The First Facility Management Blog

Most people eat at their desks at least once in their professional lives. Some of us always multitask through lunch (I know I do). But how many facility managers have had to deal with cleaning food out of keyboards?

Last week, Becky Roberts of TechRepublic contributed a funny article on this topic which appears in ZDNet Australia. Note that some of the food references may be unfamiliar to U.S. audiences, although the descriptions make it pretty clear. This article is worth reading alone for the link on how to wash your keyboard by running it through the dishwasher!

What other maintenance issues of this type can be expected? And is keyboard cleaning an FM responsibility? Or does it fall on IT?

Friday the 13th seems like as good a day as any to start a Blog, especially with the news of major base closures looming around the country. The announcement, which was officially released today, was actually leaked to our offices yesterday by someone who knows someone who works in the facilities department of our local military neighbor, Fort Monmouth. Naturally, this was all taken with a grain of salt, but sure enough, the local rumor mill was actually right for once.

As one of my friends (who happens to work at the Fort) said to me in an e-mail today, “I’m not listing my house anytime soon.”

Clearly, the impact on local communities will be felt in everything from restaurants and other retail establishments to schools and hospitals that support the bases. Is this ever an easy process or decision to make?