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Facility management staffing levels appear to be rising

Scott E. Rupp Facilities & Grounds

According to a new study released by FacilitiesNet, more facility managers have reported increases in capital and operating expense budgets in the last year, and there have been more increases in staffing than reported decreases. The data was gathered by Building Operating Management. The information came from facility managers representing a number of different building types, including corporate offices; colleges and universities; government, with breakdowns for federal, municipal, and state buildings; hospitality; K-12 schools; leased space; and healthcare facilities.

Implementing risk management in the African context

Liz Dewing Business Management, Services & Risk Management

An April 2018 briefing by Dr. David Hillson outlined the special challenges of introducing risk management in developing countries. Cultural factors affect expectations over what risks might exist, how important they might be, and what responses might be appropriate. Some large organizations have experienced problems when attempting to apply a "Western" approach to risk management in Africa for the following reasons.

What dairy pros need to know about the USMCA

Ted Jacoby Food & Beverage

The wait is (kind of) over. Trade authorities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada have agreed to a trilateral free trade agreement that replaces NAFTA. The finer points of automotive manufacturing earned most of the headlines during the protracted negotiation period, but dairy trade was another key sticking point. Here, we hope to offer some details and context to provide a clearer picture of how things will look once the deal is effective. Or, more like if. The deal first must survive legislative review in three separate national capitals.

How to create Facebook content that performs better in 2019

Emma Fitzpatrick Marketing

New year, same problems! Every social media marketer on the block is still trying to figure out what to do about the ever-dwindling numbers on our Facebook Pages. For the umpteenth year in a row (or since 2014 if you want to be exact), organic reach is down. An Agorapulse analysis found organic reach for Facebook Pages dropped, on average, 13.62 percent in 2018. Not only are fewer people organically seeing your Facebook content, but they’re also engaging far less.

How the partial government shutdown affects federal contractors and the…

Seth Sandronsky Civil & Government

As the partial government shutdown drags on, federal contractors are living without paychecks. Further, they face the prospect of receiving no back pay when the stalemate ends, Sunny Blaylock opined in USA Today. David J. Berteau is president and CEO of the Professional Services Council, a trade group that represents federal contractors. On Jan. 8, he wrote an open letter to President Trump, noting "hundreds of thousands of employees support the government through contracts" and deserve pay for their labor.

Allow yourself to set — and get — higher fees

Fred Berns Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures

If you’re an interior design professional, only one person will prevent you from setting and getting much higher fees and markups in the year ahead. That person isn't a competitor, critic, or customer. That person is you. You're the one who will convince yourself that you can't charge more. You're the one who will tell yourself that clients would never pay more for your design services. And that your local market won't "bear" higher fees. And that you simply don't have the experience or expertise to substantially raise your fees. That's baloney.

How ready is your capture?

Lisa Pafe Civil & Government

Assessing the quality of a capture effort is a difficult task. Any assessment is simply a snapshot in time; your capture could get better… or it could get worse. A capture readiness assessment should look at the snapshot, but also look at trends. Using our 12 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), you can analyze where your capture effort is today, identify areas for improvement, and then chart whether your capture trends upward in readiness for the win.

Ironing out the wrinkles in activity-based workplaces

Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures

Snowballing complaints about the deficiencies and annoyances of open-plan office spaces have pushed employers and designers to experiment with alternative workplace solutions. One model gaining in popularity is the activity-based workplace, which provides a greater variety of spaces to accommodate different types of tasks and work styles. While this approach has received favorable acceptance from employees, recent studies show additional factors need to be considered in order for these spaces to live up to their promised performance.

When it’s better not to focus on profit

Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Making as much money for your company as possible is a no-brainer — that's why you're in business, right? That's true, but there are some situations in which it can actually benefit your company's long-term bottom line not to strategize for immediate maximum profits. Your reputation, relationships, and long-term planning can be used to an even greater advantage if you know when to pull back and how to refocus your aim. Use these tips to reboot for the short term and become even more successful in the long term.

The real reason to wait to draw your Social Security

Patrick Gleeson Civil & Government

Go to the web with the question: "When should I begin drawing my Social Security benefits?" If you were uncertain of the answer before you began reading, you may be more confused afterward. You’ll learn that in 2019 you can begin drawing "reduced" SS benefits at age 62, but that you can receive your "full benefit" at 65 — which is true or not true, depending on what you mean by "full" — and that your benefit amount keeps increasing every year you wait to begin drawing benefits until you’re 70, which is true.

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