On a recent episode of the FM Evolution podcast, hosts Shawn Black of CGP Maintenance & Construction Services and Randy Olson of the Professional Facility Management Institute (ProFMI) were joined by Eileen McMorrow, founder of The McMorrow Reports Facility Management & Design Insights and editor-in-chief of FMLink to discuss the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the “Great Resignation” on the FM industry, and the importance of professional training for staff retention.

One of the biggest questions asked in the past two surveys is if there was a “Great Resignation” in facilities management. What these reports found was that 66% of FM managers and staff had left or were considering leaving. However, they also found that the top three ways that organizations can retain FM professionals are through increased compensation benefits, opportunities for professional development and training, and offering opportunities for internal advancement. Furthermore, 54% of FM leaders say that they have open FM-related positions due to staff retirements.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) radiation for air and surface disinfection. This technology area represents a growing opportunity to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) while saving energy over high-ventilation approaches. However, light-emitting diode (LED) GUV sources and fixtures available today have low efficiencies relative to visible LEDs or other UV sources (such as mercury lamps). Driven by demand for pandemic preparedness measures in buildings and good IAQ, many emerging GUV R&D activities target application effectiveness through increased source efficiency, improved fixture design, and enhanced reliability.

The U.S. Department of Energy has released two reports conducted by RTI International aimed at understanding the current state and viability of commercial ultraviolet (UV) LED products: one focusing on the construction and initial performance of commercially available UV LED components in radiometric and current-voltage tests, and the other focusing on the long-term performance and reliability of the same set of commercially available UV LEDs.

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Facility condition assessments (FCAs) are a key component of good facility management. They paint a picture of your facilities’ current state as well as potential issues to plan and budget for. But conducting one is a lot of work and pricey. And despite all that effort, traditional FCA data is static, so it doesn’t remain up-to-date and useful for very long. 

There’s a better way. The next evolution of the FCA has arrived: the living FCA. In a living FCA, you continuously update the original assessment data, keeping it in sync with the actual condition of your facility. It provides always-current facilities information you can leverage for maintenance and capital planning insights year after year.

Learn more about the living FCA from AkitaBox for building owner/operators and AEC firms.

With hybrid and remote work becoming the norm, the demand for coworking and flexible workspace is at an all-time high, according to the latest survey from Yardi Kube, a space management software provider part of Yardi Systems. As many organizations move towards bringing employees back to a traditional office workspace that fosters collaboration and empowers productivity, changing workforce expectations must be taken into account.

To better understand occupiers’ needs, Yardi Kube conducted a survey among prospective office tenants addressing the issues of office space footprint, how companies are adjusting to flexible work, and the reasons why business leaders are looking into coworking spaces as a replacement for traditional office leases. The five-question survey was posted on CommercialCafe.com and PropertyShark.com, both Yardi-owned websites, with 1,118 respondents across the United States.

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Inspired by Versteel’s metalworking heritage and the possibilities of steel in architecture, Troupe redefines modern industrialism with simple, elevated details. Strong lines and soft curves collide to create a beautifully dynamic aesthetic. The tapered steel legs are formed and layered into an inverted shape to create a light, unique profile. Outfit Troupe with various power and data options, concealing wires within the concave leg.

Specify Troupe with options designed to complement a variety of formal and informal gathering spaces. Choose from three heights and top shapes (rectangle, square, and round) in varying sizes. Mix and match powder coat colors for dual-tone or monochromatic color schemes. 

Troupe is designed exclusively for Versteel by Qdesign.

For more information about Troupe, visit the Versteel website.

The Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of worldwide cleaning industry association ISSA, has partnered with Allergy Standards Limited (ASL) to create a curriculum designed to help businesses improve indoor quality (IAQ) and the well-being of building tenants and guests. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air and is getting increasingly worse with negative medical outcomes. This new course, Healthier Building Awareness with GBAC & ASL, expands on the 9 Foundations of a Healthy Building from Harvard University’s publication Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity. 

"With more than half of sick leave being attributed to poor air ventilation, it’s more important than ever to create healthy indoor environments," stated GBAC Senior Director Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner.

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The Gridd® adaptive cabling distribution system enables a building to adapt to inevitable technology changes, remain highly functional and operational, and save money at every stage of its life cycle. An original contributor to the circular economy, Gridd’s fluid, modular design enables moves, adds, and changes without the mess of traditional cabling methods. If a facility manager can avoid contributing to the waste stream, that’s also an added benefit to the company’s ESG commitment.

The Gridd Mobile App makes it even easier for FMs, IT teams, electricians, and maintenance personnel to make power and data cabling. Gridd Mobile provides augmented reality (AR), technical support, as-built drawings, how-to videos, original site pictures, and product information conveniently accessible on a smartphone or tablet.

Gridd Mobile allows facility technicians to see exact power, voice, and data cabling locations through the floor in an instant, making systems changes quick and easy. Gridd Mobile improves the life of your facility, allowing future facility teams, even years from now, to make moves, adds, and changes to the same space with ease. When using Gridd Mobile, there is no knowledge lost between teams.

The Power to Change just got easier with Gridd Mobile. 

Facility managers will be walking the line when they reach Nashville to attend World Workplace^® 2022, September 28-30. The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) has chosen “Take Center Stage” as the conference theme in recognition of the changing role of FMs in the workplace arena. “As the curtain lifts on FM’s shift from purely operational to indispensably strategic, there’s no business like know business,” says IFMA. “Get your act together — this year’s marquee FM event in Music City Center will prepare you to take center stage in making the spaces you manage your tour de force.”



World Workplace is the largest facility management conference in the world, offering discussions and sessions on FM and the wider built environment since 1995. World Workplace offers sessions in tracks, introducing “Emerging Topics” that consist of new or evolving business functions, external influences, or mandates that have a high probability of impacting the FM profession in terms of roles, responsibilities, and skills and knowledge requirements. The other tracks are FM Solutions; Finance & Business; Leadership & Strategy; Operations & Maintenance; Project Management; Risk Management; Facility Information Management & Technology Management; Occupancy & Human Factors; Performance & Human Factors. Sustainability; and Workplace Evolutionaries.

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Education sessions and Product Zones are the most important reason to attend NFMT Remix in Las Vegas, November 2-3. For Pro and Elite attendees, there are 60-minute sessions focused on foundational principals of Facilities Management. The key trends of technology, safety and sustainability tend to be cross-functional and have a major impact on overall facilities strategies. These sessions are geared as more introductory sessions. Think Tanks, for Elite attendees, are 60-minute informal discussions focused around either a specific building type or trend. This will allow you to network with your peers in a small group environment. Attendees can pull up a chair and ask your questions to like-minded facilities managers from around the country. Each roundtable will have an official moderator to help guide the conversation.

Concurrent Sessions run on Wednesday and Thursday, while Product Zone Sessions are featured during the Expo hours between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The Women in FM panel and a reception conclude Wednesday’s activities.

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