaner, healthier and better place to live and work. We all have to adapt to a changing environment and those of us that work for companies that regularly review and plan for future change will be the most successful. To make this a possibility we need to answer questions such as:

Who are we mentoring and preparing to take over our roles in business?
How well-equipped are we for disaster recovery?
What are the environmental impacts of our activities?
What are the most sustainable and economic ways to travel?

What we can be sure of is those who have anticipated the inevitable changes ahead and have put plans in place will be the survivors. There are incredible opportunities ahead as we come out of recession and we must try to make positive impact on our society and planet.