30-Year Hospitality Veteran Focuses on Office Retention in New ISS Role
Global workplace experience and facility management firm ISS has promoted Wendy Funkhouser to division president of the West region, for ISS North America, where she will be based in Los Angeles.
She brings her 30+ years of experience in fully integrated facility management to deliver hospitable, safe and high-performing environments. For her, it's all about building a strong culture, which is critical to markets like LA.
"As employers advance return-to-office mandates across California, they may drive people back, but what determines whether they stay engaged is the experience they encounter when they arrive," Funkhouser told GlobeSt.com.
"In competitive markets such as Los Angeles, employees recognize quality environments and gravitate toward workplaces that consistently demonstrate care," according to Funkhouser. "Culture is not created by mandate. It is reinforced through the accumulation of small, well-executed moments that signal reliability, partnership, and respect."
She said that the most successful workplaces are those where employees walk into an environment defined by connection, collaboration and culture, not simply a desk.
"Retention and engagement depend on whether a culture of care meets employees when they arrive," Funkhouser said. "When facilities are managed as a series of transactions, organizations may achieve attendance, but not true commitment."
Funkhouser said that infusing hospitality into facility management means layering care into the transactional nature of the work.
"It is not just fixing a wobbly desk or broken chair. It is resolving it quickly and thoughtfully, so the employee feels genuinely supported," she said.
Funkhouser added that even small technical actions shape perception.
"When building systems perform reliably, and service teams respond with urgency and sound judgment, employees interpret that as their employer valuing them."
She said that builds trust, and where service partners differentiate themselves from vendors.
ISS employs 350,000 people globally and is one of the world's 40 largest private employers. Funkhouser now leads the ISS North America business across the western U.S., overseeing service delivery, innovation and operations at 80 client sites.
Source: GlobeSt/ALM