myfacilitiesnet

There are two ways to read the headline. One is with a sigh and a shake of the head. “People, people, people.” Facility managers have plenty of reasons to use that tone. After all, employees, visitors, patients, students, shoppers, guests — you name it — are often not shy about expressing their displeasure when a building doesn’t meet their expectations. And the way they treat the building...

Would you know a smart building if you walked into one? I’m not sure I would. There is no shortage of tools to make buildings smarter. Sophisticated, interoperable building automation systems. Increasingly advanced controls for a wide range of equipment. Intelligent sensors to capture data about the way the building is operating and the way it is being used. Platforms to integrate multiple building systems. Powerful...

When experienced facility managers talk about the need to attract new talent to the field, it’s young people like Nicole Meyers that they have in mind. Meyers is a facilities specialist at Enterprise Holdings. Her goal is to make employees more productive. She’s excited to work with new technology. Her focus is on preventing problems rather than putting out fires. And she’s eager to market facility management...

One section of the local newspaper has an advice column on the first page. I can’t resist it. Most of the advice has to do with fixing relationships. So ... if your department’s relationship with building occupants is on the rocks, or even a little rocky, let me the offer the usual advice: Listen to the other person. Like it or not, as a facility manager, you have to deal with occupant perceptions. With the...

I first heard about “inclusion” when my son with Down syndrome started going to school. The inclusion program at his school meant he was included in a “regular education” class with appropriate support. Although my son couldn’t do all the same work as other students in the class, inclusion had many benefits for him — and for the students without disabilities as well. It turns out...