Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Have you ever strained to understand an announcement in an airport or missed critical instructions over a facility’s intercom? These moments of audio confusion are more than minor frustrations. In environments where safety, efficiency, and coordination are vital, the clarity of sound systems is a direct contributor to operational performance. The requirement for precise, intelligible […]
For many years, shared commercial spaces such as offices, lounges, and lobbies followed stark and simplistic design templates. Elements such as white walls, rigid layouts, and lackluster furniture were standard. As consumers and workers continue to gravitate toward spaces they find aesthetically pleasing, thoughtful and personalized interior design has become essential. It is now a […]
Five years into the remote work era, the push to bring employees back to the office continues. But the modern workplace can’t simply revert to its pre-pandemic state. With 14% of U.S. office space still vacant, return-to-office mandates remain a tough sell. In fact, 46% of employees have said they would consider leaving their job […]
The U.S. office vacancy rate reached another all-time high in the second quarter of 2025 at 20.7%, as Moody’s recently reported. That’s the highest vacancy rate in three decades, ABC News reported, with more than 900 million square feet of empty office space—enough to fill New York City’s One World Trade Center 300 times. U.S. […]
What’s one major piece of advice that Marshall MacFarlane, an industry veteran and celebrated IFMA Fellow, would give to both new and established facilities managers? Make sure to network. According to him, building a support system could be “career-changing.” MacFarlane currently serves as a facilities senior project manager at Bell Bank, the largest family- and […]
San Francisco-based real estate operator The Swig Company announced that it has achieved a Fitwel healthy building certification for 3130 Wilshire Blvd., a six-story, 97,000 square-foot creative office building in Santa Monica, Calif. The Center for Active Design, a global not-for-profit organization, awarded the Fitwel certification based on the building’s incorporation of evidence-based design and […]
As hybrid work becomes more permanent, employee perception of the office is shifting, with 72% of the global workforce now viewing return-to-office (RTO) policies positively. However, according to new research from JLL, this comes with a growing expectation for improved workplace experience, flexibility, and employee well-being. JLL’s 2025 Workforce Preference Barometer gathers insights from 8,700 office […]
If you like monotony—clocking in and out every day doing the same tasks at work—then facilities management probably isn’t for you. But if you enjoy a good challenge, expect the unexpected, and thrive in chaos, Gretchen Martin urges you to join in on the excitement that an FM career can offer. In fact, “constant mayhem” […]
As the workplace continues to evolve, the hybrid work model has proven it’s here to stay. In 2025, more companies are embracing flexible schedules, rotating in-office days and remote work options. While this model may provide benefits for both employers and employees, it presents new cleaning challenges for facilities management professionals. The Shift Towards Flexibility […]
Office properties in vibrant mixed-use districts are dramatically outperforming the rest of the U.S. office market, thanks to post-pandemic demographic shifts and growing preferences for “live-work-play” environments, according to JLL’s Lifestyle Office Markets research report. The report identifies “lifestyle office markets” as mixed-use regions that combine urban amenities with suburban accessibility, featuring moderate density, convenient […]