Scheduling Chronicles

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PeopleCube's Scheduling Chronicles Blog is Moving

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Scheduling Chronicles is moving to a new location. In a few days you will be automatically sent to the new location when you come here. Until then here is a link where you can continue reading the blog.

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Psychic's in the Corporate Real Estate World?

There was a recent article about a company making a decision on whether or not to invest in more office space or to simply renew their current lease. The decision came down to the wire, and when a decision couldn’t be made there was only one thing they could come up with to do… ask a psychic.

So, in a time when organizations are trying to be as efficient with their money as possible this company leaves the decision up to a psychic?

What do you think the reaction would be if your boss or board asked you a question and you shook the Magic 8 ball to get the answer? You’d likely find yourself kicked to the curb. What they’re looking for is a clear, concise answer with the data that supports it.

When it comes to corporate real estate, you can employ solutions that assist you in managing your resources and collecting actual space utilization data, which supports upgrading to a larger space, staying put, or even making more of a smaller space. This type of solution doesn’t leave you guessing.

Scheduling Chronicles Makes IWMSNews.com's List of 20 IWMS, CAFM and CMMS Blogs To Watch in 2010

Steven Hanks, of IWMSnews.com, recently put together a list of 20 IWMS, CAFM, and CMMS blogs that he says are worth reading in 2010. Our very own Scheduling Chronicles made the list!

We started our blog back in June of 2007 and have been speaking out on matters concerning alternative workspace, IWMS, scheduling software, actual space utilization, facilities management, and greening the workplace.

We’re honored to be included in Steven’s list. Thank you Steven for your support and continued readership of our blog. 

EPA Holds Contest Encouraging Energy Efficiency In the Workplace

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is sponsoring the first national energy efficiency contest. The contest will involve 14 commercial buildings from different parts of the United States.

Almost 200 buildings applied to be part of the competition. The 14 finalists, selected by the EPA, will compete to see who can cut their energy consumption the most, based on percentage.

Energy efficiency in the workplace can be gained by better resource management and a better understanding of your company’s actual space utilization. Tools like Resource Scheduler and Workplace Business Intelligence  allow your company to cut energy consumption, while becoming more efficient overall.

PeopleCube to Showcase Alternative Workspace, Real Estate Utilization, and Sustainability Solutions at WORKTECH10

Leading Provider of Workplace Management Solutions Sponsors Conference That Examines the Role of Technology in Real Estate and the Workplace

FRAMINGHAM, Massachusetts—May 5, 2010—PeopleCube, provider of intelligent workplace, resource, and energy management technology, will be a featured sponsor and participant at WORKTECH10, a one-day conference examining the themes of smarter cities, smarter buildings, and the global workplace. The event, taking place May 19 at the Time and Life Building in New York City, will bring together the worlds of real estate, design, architecture and technology to look at the future of the city, real estate, the workplace, work, and innovation.

PeopleCube will be joined at WORKTECH10 by partners Jones Land LaSalle, Johnson Controls, Regus, and Manhattan Centerstone. They, along with leading global speakers, will discuss the trends that will change the nature of how and where work takes place, how organizations can work together to build a smarter planet, and how technology is redefining the ‘workscape’.

During the conference, PeopleCube will be showcasing Energy Resource Scheduler, an integrated energy management solution from PeopleCube and partner Building Sustainability Ltd., a subsidiary of WORKTECH10 host Cordless Group. PeopleCube will also present its alternative workspace solutions and PeopleCounter, the industry’s only occupancy-detection solution, which helps organizations reduce real estate costs by tracking actual versus planned space utilization.

“We are thrilled to be joining Philip Ross and others from the Cordless Group team at WORKTECH10 in New York,” said PeopleCube president and CEO John T. Anderson. “The workplace continues to evolve, with greater emphasis placed on real estate cost reductions, accommodating the mobile worker, and supporting sustainability efforts. We look forward to showing how our workplace management solutions and those from other participating companies are leading the way to support changing organizational needs.”

Confirmed Speakers

Among the participants at WORKTECH10, the following is a list of global speakers confirmed for the conference:

• Frank Duffy, Founder, DEGW
• Florence Hudson, Energy & Environment Executive, IBM Corporate Strategy
• Andrew Laing, Managing Director, DEGW
• Jennifer Magnolfi, Programmable Environments, Herman Miller
• Peter Miscovich, Managing Director Corporate Solutions, Jones Lang LaSalle
• Marie Puybaraud, Global WorkPlace Innovation, Johnson Controls International
• Ian Sands, Director of Envisioning, Microsoft
• Bethany-Davis Swanson, Director, Concepts & Strategy, Nokia

Register for WORKTECH10

To learn more and register for WORKTECH10, visit http://www.unwired.eu.com/wt10ny.html.

Understanding Your Mobile Workforce Through Business Intelligence Will Increase Your Organization’s Bottom Line

In data pulled from the census, the number of people working from home or involved in some form of flex work environment in the U.S. could be anywhere from 2.8 million to 44.4 million people.

The trouble in using this data is that the range is far too wide, and nobody is tracking how frequently employees are using alternative workspace as a way to stay productive when heading into the office. If organizations had this data they would be able to better utilize their office space, and cut their real estate costs by selling off, or deciding not to renew a lease on underutilized space.

With Workplace Business Intelligence, organizations can track and better manage their resources. By tracking actual space utilization and understanding what their business may or may not need, they will be improving upon their energy efficiency, cutting real estate costs, and working smarter, all contributing to the bottom line.

Organizations To Expand Use of SaaS in 2010, Try it For Free With Resource Scheduler

In 2010 the use of SaaS is expected to continue to grow.

In a recent survey by Gartner,  95% of the companies currently using SaaS said they will continue or expand their use this year. The reasoning behind their decision is cost effectiveness, and that SaaS providers are always improving upon their capabilities.

Of the companies planning for an increase in their use, 53% plan to make a slight increase while 19% will make a significant increase.

If your company hasn’t made the switch to SaaS, PeopleCube allows you try Resource Scheduler for 30 days, free of charge.

Resource Scheduler will allow you to maximize utilization of alternative workspace, schedule organizational resources, and manage services.

The trial is fully customizable and is a great opportunity for your organization to see how SaaS can be used to assist you in cutting real estate costs and improve your efficiency at the same time.

Combating the Barriers When Implementing the Use of Alternative Workspace

Although the adoption of Alternative Workspace has certainly picked up, there are still barriers in the wider implementation.

Some of the obstacles that exist are:

1. Organizational Culture
2. Management Concerns
3. Resistance/ Fear of change
4. Executive Buy-in

A great way to combat these obstacles is with data. Many times we have discussed how Workplace Management Solutions can assist organizations in scheduling resources, managing space, detecting actual real estate utilization, and maintaining equipment. All of these systems allow organizations to better manage their alternative workspace, but you can also take the data from these systems and track utilization and see how their alternative workspace is benefiting your organization. All of this data can be turned into useful information by using Workplace Business Intelligence.

Recession Accelerating the Adoption of Alternative Workspace

A study by the New Ways of Working organization shows that over the past two years there has been significant accelerated adoption of Alternative Workspace practices being implemented, and the recession is being credited for the growth in the area.

The study shows that more than 4 in every 10 organizations have started implementing alternative workspace programs in the past 2 years. The recession has pressured many organizations to cut overhead and real estate costs as well as reduce business travel in order to remain competitive and retain the best people employed. This is all encouraging more worker mobility and an increase in remote options as well.

Coming out of the recession the concept and implementation of alternative workspace looks to have a positive impact for the short and long term. Initially these ideas of reduced travel and the implementation of mobile technologies were based on work/life balance for employees but now a major business driver has shifted to cost savings, making it a win-win for organizations and their employees alike.

The study also showed that increased employee mobility is leaving workspace underutilized. Organizations are reporting that 76% of their employees are using assigned workspace while 35% use alternative workspace. So the actual space utilization shows that 11% of the assigned space is being left unused.

“These results leave little doubt that alternative workplace programs are becoming valuable and perhaps critical initiatives as organizations strive to be more competitive by lowering their costs while attracting and retaining the ‘best and the brightest,’" says Dr. Joe Aki Ouye, co-founder of the New Ways of Working Network.

Learn more about Alternative Workspace and how you can cut real estate costs for your organization.