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Owl Labs, billed as the first company to build AI-powered, 360-degree video conferencing solutions for hybrid organizations, just released its seventh annual State of Hybrid Work Report, previously known as the State of Remote Work. Owl Labs surveyed 2,000 full-time workers in the U.S. to uncover the latest trends and perspectives around remote and hybrid work, from polyworking to coffee badging. This year’s report reveals the current return-to-office (RTO) divide, with employers putting their energy into calling people back, but missing the mark on what their employees really need from the in-office or hybrid experience.
Workers are finding creative ways around return-to-office mandates to save time, money
Employers forcing their workers back to the office have been met with all manner of pushback, from open letters and strikes to “quiet quitting” and actual quitting. More than two in three workers (69%) believe their employers are requiring them to work from the office because of traditional work expectations, especially when 60% of hybrid workers think they’re more productive when they work from home (30% say they are at the same level of productivity working from home).
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PVI is a leading manufacturer of industry-best commercial and industrial water heaters fabricated from durable AquaPLEX® duplex stainless steel, making its units naturally immune to corrosion. They require no supplemental tank linings or anode protection systems giving PVI water heaters superior reliability and longevity.
PVI offers water heaters configurable for any common energy source including natural or LP gas, oil, boiler water, solar, steam, electricity and waste heat. Its models range from instantaneous and on-demand water heating to storage water heaters. PVI also offers “engineered-to-order” products to match a facility manager’s specific requirements. Available through a nationwide network of independent and factory sales representatives, PVI units are proudly backed with the industry’s strongest warranties and service policy packages. PVI offers a durable solution for water heating projects.
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Architects, engineers and contractors are facing a heightened risk environment currently, with challenges ranging from not being able to find qualified employees, to supply chain challenges, to the constant pressure of staying competitive in a transforming digital landscape to the risk of cyberattacks. A new study from Dodge Construction Network (DCN), published in partnership with Egnyte, reveals that data resiliency is key to handling these design and construction industry challenges.
The new report, entitled Data Resiliency in Design and Construction: How Digital Discipline Builds Stronger Firms, defines data resilience as the ability to access all project and business documents and data to support work at any time, from anywhere and on any device. The study reveals that only 39% of architects, engineers and contractors currently have this unimpeded level of access at least 90% of the time, meaning that most of the industry struggles with this issue.
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Facilities maintenance managers increasingly depend on battery-powered equipment partly due to their extensive reliance on compact tools and devices, vehicles for personal transportation and utility, and golf cars. Further, the use of batteries is spreading to other types of equipment, thanks largely to environmental mandates and cost-saving initiatives. Facilities professionals need to keep up with new battery technology and energy-storage solutions.
Trojan Battery Company’s Matt Herr discusses how Trojan established its reputation, grew into a leading supplier of deep-cycle batteries, and continues to launch new energy storage solutions in his discussion with Eileen McMorrow, Editor-in-Chief of The McMorrow Reports.
Q: What technological upgrades did Trojan make to the AES battery?
Herr: We enhanced our AES battery with a combination of technologies including a proprietary carbon additive. The battery delivers all the benefits of standard AGM technology, but it also overcomes real-world scenarios that cause problems in AGM batteries. For example, our AES Battery can safely handle discharges of about 80%, withstand PSoC operation, and be charged during the workday when opportunities arise.
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Hiring qualified and skilled facilities staff is very challenging for senior facility managers. The demand for FMs is high and mature candidates with the right skills can dramatically change their employment opportunities and become the talent that employers seek.
Going for training, additional certifications and credential renewal is par for the course. Facility managers might want to avail of findings published earlier this year about FM training based on results from the Facility Management (FM) Training Outlook Survey from ProFM.
Facility managers require a much broader skill set than most professionals. From trades skills, to technical and soft skills, it can take an entire career to learn it all through experience. While some areas of FM change rapidly and need constant attention, such as technology, regulations, and standards, most skills have a long shelf life and are transferable across positions.
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As a commercial flooring solutions provider of choice for decades, the Patcraft brand is well known to facilities planners, interior designers and design firm principals seeking options for soft and hard commercial surfaces. Patcraft's representatives in the field and its internal designers are accustomed to working with corporate, education and healthcare clients to create unique designs or work through total solutions with tight timeframes. Realizing a market opportunity that also diversifies Patcraft, its team created TransFORM Studio.
Shannon Cochran, Patcraft Vice President of Marketing & Design, and Katie Myers Wender, Patcraft Interior Design Service Specialist, answered Eileen McMorrow’s questions about TransFORM Studio, what it means to facility managers, and why now.
Are you helping clients identify facility management issues such as ADA compliance, practical issues around cleanability and sustainability, and meeting ESG goals?
Myers Wender: Helping our customers identify the needs of a space is always top priority, and collaboration is a big part of what we do. We generally take a user experience approach to projects, thinking through how the space will be used and who will be using it. Our Patcraft account managers have the knowledge base and the insight into how to select the right flooring solution to match the needs of a space—considering performance attributes including cleaning, maintenance and durability in addition to sustainability attributes including materiality and product circularity. The whole team is focused on asking the right questions so we can provide the right solutions: What are the goals of the space? What will the experience be for those who use it? We’re helping to connect the dots throughout the design process.
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Career growth in facility management is wide open, and there are a host of FM-related organizations that support professional development. The industry conferences usually offer a “Women in FM” discussion session and networking. But oftentimes that’s really not enough. Women in facility management, architecture, design and planning could benefit from a sustained peer-supported organization that supports critical career development for women. That’s where NextUp becomes an opportunity and an asset.
The NextUp network delivers inclusive programs and experiences that advance women at every stage of their career, accelerate workplace equity and drive business growth. They do this by developing leaders at every level of business, transforming norms by creating workplace equity and leading the DEI&B conversation by supporting women of color and their allies. NextUp envisions a world where women have equal opportunities at work and equal opportunity to build their lives and careers exactly the way they want them.
The 17,000-member-strong association, present in 21 regions across the U.S., provides critical career development for women who come to NextUp as individuals or members of a partner organization. Its leadership believes goals are unique to each person and tailors solutions that cater to its members’ career level.
For facility and design professionals who are ready to see what’s next:
NextUp Membership is open to individuals or members of a partner organization. When you join NextUp through The McMorrow Reports/FMLink, you are entitled to 20 percent off with the code: NextUp23McMorrow.
For more information, contact Beth Fasching, Strategic Partnership Director, NextUp.
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by Eileen McMorrow – Hybrid work is changing when and where people access the workplace and many are choosing their own cars over public transit. What they drive is changing, too. A greater number of United States’ drivers are choosing an electric vehicle and that is creating a greater demand for EV charging in more public places. As a result, the availability of reliable EV charging at the workplace can become yet another tool to get people back in-person, at least a few days a week.
EVs are predicted to be half of global car sales by 2035. By 2030, every vehicle will have a charging plug, and even Porsche has made a $9 billion investment. EV sales will soar to about 73 million units in 2040, up from around two million in 2020, according to Goldman Sachs Research. The percentage of EVs in worldwide car sales, meanwhile, is expected to rise to 61% from 2% during that span. The share of EV sales is anticipated to be well over 80% in many developed countries.1 (Electric vehicles are forecast to be half of global car sales by 2035, Goldman Sachs, 02102023)
Experts estimate that by 2030, 28 million EVs will enter the American auto market. To power them, the U.S. will need 700,000 Level-2 EV chargers and 70,000 Level-3 EV chargers. That’s an eight-fold increase in the country’s EV charging infrastructure in just seven years. The influx of EVs is greatest in the West to Lower Midwest and along the East Coast. California is in first place at three percent EV car adoption. 2 (ABM EV Charging Solutions. Expert answers to every EV question, page 2)
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Not sure a conference is in the budget close to the end of this year? If you want to be a part of NFMT Remix, and need to demonstrate the value of attending to your boss, NFMT has created the “Convince your Boss” toolkit (PDF) that spells out the ROI of investing in the quality education and training in Orlando, October 25-26. The toolkit includes templates for an Approval Letter, Benefits Summary and Cost Calculator, making it easy to get started in three simple steps:
- Emphasize the benefits of attending.
- Put it in writing! Send an email to your boss.
- Break down attendance costs and expenses.
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This week's Featured Book from FMLink's Books section is from the Costbooks category. This collection of peer-reviewed books has been curated by the editorial team at FMLink to provide facilities, engineering and A&D professionals with access to publications relating to the Costbooks topic.
Unlike other building cost estimating resources, the 2024 Interiors Square Foot Costbook focuses specifically on the interior elements of building construction. It is especially useful for those doing work involving carpentry, drywall, flooring, furnishings and interior design. All of the cost-per-square-foot data in the new 2024 Edition is based on the most up-to-date price data available. With this guide you won't have to worry about losing money to an estimate that's been thrown off by the crazy ways inflation is impacting some costs and not others.
This and other Costbooks titles are now available for purchase on FMLink.
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The Gerald R. Ford International Airport has selected West Michigan-based artist Jeffrey Augustine Songco to install a one-of-a-kind suspended (aerial) art piece in the newly expanded Concourse A. Thanks to support from the Frey Foundation, the Ford International Airport continues its commitment to showcasing local artists through its public art program. Songco is a multidisciplinary artist who uses installation, sculpture, photography and video to explore the intersections of his personal story with contemporary American culture. Having won the prestigious ArtPrize Nine Installation Category Juried Award, Songco’s artwork has graced renowned venues across the United States. The artwork — titled Facets — will consist of three large-scale, site-specific suspended sculptures, composed of hundreds of strands of colorful, multi-sided shapes.
The Concourse A extension, part of a $110 million project to accommodate passenger growth, will feature three art mediums, including custom terrazzo flooring, an aerial art installation and murals. The Concourse A expansion will transform the travel experience for passengers, featuring modern amenities, eight new gates, additional concession and retail concepts, sustainable design elements and more. With Songco’s artwork as a focal point, the Airport can further enhance the guest experience, creating a memorable journey for all travelers passing through the space.
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