QUESTION OF THE MONTH

The following are results from previous Questions-of-the-Month:

April 2008
Is your company seeking (or has it achieved) LEED certification on any of its buildings?
Yes = 52.6%
No = 47.4%

March 2008
(To those who manage >50,000 sq. ft.)
Does your company use third parties to manage your waste removal services?
Yes = 80.3%
No = 19.7%

February 2008
Do you participate in social Web sites for FM-networking purposes, such as LinkedIn?
Yes = 41.1%
No = 58.9%

January 2008
Has your company ever participated or considered participating in a "benchmarking" group, where it could share facilities-related data with other FMs of similar facilities?
Yes = 52.0%
No = 48.0%

December 2007
Do your facilities incorporate electronic sound masking products in over 10% of the open space?
Yes = 19.3%
No = 80.7%

November 2007
Does your company have an emergency communication system in place so employees can be reached quickly with instructions and information?
Yes = 59.4%
No = 40.6%

September 2007
Does your company allow over 20% of its "office" employees to work from their homes at least one day per week?
Yes = 29.7%
No = 70.3%

August 2007
Have you conducted a comprehensive energy audit of your facility since January 2005?
Yes = 31.6%
No = 68.4%

July 2007
Are you running any of your FM software applications through an application service provider (ASP); i.e., from the software company's server?
Yes = 21.4%
No = 78.6%
Also, see the results from a similar question run in July 2006

June 2007
Is your company prepared for a natural disaster, such as a hurricane?
Yes = 30.6%
No = 69.4%

May 2007
Have the recent shootings on the Virginia Tech campus caused you to review your security operations and emergency preparedness plans?
Yes = 56.5%
No = 43.5%

April 2007
Has your company installed waterfree urinals or other devices to reduce water consumption in its facilities?
Yes = 13.5%
No = 86.5%

March 2007
Does seeing a product or service exhibited at a trade show have a major influence on your decision to your purchasing it (versus ads, Web, sales calls, etc.)?
Yes = 59.4%
No = 40.6%

February 2007
Does your company's security management system electronically integrate at least two of the following: door control, badging, video?
Yes = 64.5%
No = 35.5%

January 2007
Is your company outsourcing its maintenance function in a majority of its facilities?
Yes = 50.8%
No = 49.2%

December 2006
Does your company have a line item in its budget for interior landscaping?
Yes = 32.1%
No = 67.9%

November 2006
Does your company use more than a Microsoft Excel or Access-based system for tracking and managing its maintenance and operations?
Yes = 59.5%
No = 40.5%

October 2006
Does your company use sensors to control lighting in its office or conference spaces?
Yes = 57.1%
No = 42.9%

September 2006
Do you use an outside contractor for document storage or destruction?
Yes = 73.3%
No = 26.7%

August 2006
When renovating, would you consider buying professionally remanufactured office furniture as opposed to new?
Yes = 73.8%
No = 26.2%

July 2006
Are you running most of your FM software applications as Web-based?
Yes = 44.1%
No = 55.9%
Also, see the results from a similar question run in July 2005

June 2006
Have you conducted a comprehensive energy audit of your facility since January 2005?
Yes = 34.0%
No = 66.0%

May 2006
Given that today's buildings are tighter than ever, do you monitor the humidity in your facility during the air conditioning season?
Yes = 31.1%
No = 68.9%

April 2006
Do you attend more conferences and trade shows now than you did three years ago?
Yes = 29.8%
No = 70.2%

March 2006
In the past five years, have you upgraded your HVAC system to reduce your energy consumption by 10% or more?
Yes = 46.8%
No = 53.2%

February 2006
Do you use RSS news feeds to keep current with FM-related news?
Yes = 20.0%
No = 80.0%

December 2005 - January 2006
In the past year, have you paid at least 5% more money for a product or service certified to minimize environmental impact?
Yes = 63.3%
No = 36.7%

November 2005
Have you taken an online FM-related course in the past twelve months?
Yes = 17.3%
No = 82.7%

October 2005
Because of the higher energy prices, will your FM group now have to cut back in other areas to compensate?
Yes = 51.2%
No = 48.8%

September 2005
Do you have an emergency plan in place in the event that one of your primary facilities must be evacuated and closed for an indeterminate period?
Yes = 52.1%
No = 47.9%

August 2005
In light of recent terrorist activities, is your company planning any major security program enhancements?
Yes = 45.7%
No = 54.3%

July 2005
Are you running most of your FM software applications as Web-based or through an application service provider (ASP)?
Yes = 50.0%
No = 50.0%
Also, see the results from a similar question run in July 2004

June 2005
When you replace your carpeting, do you require the manufacturer to recycle your existing carpeting?
Yes = 49.1%
No = 50.9%

May 2005
Does your facility have (or is it getting) photoluminescent signage for emergency egress?
Yes = 31.8%
No = 68.2%

April 2005
Does your facility have a back-up power generation system with centralized monitoring?
Yes = 53.3%
No = 46.7%

March 2005
Does your company perform regularly scheduled indoor environmental quality testing?
Yes = 24.6%
No = 75.4%

February 2005
Does your company have a program in place for the recycling of spent lamps, batteries and other electronic waste?
Yes = 45.3%
No = 54.7%

January 2005
If your company signs in its visitors, does it use an electronic system (as opposed to a manual one)?
Yes = 19.5%
No = 80.5%

December 2004
For office moves, does your company use primarily cardboard boxes (as opposed to a crate-based system)?
Yes = 77.6%
No = 22.4%

November 2004
Have you or do you plan to install an automated external defibrillator (AED)?
Yes = 55.6%
No = 44.4%
Also, see the results from a similar question run in August 2002

October 2004
Is your company taking action as a result of the recent increase in oil and fuel prices?
Yes = 31.0%
No = 69.0%

September 2004
Would your company pay an additional 5% for a product that is certified to minimize environmental impact?
Yes = 60.1%
No = 39.9%

August 2004
Are your company's employees working more in workgroups or in temporary workstations than they have in the past?
Yes = 57.8%
No = 42.2%

July 2004
Are you running most of your FM software applications either as Web-based or through an application service provider (ASP)?
Yes = 57.1%
No = 42.9%
Also, see the results from a similar question run in July 2003

June 2004
Is your company outsourcing more functions than it was one year ago?
Yes = 61.5%
No = 38.5%

May 2004
Is your location managing more facilities and/or more square feet than it did one year ago?
Yes = 70.5%
No = 29.5%

April 2004
Has your company taken active measures to upgrade its HVAC maintenance programs over the past year?
Yes = 66.1%
No = 33.9%

March 2004
Over the past few years, has your company taken active measures to reduce significantly its energy consumption?
Yes = 65.8%
No = 34.2%

February 2004
Has your company revisited its building evacuation plan since 2001?
Yes = 66.8%
No = 32.2%

January 2004
Has your company's FM budget been reduced for FY 2004?
Yes = 64.1%
No = 14.3%

December 2003
With less travel available, are you more likely to take online FM courses?
Yes = 85.7%
No = 14.3%

November 2003
Do you require your outsourced contractors to be bonded and to carry insurance?
Yes = 95.0%
No = 5.0%

October 2003
In light of recent cutbacks, has your company been able to keep its preventive maintenance programs running as well as in the past?
Yes = 44.8%
No = 55.2%

September 2003
Do you believe that your company is well-prepared in the event of an electrical blackout?
Yes = 44.3%
No = 55.7%

August 2003
Have you taken measures to address toxic mold in your facilities?
Yes = 30.1%
No = 69.9%

July 2003
Are you running most of your FM software applications either as Web-based or through an Application Service Provider (ASP)?
Yes = 51.2%
No = 48.8%
Also, see the results from a similar question run in July 2002

June 2003
Does your company outsource two or more of the following services: maintenance, security, custodial, moce management?
Yes = 82.3%
No = 17.7%

May 2003
Has your company modified its visitor or travel policies because of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)?
Yes = 49.4%
No = 50.6%

March-April 2003
Has your company taken any measures specifically to help protect its facilities against potential terrorist activities?
Yes = 52.7%
No = 47.3%

February 2003
Is your company more likely to purchase new rather than remanufactured furniture?
Yes = 62.8%
No = 39.1%

January 2003
Is your company using a CMMS or EAM system for its maintenance and work management?
Yes = 60.9%
No = 39.1%

December 2002
Is your company starting to take proactive measures to ensure a greener workplace (e.g., recycling, re-using materials, energy saving, etc.)?
Yes = 71.4%
No = 28.6%

November 2002
Have you taken measures to address toxic mold in your facilities?
Yes = 37.7%
No = 62.3%

September/October 2002
Has 9/11 changed the way your company is managing its facilities?
Yes = 61.7%
No = 38.3%

August 2002
Have you or do you plan to install an automated external defibrillator (AED)?
Yes = 41.9%
No = 58.1%

July 2002
Are you using, or considering, ASPs (Application Service Providers) to run any of your FM software applications directly off of the providers' servers (instead of in-house)?
Yes = 32.3%
No = 67.7%
Also, see the results from a similar question run in July 2001

June 2002
Has your company, in an effort to reduce energy costs, looked into alternative fuels?
Yes = 31.3%
No = 68.7%

May 2002
If you are an in-house FM, are you earning at least 5% more salary + bonus than you did 12 months ago?
Yes = 29.9%
No = 70.1%

April 2002
Do you expect to have building insurance in place by June 1 to cover terrorism?
Yes = 16.0%
No = 84.0%

March 2002
Over the past 12 months, is your FM job requiring you to work an average of at least one more hour per day?
Yes = 76.7%
No = 23.3%

February 2002
If you are an in-house FM, are you a member of a professional association related to FM?
Yes = 54.2%
No = 45.6%

January 2002
Is your company's 2002 FM operating budget being cut by 10% or more from last year's budget?
Yes = 41.5%
No = 58.5%

December 2001
Has your company reduced its FM staff by more than 10% since September (or is it planning to do so in the next few months)?
Yes = 30.8%
No = 69.2%

November 2001
In view of recent terrorist attacks, is your company re-screening its employees to check for possible links to terrorism?
Yes = 21.4%
No = 78.6%

October 2001
Does your company have a terrorist response plan, or will there be one in place by November 1, 2001?
Yes = 35.7%
No = 64.3%

September 2001
In the past 12 months, has your company taken any proactive measures to reduce energy consumption by 10% or more?
Yes = 64.8%
No = 35.2%

August 2001
If your company employs over 50 office personnel, do over 20% of them work remotely (out of the office) at least one day per week?
Yes = 34.4%
No = 65.6%

July 2001
Are you using any ASPs (Application Service Providers) to run any of your FM software applications directly off of the Providers' servers (instead of having the software totally based in-house)?
Yes = 15.9%
No = 84.1%

June 2001
Has your company switched energy providers, since the start of deregulation?
Yes = 27.0%
No = 73.0%

May 2001
With the recent downturn in the economy, do you find that more high quality FMs are available for employment?
Yes = 45.8%
No = 54.2%

April 2001
With the rescission of the OSHA ergonomics regulations, will your company still be taking action to comply with the spirit of that legislation?
Yes = 59.0%
No = 41.0%

March 2001
Is your company being forced to reduce its in-house FM staff during the first six months of 2001?
Yes = 36.2%
No = 63.8%

February 2001
Do you consider over 10% of your organizations's facilities to be "mission critical" (i.e., must be up 24/7)?
Yes = 80.2%
No = 19.8%

January 2001
Does your company outsource its move management services?
Yes = 41.9%
No = 58.1%

December 2000
Will the new OSHA ergonomics rules have a significant cost impact for your company?
Yes = 57.8%
No = 42.8%

November 2000
If your company has over 100,000 square feet, does it have an on-site day care facility?
Yes = 19.4%
No = 80.6%

October 2000
Has teleworking in your company had significant implications for your FM duties in terms of space, furniture, budgeting, legal, policy, etc.?
Yes = 31.1%
No = 68.9%

September 2000
Has your Facilities group purchased more than U.S. $5,000 (or equivalent) worth of goods and services on-line over the past 12 months?
Yes = 44.8%
No = 55.2%

August 2000
Have your per square foot/meter leasing costs increased by over 10% over the past 12 months?
Yes = 28.6%
No = 71.4%

July 2000
Have you ever had to deal with any air quality issues arising from employee complaints?
Yes = 87.6%
No = 12%

June 2000
Are you likely to be running some of your CAFM systems on your corporate intranets over the next 12 months?
Yes = 69.4%
No = 30.6%

May 2000
Are you outsourcing more now than you did 12 months ago?
Yes = 44.8%
No = 55.2%

April 2000
If you manage over 100,000 square feet of space, have you subleased surplus space over the past 12 months, or do you anticipate doing so over the next 12 months?
Yes = 52.1%
No = 47.9%

March 2000
If/when deregulation takes place on a national scale, is your company likely to switch power providers?
Yes = 42.0%
No = 58.0%

February 2000
Is e-mail reducing the volume of paper in your central filing system?
Yes = 43.5%
No = 55.5%

January 2000
Did your company experience any Y2K problems related to your buildings, building systems or software?
Yes = 3.5%
No = 96.5%

December 1999
If your company has filed for a major insurance claim because of damage to your facility, in your company's opinion, was the settlement handled fairly and appropriately?
Yes = 82.8%
No = 17.2%

November 1999
Does your company pay non-exempt employees any kind of "stand-by" pay when they are required to be on-call during their off hours?
Yes = 40.0%
No = 60.0%

October 1999
Is your company requiring additional FM staff to be on-site December 31 to January 1 for dealing with potential Y2K problems?
Yes = 62.4%
No = 37.6%

September 1999
Has your company completed the remediation phase for Y2K readiness (i.e., corrected the building components and systems potentially impacted by Y2K)?
Yes = 79.3%
No = 20.7%

August 1999
Does your company have an ergonomics plan in place to increase employee comfort and to reduce work-related stress injuries?
Yes = 43.5%
No = 56.5%

July 1999
Is your FM department using (or planning to use in the next 3 months) the corporate intranet to provide higher levels of service to its clients and to improve the visibility of FM as a responsive service provider?
Yes = 76%
No = 24%

June 1999
Has your company experienced overall personnel growth (in-house) for your FM staff over the past year?
Yes = 49%
No = 51%

May 1999
Is your annual FM budget based on last year's budget (plus or minus x%) versus zero-based budgeting each year? For example, "YES" means based on last year's budget.
Yes = 80.2%
No = 19.8%

April 1999
Have you completed identification AND testing of your facilities' embedded systems for Y2K compliance (and are you now in the process of correcting them)?
Yes = 68.0%
No = 32.0%

March 1999
If you have ever outsourced any part of your FM operations that used to be done inside your organization, have you ever decided at the end of that contract to bring the work back in-house?
Yes = 53.9%
No = 46.1%

February 1999
Is your FM budget for 1999 no more than 5% higher than it was for 1998?
Yes = 62.9%
No = 37.1%

January 1999
Do you ensure a high level of service with your outsourced contractors through regularly scheduled (e.g., monthly) reviews?
Yes = 60.5%
No = 39.5%

December 1998
Are you outsourcing more now than you did 12 months ago?
Yes = 48.2%
No = 51.8%

November 1998
Do you suspect that your company has a problem with pilferage by its cleaning crews?
Yes = 50.0%
No = 50.0%

October 1998
Have you found that remanufactured systems furniture gives you comparable quality to new, and at less cost?
Yes = 58.6%
No = 41.4%

September 1998
If you have multiple locations for your gas and electric service, are you more likely to use a local supply relationship for local assets than a regional/national supply relationship for most or all your assets?
Yes = 68.5%
No = 31.5%

August 1998
In developing your current FM automation solution, did you use an outside consultant extensively?
Yes = 47.8%
No = 52.2%

July 1998
If you have maintenance contracts for various systems and services, do they cover making the systems or services Year 2000 compliant?
Yes = 44.1%
No = 55.9%

June 1998
If you have multiple facility locations, when feasible do you try to award national FM contracts for specific services (e.g., design, maintenance, etc.)?
Yes = 52.2%
No = 47.8%

May 1998
If you have been outsourcing any FM functions that you used to do in-house, has outsourcing saved you over 15% of your former in-house costs, after taking into account the value of staff time to manage the present contractors?
Yes = 39.1%
No = 60.9%
Note: In February 1997, only 32% of the respondents answered "Yes", indicating a very slight increase in the value of outsourcing since then.

April 1998
Is your company using (on a regular basis) some form of off-the-shelf specialized FM software for BOTH space management AND maintenance and operations (it is OK if brands are different)?
Yes = 42.7%
No = 57.3%

March 1998
Do you believe that facilities departments' operating budgets will be less over the next six months than over the same period one year ago?
Yes = 36.7%
No = 63.3%
Note: These results are quite different from those of July 1996 (see below), reflecting a possible change in funding availability today.

February 1998
Is your company actively preparing for deregulation of electricity?
Yes = 47%
No = 53%

January 1998
Is your facilities group developing guidelines to furnish and/or equip home offices for telecommuting staff?
Yes = 19.6%
No = 80.4%

December 1997
Does your FM group have a Web page with facilities information such as drawings, project status, maintenance requests, FM procedures, etc.?
Yes = 21%
No = 79%

November 1997
Is smoking permitted anywhere inside your company's facilities?
Yes = 22%
No = 78%

October 1997
If you outsource several FM services, such as custodial, security and landscaping, have you found cost savings from using just one company for the multiple services?
Yes = 41%
No = 59%

September 1997
Have you started taking action to address the potential problem caused by the Year 2000 computer clock issue, in terms of your automated building operation systems (elevators, HVAC, lighting, safety, security)?
Yes = 65%
No = 35%

August 1997
Do you use Performance Measurements to audit your productivity in most FM areas?
Yes = 41%
No = 59%

July 1997
Over the past year, has management or outside events caused a major change in the way your organization's facilities are managed or in how your FM group operates?
Yes = 70%
No = 30%

June 1997
Do you conduct annual Facility Condition Inspections that support your maintenance requirements or appraise the condition of your facilities to meet your operational requirements?
Yes = 60%
No = 40%

May 1997
Do you use the Internet or corporate Intranet for FM-related work at least once per week?
Yes = 84%
No = 16%

April 1997
In your FM group, is CAD used on a regular basis by BOTH management AND staff?
Yes = 43%
No = 57%

March 1997
Does your company charge some form of rent back to its in-house divisions, to recoup some or all of its space-related costs?
Yes = 63%
No = 37%

February 1997
If you have been outsourcing any FM functions that you used to do in-house, has outsourcing saved you over 15% of your former in-house costs, after taking into account the value of staff time to manage the present contractors?
Yes = 32%
No = 68%

January 1997
Does your FM group have a strategic facilities plan that is both tied into your company's objectives AND referenced or modified throughout the year?
Yes = 42%
No = 58%

December 1996
Do your company's top admin officers believe that facility improvements made have significantly increased the productivity of your company's workforce?
Yes = 57%
No = 43%

November 1996
Do you believe the conducting of more original research in FM would be of substantial value to you and your work?
Yes = 90%
No = 10%

October 1996
Over the past 6 months, or projecting ahead over the next 12 months, do you believe telecommuting will have a major impact on your company's office space requirements?
Yes = 26%
No = 74%

September 1996
Compared to the way facilities budgeting was done two years ago, do you believe there now are more short-term cost-cutting decisions that will cost more in the long run?
Yes = 81%
No = 19%

August 1996
If you are a facilities manager at a company with multiple sites, are more and more of your operations being conducted by or coordinated through your headquarters location?
Yes = 74%
No = 26%

July 1996
Do you believe that facilities departments' operating budgets will be less over the next six months than over the same period one year ago?
Yes = 45%
No = 55%

June 1996
Do you think a "facilities management" category in the Yellow Pages would be useful? Specifically, if you are an in-house facilities professional, would this be a helpful way for you to find vendors? If you are a provider of goods or services, would you list your company there as a primary or secondary listing?
Yes = 50%
No = 50%

May 1996
During the next year, do you anticipate significant changes in the way facilities and real property are managed as a result of "alternative officing" (any combination of hotelling, shared workstations and telecommuting)?
Yes = 43%
No = 57%

April 1996
Do you believe, or have you found, that having a professional facilities designation such as FMA or CFM enhances your career? If you have hired a facilities professional, please answer by stating whether the FMA or CFM designation has influenced your hiring decision.
Yes = 70%
No = 30%

March 1996
Do you anticipate Facilities Department staff reductions greater than 10 percent in the coming year?
Yes = 36%
No = 64%

February 1996
Do you believe that facilities managers' performance appraisals suffer as a result of downsizing, mergers or acquisitions?
Yes = 59%
No = 41%

January 1996
Do you think that either facilities managers or real property managers should be professionally licensed by state?
Yes = 33%
No = 67%