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Current Conversations on MyFacilitiesNet:How to Make Health Care Facilities Better for Patients A wealth of research supports the notion that healthcare facilities have a significant impact on patients' well being. Studies have shown that views of nature can reduce the need for pain medication, access to daylight can speed recovery, and better acoustics can reduce demands on the nursing staff. What's more, a range of hospitals and healthcare organizations have now applied that research to improve the health and wellness of patients and staff. Check out this article, which explores four ways that facilities can improve patient well being and highlights healthcare facilities that have put that research into practice. A bonus: Links and references to research back up claims in the article. How Counteracting Gender Bias Benefits FM Teams Many women are now part of facilities management, but their number in upper management positions is overall very small. Making sure gender bias is not driving women away should be part of a critical arsenal of FM strategies, especially as the industry contends with an ongoing wave of retirements and is looking to attract and retain quality employees — not to mention the inherent strengths conferred to a company from having a diverse team. A recent study in the Harvard Business Review found that women and men don't behave differently in the workplace, but they are treated differently. Since hard data, the researchers say, is the only solution to overcoming bias, the study did not rely on anecdotal data. Rather, researchers outfitted 100 employees in a large multinational company with "sociometric badges" and gathered data on them for four months. Find out what they learned and then leave me a comment: Do you see achieving gender parity in your facility management organization as an important strategy for attracting and retaining a great team?
A Most Unusual Facilities Management Metric Facility management is a world of numbers. So it was no surprise when Justin Stewart told an audience at NFMT Orlando last week that the building he manages, the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University, measures 700,000 square feet. Or that the organization spent $1.5 million last year on remodeling projects in the facility. But using 4.5 miles of toilet paper per day? That's what Justin's staff calculated. And it got me wondering what other uncommon, surprising, or curious numbers other FMs have calculated. What's the most unusual number you've heard for the facility or facilities you manage?
Tenant Support for Sustainability Goals Commercial building tenants may want their companies and buildings to be more sustainable, but they often feel powerless to do anything worthwhile if their building owner doesn't make sustainability a priority. Fortunately, LEEDv4 offers some terrific options for greening tenant space. LEED for Interior Design and Construction (often shortened to LEED ID+C) helps project teams that may not have control over the whole building modify interior tenant spaces to improve the occupant experience while lessening environmental impacts on the planet. Click through to find out more from the October issue of Building Operating Management and let me know in a comment if you have tenants clamoring for such options.
MyFacilitiesNet is the online hub for the facilities management industry. It provides a fast, easy, no-cost way for FM professionals like you to connect with your colleagues, talk about strategies, share valuable resources and build strong relationships...all from your own computer. Go to MyFacilitiesNet.com now and get in on the conversation. |
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