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For a long time, facility management was a predominantly reactive practice. Major decisions, processes, and activities occurred after the fact. For instance, maintenance would happen reactively, or FMs would take action to remedy situations or improve processes only after they observed a problem in the facility. Doing things this way left too much room for inefficiencies….

  Many organizations are implementing corporate sustainability programs. They view them as a progressive business strategy and astute business executives recognize that these programs help cut costs, make companies more competitive, and help ensure the long-term survival of businesses and organizations. But sustainability today is more than just tracking emissions and reducing consumption. It’s about…

  Last year, NEC Contracts released a new set of contracts specifically designed for the procurement of facilities management services. NEC worked with the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) to develop the contracts, ensuring that they demonstrate and encourage best practice in the sector. The suite contains four contracts, six user guides and…

  The pandemic did a number on staffing and skilled labor for many FM organizations. Here’s how one top-level FM executive is solving that problem./DECK–> The coronavirus pandemic has wrought havoc on just about every aspect of the facility management and buildings industries. Facility managers have had to navigate material shortages, staffing shortage, changes in…

“Have you lost your touch?” were the words my wife said to me as I struggled with the latest PC plug-in gizmo. For some reason her use of the word “touch”, started me thinking about all the Zoom meetings we’re having now. And working with a number of family business owners during and since Covid…

  In December 2021, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14057, which includes several initiatives to help protect the environment. However, of the many initiatives in the order, its overriding key focus is sustainability. While the order applies primarily to U.S. government-owned and -operated facilities, whenever such orders are signed, they typically encourage other facilities,…

  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season for 2022, marking this as the seventh consecutive year with an above-normal season has been predicted. This year’s Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Unfortunately, extreme weather cannot be prevented, but there is technology that can be…

  Building performance standards are the latest tool being used by state and local governments to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in existing buildings. For the last decade, benchmarking ordinances have been all the rage as one of the best tools to get existing buildings to reduce energy use. Based on the theory…

Career Smart Insights When starting a career, it is important to learn about the desired role, absorb any knowledge surrounding that role, engage with people in that role by networking and grow within that role by being a life-long learner. It’s also important to get involved in career path professionally, like a society. The biggest…

During heat waves, many homes, offices, and other buildings typically blast their air conditioning in order to stay cool. However, this increased energy demand can put added stress on the power grid and lead to brownouts or blackouts. In order to help provide relief to the grid (and save money), facilities managers should take steps…