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I heard some really good news not too long ago. I was at a presentation for top executives, and the topic was sustainability. One of the speakers started describing tax deductions for energy efficient upgrades in buildings. The takeaway, and I quote: “You can pretty much get a tax deduction for...

In case you forgot to make a New Year’s Resolution, here are some retroactive resolutions to consider: Get more exercise. Save more money for retirement. Expand your network across the organization. Good ideas, right? And what better way to start 2012 than by resolving to improve yourself. Still...

When it comes to facilities, there are plenty of opportunities to complain — it’s too hot, it’s too cold, this is leaking, that isn’t working. But if you ever start thinking that no one notices the good things about facilities, consider the following thought from a software engineer...

Facility managers get handed so many problems that it’s no wonder some adopt a sort of fullback mentality. Take the ball, put your head down and try to plow ahead. That works, up to a point, but you take a lot of pounding along the way — from occupants, other managers, even top executives...

Facility managers have a reputation for being skeptical about new technologies. No surprise there. If a product doesn’t perform as expected, it’s the facility manager who has to deal with the impact, whether that’s premature replacement, high operating costs or just long-term hassle...

We didn’t plan it this way, but it just so happens that the 2011 FMXcellence honorees provide a pretty good picture of how FM departments are using sustainability to meet organizational goals. The FMXcellence program isn’t limited to green efforts. The ultimate test is adding value —...

Consumers aren’t particularly happy with the current recovery. Unemployment won’t fall and housing prices won’t rise. Still, over the holidays, consumer spending was up. It’s no surprise that consumers — like corporations — cut back when the economy tanks. But when...

I recently heard top executives talk about the facility managers at their companies. One of the FMs took a lead role in the company’s sustainability efforts. In fact, his efforts had produced significant energy savings. About this facility manager, the CEO couldn’t say enough good things...

Should plants be allowed on top of office workstations? Should space heaters be permitted under desks? Just how far should employees be allowed to go to make their workspaces more homey? That’s the question I got from a reader who was asked to develop guidelines about customizing cubicles. The...

Facility departments are often the unsung heroes of their organizations. FM departments add value in many ways but their achievements are too often unrecognized. FMXcellence is a way that FM departments can get that well-deserved recognition. The program, sponsored by Building Operating Management, honors...

The middle of an economic slump might seem an odd time to run a cover story about getting ahead, as we are doing with the September issue — the more so with an audience that has no expectation of being on the fast track. As the cover story shows, facility managers value stability more than opportunities...

There were two reasons Building Operating Management launched the FMXcellence recognition program about this time last year. One was to share examples of best practices in action. That was the impetus behind this month’s cover story and the expanded coverage that appears online, which includes...

Some things seem so obvious that it’s hard to believe that other people don’t get it. You almost have to think that they actually do understand the point but for some reason don’t want to admit it. For facility managers, the benefits of making investment decisions based on life-cycle...

Ten years ago, the idea of winning acceptance for green buildings represented a big challenge. In hindsight, green design seems more like it was an opportunity waiting to be taken advantage of. Green buildings bring real benefits, not just to the environment, but also to the people who use them and the...

“How many times do I have to tell you to do that?” Whether it was your parents yelling at you, or you scolding one of your own children, chances are you have some very personal experience with that phrase. And not just at home. Although you may not have used those exact words in the workplace...

When we launched the FMXcellence program last year, we weren’t sure what kind of response to expect. The idea for the program was to recognize facility management departments that were adding significant value to their organizations. We knew that there were plenty of facility departments doing...

Reports from McKinsey & Company are not on the required-reading list for most facility managers. McKinsey is a consulting group that targets senior management, and they’ve made a name for themselves by analyzing opportunities and challenges that have strategic importance. Lately, McKinsey has...

Facility management can be a thankless job. The facility executive is responsible for an enormous asset base and a significant operating budget. But in the eyes of too many top executives, FM never rises to a strategic level. Instead, when they think of facilities, senior managers think of utility bills...

Nothing quite matches the pleasure of solving a pressing problem. It’s partly a sense of accomplishment and partly a sense of relief that the problem is out of the way. I don’t know about you, but I often feel the same sense of relief if a problem temporarily goes away on its own. So when...

We’ve all heard the benefits of green buildings so often it gets kind of boring to mention them — good for the environment, good for occupants, good for the corporate image, good for the bottom line. Yawn. Well, here’s another advantage to consider: Green buildings may be good for your...

How's this for pressure? A visit by Sen. Richard Lugar, Rep. David Obey and 18 of their peers in Congress to decide whether you will get the money you need to renovate a major building. And the building in question is no ordinary facility. It's the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building...

Life cycle costing for buildings just got a big boost in the United Kingdom. With any luck, developments there will be a harbinger of things to come here. “Standardized Method of Life Cycle Costing for Construction Procurement” is the name of new publication issued by a pair of prestigious...

A recent article in the New York Times highlighted the difficulties of finding facility staff for data centers. The day after it came out, I spoke with Philip Meyers, executive director of infrastructure for Morgan Stanley, about the challenges of data center staffing. It's already a difficult matter...

I was wondering whether to buy tomatoes as I walked through the mid-sized grocery store in my neighborhood the other day. Like everyone else, I was concerned about getting sick from eating contaminated tomatoes. In the produce section next to the tomatoes was a sign. It reported the concerns about tomatoes...

I recently conducted an informal poll of a small number of facility executives – 12 to be exact – who have been good contacts in the past. The questions all concerned construction costs. There was no consensus among this group, which was not only small but very diverse, spread across the...