The First Facility Management Blog

The International Facility Management Association has combined its 2010 spring events into one conference offering facility professionals a fusion of new ideas, best practices, and leadership and management training. IFMA Facility Fusion will help built environment professionals recharge their careers through instructor-led educational programming; an expo showcasing the latest products and services; cutting-edge facility tours; and other professional development opportunities.

Held April 13-15, 2010, in Philadelphia, Pa., at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Facility Fusion will feature an Energy Forum hosted by a panel of government experts; three industry-leading power speakers; and an opportunity for attendees to meet new IFMA President and CEO Tony Keane, CAE.

Facility Fusion kicks off with an Energy Forum on Tuesday, April 13, featuring a panel of authorities from federal and state government agencies. Representatives from the U.S. State Department, U.S. General Services Administration, Naval Facilities Engineering Command and the City of Philadelphia have been invited to speak. Panelists will discuss energy as it relates to federal buildings as well as carbon capture and new legislation impacting sustainability in the built environment.

“As decisions made in Washington increasingly affect the built environment, it’s critical that we routinely engage those agencies at the forefront of promoting energy efficiency and sustainable practices,” said IFMA Director of Government Relations Jeffrey Johnson. “We’re pleased to have a growing list of government members who can provide perspective on the current administration’s approach to energy policy, how it’s affecting their agency and what effect those priorities may have on the private sector.”

The first day will also feature educational sessions highlighting sustainability case studies, resource conservation best practices and more. Representatives from the City of Orlando, Green Building Services and Texas A&M University’s Health Science Center will present. Conference attendees will get to meet Keane, who will address the audience during lunch on the first day and share his vision for IFMA in 2010 and beyond.

Day two of Facility Fusion, Wednesday, April 14, will begin with a presentation from power speaker William Rodgers Jr., president and CEO of GoodCents and former president and CEO of EMCOR Facilities Services. Rodgers will present “How to Make the Case to the C-Suite,” a presentation in which he teaches facility professionals how to develop clear sustainability initiatives and programs and then sell them to upper management.

The conference’s second day will include educational sessions on strategic portfolio management, environmental responsibility and reducing corporate food service costs. Representatives from Harrah’s Entertainment, SCAN Health Plan and the University of Reading will present. Additionally, day two will offer tours of local Philadelphia facilities including the state-of-the-art ARAMARK Innovation Center in Philadelphia’s Wanamaker Building; the Philadelphia Museum of Art, one of the largest museums in the U.S.; the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, one of the leading pediatric hospitals and research facilities in the world; PECO, the largest electric and natural gas utility in Pennsylvania; and the Keystone Helicopter/Sikorsky Global Helicopters facility.

The Facility Fusion expo will also debut on Wednesday and remain open until the close of the conference on Thursday. The expo will feature dozens of exhibiting companies promoting the latest workplace products and services. Companies including Bentley Prince Street, CORT, GCA Services Group, Munters and ServiceMaster Clean, among others, will be on the expo floor.

The conference will conclude on Thursday, April 15, with presentations from power speakers Jim Mathis and Sheila Brown. Mathis, an author, business consultant and president of The Mathis Group, will present “Reinventing Yourself for the New World of Work: 7 Bold Truths to Becoming a Market Leader.” His presentation will focus on responding to the recession through a market-oriented, consumer-driven business plan. Brown, an associate with Stantec consulting who helped develop Canada’s LEED® credentials, will present “Green Buildings: Trends for 2010.” She will discuss the latest energy, environmental and sustainability issues impacting the built environment and provide tips for making the business case for green building operations.

The final day of Facility Fusion will also include a variety of educational sessions covering topics such as strategic facility planning, ENERGY STAR® utilization and organizational cost savings. Representatives from ARAMARK, Facilities Solutions Group, Pacific Building Care and State Farm Insurance will present.

Those interested in attending Facility Fusion may register here. Members of the media may register for the event at no cost by e-mailing communications@ifma.org.

To learn more about the IFMA Facility Fusion conference and expo, or to learn about the Certified Facility Manager® and Facility Management Professional courses being offered in conjunction with the event, visit www.ifmafacilityfusion.org.

IFMA is the world’s largest and most widely recognized international association for professional facility managers, supporting more than 19,000 members in 60 countries. The association’s members, represented in 125 chapters and 16 councils worldwide, manage more than 37 billion square feet of property and annually purchase more than US$100 billion in products and services. Formed in 1980, IFMA certifies facility managers, conducts research, provides educational programs, recognizes facility management certificate programs and produces World Workplace, the world’s largest facility management conference and exposition. To join and follow IFMA’s social media outlets online, visit the association’s LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages. For more information, visit the IFMA press room or www.ifma.org.

Last week, online attendee registration opened for The Total Facility Management Show and CONSTRUCT2010. This co-located event for facility management professionals provides an education agenda, an array of commercial, institutional, and industrial building specific programs and special events, and is host to the Construction Specification Institute’s (CSI) Annual Convention. The event is geared to meet the education, networking, and informational needs of facilities managers, architects, designers, specifiers, engineers, building owners, and professionals who design, build, operate, and renovate.

The four-day education schedule, with over 75 sessions, offers relevant, interactive, expert-led instructive programs and on-floor “how-to” training sessions focusing on building and design, business, leadership, processes, standards, stewardship, and facility management. Most courses provide continuing education credits for CSI CEUs, AIA/LUs, SDs, and HSWs. The education schedule allows plenty of time to explore the exhibit floor with non-conflicting time to attend the sessions. Floor education is provided free of charge to attendees in the Education Pavilion during Exhibit Hall hours.

In the Exhibit Hall, attendees will have the opportunity to explore hundreds of relevant products and problem solving solutions as well as the latest products in the New Product Pavilion and sustainable products in the Green Pavilion. Participants can experience the value of networking and relationship building as a broad spectrum of industry professionals convene in one place. A special events line-up includes a General Session that focuses on innovation with keynote speaker, Bjarke Ingels, award-winning architect and author, a Welcome Reception, and a strong CSI agenda (including Certification Exams, association annual meeting, Honors and Awards Gala and Fellowship events). Technical Tours, a Spouse/Guest program, Student Competition, and programs specifically for the Emerging Professional are offered.

For those registering before April 8, 2010, Exhibit Hall admission is free and discounted education packages are available. Those registering as CSI Members receive the association discount. The event will take place May 11-14, 2010 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the 54th CSI Annual Convention. Discounted hotel and travel are available through the official travel provider.

The International Facility Management Association has released its sixth annual FM Resource Guide, a comprehensive, easy-to-use listing of hundreds of facility-related companies, products and services organized by region and category.

The new publication also provides an overview of the benefits and opportunities available to association members.

“This guide can help today’s facility professionals further their careers with information on certification, professional development, networking and even social media,” said Kim Coffey, IFMA corporate connections representative. “We’ve surveyed our members to make sure we’re meeting their needs, and we feel this year’s guide will not only help them, but also vendors and advertisers who want to reach out to them in a very targeted way.”

To view the guide, or to learn more about advertising in the 2011 FM Resource Guide, click here. IFMA membership is required to view the guide.

Founded in 2004, ABRAFAC, the Brazilian Association of Facilities, celebrated its fifth anniversary last year. The association now represents more than 450 members from across Brazil. ABRAFAC has worked to raise the profile of both those working in the field and the facility management (FM) profession as a whole.

The formal concept of FM began to be used in Brazil around the middle of the 1990s. Although the activity is well established within large organizations and continues to evolve and gain status, FM still remains to be totally understood by local Brazilian organizations.

Brazilian facility managers (fms) have been enthusiastic in the search for both professional and organizational development, and since the 80s (before the formal adoption of the title of FM, many informal support groups came into existence, each aimed at promoting the exchange of experiences, benchmarking, and good practice. Today’s fms are now tasked with working within the additional framework of the organization’s wider environmental and social objectives and are therefore involved in corporate sustainability in its widest sense.

FM is also the subject of formal qualifications, ranging from a variety of introductory operational/vocational courses promoted and supported by ABRAFAC, to a formal MBA at POLI/USP (one of Brazil’s most respected universities), now in its seventh year.

In other international FM news, Stan Mitchell was honored in October 2009 with the BIFM Award for Overall FM Industry Impact. As BIFM Chairman from 2002 to 2004, he played a key role in the restructuring of the Institute during a period of rapid growth and change. He was also a key player in the workshops, discussions, and negotiations that culminated in a series of meetings in Philadelphia in 2005 to establish the Global FM alliance.

Increasingly, college administrators understand that the first step in greening their campuses begins with addressing the energy and resource efficiency of its buildings. Through a $2.4 million energy savings performance contract now being executed by the Building Technologies Division of Siemens Industry, Inc., Florida A&M University (FAMU) is now on the path to a greener and more sustainable campus for the students and faculty.

“Through this contract with Siemens, FAMU will add a significant project to the list of measures that we will take to help improve the environment and reduce our energy consumption,” said FAMU President James H. Ammons. “Siemens is guaranteeing cost savings, providing training for our staff and helping us to monitor and maintain the equipment.  Siemens has a vested interest to see that we generate those savings.”

The Tallahassee, Fla. Campus, which encompasses 156 buildings and some 3.9 million square feet, is the largest historically black college and university in the country and home to 12,274 students. Work has already begun implementing lighting upgrades, pipe insulation, and steam trap replacements at the campus’ central plant. When work concludes in spring 2010, Siemens guarantees energy savings that will provide equivalent cost savings (depending on utility rates during the ten year contract) of more than $4.1 million, enough to cover the financing and provide a return on the overall investment.

As far as sustainability is concerned, FAMU stands to gain even more. Once implemented, the retrofits and upgrades are calculated to reduce C02 emissions by 4.5 million lbs., equivalent to planting nearly 15 acres of trees. Moreover, Siemens will deliver to students and faculty a more comfortable interior environment with better management of heating, ventilation and air conditioning and lighting. For example, the color rendering of the new lighting systems are closer to that of natural light, thus reducing glare and eyestrain. With standardized lighting across the campus, lamp and other parts inventories are less costly to manage and maintain as well.

About Siemens:

Siemens Industry

Siemens Industry, Inc. (SII) is the U.S. affiliate of Siemens’ global Industry Sector business—the world’s leading supplier of production, transportation and building technology solutions. The company’s integrated hardware and software technologies enable comprehensive industry-specific solutions for industrial and infrastructure providers to increase their productivity, sustainability and profitability. The Industry Sector includes six divisions: Building Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility, Drive Technologies and OSRAM SYLVANIA.  With nearly 222,000 Siemens Industry Sector employees worldwide, the Industry Sector posted a worldwide profit of $2.7 billion on revenues of $47.7 billion in fiscal 2009.  www.usa.siemens.com/Industry

Building Technologies

A division of Siemens Industry, Inc. (SII), Building Technologies (BT) Division is a leading provider of energy and environmental solutions, building controls, electrical distribution equipment, fire safety and security systems solutions.  BT’s solutions enable America’s buildings to be more comfortable, secure and environmentally friendly as well as less costly to operate. With a U.S. headquarters in Buffalo Grove, Ill., BT employs 7,400 people and provides a full range of services and solutions from more than 100 locations coast-to-coast. Worldwide, the company has 28,000 employees and operates from more than 500 locations in 51 countries. The Building Technologies Division posted worldwide revenues of $8.1 billion in fiscal 2009. www.usa.siemens.com/buildingtechnologies

About Florida A&M University:

Florida A&M University (FAMU) was founded on October 3, 1887. Today, FAMU offers 62 bachelor’s degrees and 39 master’s degrees. The university has 13 schools and colleges and one institute. The university also offers a juris doctor at its College of Law in Orlando. FAMU has 12 doctoral programs which include 10 Ph.D. programs: chemical engineering; civil engineering; electrical engineering; mechanical engineering; industrial engineering; biomedical engineering; physics; pharmaceutical sciences; educational leadership; and environmental sciences. Doctorates are awarded in physical therapy and public health. With an enrollment of more than 12,000 students, FAMU is part of the State University System of Florida and is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The IFMA Foundation is pleased to announce the publication of the first “North American Facility Management Degree Program Guide.” The new guide provides a listing of all known facility management programs in North America.

Its purpose is to help educational institutions develop standards for facility management curricula and the details of the course of study. It also serves as a reference for students, educators, and professionals interested in facility management higher education degree programs.

“This career choice prepares students for jobs managing the built environment with consequent opportunities to have a significant impact on sustainability in buildings, which are major consumers of energy,” said IFMA Foundation Director of Academic Affairs Charles Claar, CFM, CFMJ, P.E.

For a free copy of the “North American Facility Management Degree Program Guide,” send an e-mail to tfm@groupc.com with the words “IFMA Foundation Education Guide” in the subject line of your e-mail.

While much of the last decade had all of us focused on shiny new green buildings as the silver bullet for the many environmental challenges in the built environment, the virtual collapse of new development has helped the industry to refocus on the real solution: greening existing buildings. (Submitted by www.greenbuildingservices.com)

10. Existing building sustainability focus
While much of the last decade had all of us focused on shiny new green buildings as the silver bullet for the many environmental challenges in the built environment, the virtual collapse of new development has helped the industry to refocus on the real solution: greening existing buildings. There are many strategies one can employ to green existing buildings, but the most recent upgrade to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance is like your one stop shop for all things to green operations and maintenance. Implementation of building audits, ENERGY STAR® benchmarking, retro-commissioning as well as policies and practices will not only green your building, but may just lead to the greening of your entire organization.

9. Visibility of building performance data
From building owners and facility managers to occupants and visitors, information is power. In this information age we expect building owners and facility managers to continue to integrate systems that provide detailed information on building performance. Seizing scale-appropriate information is key—from building portfolio tracking, whole building performance, down to the individual occupant or receptacle, real change will come when the data is in clear view. Captured data and analysis will be leveraged to change behavior, make important capital expenditure decisions and inform building certification.

8. Occupant engagement and behavioral change
To bring about the kind of dramatic energy reductions we have to make in the next decade, occupants have to be engaged early in the design process, trained on how to occupy and operate the building and provided with detailed feedback on their own resource use within the building. Remarkably, building users are often completely left out of the process and treated as an unknown. The next generation of buildings will fully engage these agents of change in the fulfillment of low energy design and operation of buildings.

7. Training and education
Increasingly rigorous regulations, growing political support, a variety of incentives, and consumer preferences create opportunity for professionals and companies with demonstrated green building and LEED knowledge and expertise. Cities like Washington D.C., now require energy reporting for commercial buildings, countries like Germany have outlawed air conditioning for certain building types, property management companies are certifying buildings in bulk, the LEED 2009 certification and professional programs are out and underway…there’s no time to stop and certainly no time to look back. Training and education is a key strategy to help organizations and individuals tackle the question, “How do I fit in green building and LEED?” Professionals distinguished by their breadth and depth of applied experience in green building and LEED have “been there” and can facilitate your transition from awareness creation to a discipline-specific ability to analyze and execute.

6. Green leasing
Owners and tenants can forge partnerships and come away with a win-win scenario with thoughtful approaches to green leasing. For both tenants and landlords who are interested in green measures for the space, education and relationship building facilitates making green building and operations part of the lease. Developing a more collaborative relationship, the stage is set to make additions to the lease in the areas of indoor air quality, energy use, water use, recycling, carbon credits, tenant-build out and green cleaning that will provide an incentive for the tenant and the landlord. The result is a more efficient building with less impactful operations. Often an afterthought in many green buildings, establishing this clear and detailed legal agreement ensures that green approaches are followed by the parties involved.

5. Building codes close in on LEED
With LEED certification becoming a more feasible and even expected outcome of new construction projects, government bodies are implementing code requirements that closely match the expectations of the LEED framework. Many of our projects that targeted LEED Silver and achieved LEED Platinum, due both to the tremendous efforts of the project teams as well as advances in the building industry. Organizations that develop model codes, such as the International Codes Council and others are raising code requirements to help address energy and environmental issues. These sorts of changes in 2010 will continue to push the USGBC to expand their reach and modify their frameworks at the lower certification levels and beyond their Platinum rating as well as ensure a higher level of accountability.

4. International expansion of green building
With the growth of green building councils across the globe, the USGBC emphasizing international expansion, and the increase of international firsts in the second half of 2009, we are at the cusp of a wave of international projects going through certification. As more and more countries develop LEED and LEED-like standards, there continues to be a growing need to translate green building standards and requirements into country-specific approaches that are relevant and appropriate.

3. Manufacturers and the supply chain retool for the green economy
Vendors continue to work to differentiate themselves from the increasing green noise among their peers. All one needs to do is walk the exhibition floor at a green conference to hear the emphasis vendors are placing on products with green, sustainable and LEED characteristics. Through their internal practices and products, manufacturers will continue to push the market forward with their commitment to green, authentic or not. Greening the supply chain will require significant effort. Organizations such as The Natural Step provides programs and business case studies that help businesses successfully integrate sustainability into their organization.

2. Green building goes to scale
Eco-efficiency at scale will continue to be a hurdle for city planners. The European “eco-district” approach to a unified community of buildings is gaining traction in the U.S.  Portland’s Eco-districts program forges a new model for infrastructure, policy, and governance.  In the same vein, the world will learn many lessons from the BC’s Olympic Village (eco-district) this winter. LEED ND hits the streets! With the official rating system being released by the USGBC, this exciting standard applies to new master planned development, infill projects and existing communities…just in time for the projected upswing in green development projected for the coming years.

1. Living Building Challenge, version 2.0
Nothing could be more exciting to us than the vision outlined in the new version of the Living Building Challenge. This Visionary Path to a Restorative Future outlines 20 Imperatives (rather than Prerequisites) under the now seven Petals of the Challenge.  Each Petal outlines the Intent, or why we should focus on these issues and revised Ideal Conditions and Current Limitations, which help us to envision an ideal built environment and describes the barriers to getting there. The former prerequisites have been updated, and in some cases combined or renamed, while others have been added to complete the standard and make it more all-encompassing. New elements include: Urban Agriculture, providing food production on-site; and Car Free Living, developing diverse mixed-use buildings and neighborhoods that support alternative transportation options. New Petals of Health and Equity add the Imperatives of Biophilia, integrating natural elements and forms into projects; Human Scale + Humane Places, places designed for people rather than automobiles; Democracy + Social Justice, moving away from gated communities, providing affordable housing and universal accessibility; and, Rights to Nature including access to Fresh Air (imagine that), Sunlight (ibid), and public access to Natural Waterways. At least four projects are slated to certify this year, with over 70 in design or construction.

For over two decades, sourcing for services across both IT and business process sectors has gone global, with services providers from various countries offering a multitude of competencies. The globalization of service delivery has caused vigorous debate as industry, government, and the media have argued its impact on the U.S. economy.

In response to this (along with changes in cost structures due to the current economy), many IT service providers have been reconsidering U.S. locations as potential sourcing destinations, including lower cost, mid-sized metropolitan areas and rural communities. Many companies have found that low cost domestic sourcing can offer a key solution, complement global strategies, and help both U.S. and foreign firms expand their reach in the U.S.

“In today’s economic climate, everyone must find ways to work smarter and in a more efficient manner,” said Jeff Lande, executive vice president, TechAmerica. “Companies, governments, and others need the best talent at affordable rates, and many enterprises have moved to a global delivery model to innovate and execute on a 24/7 cycle. Since some of the best resources are right next door, increased attention is being given to sourcing to lower cost, domestic regions as part of an enterprise’s overall strategy.

“It is important to note that when companies are evaluating domestic locations, they are doing so in the context of a global environment,” continued Lande. “Some companies will be looking for a low cost domestic location as an alternative to an offshore location, while others will be looking for a domestic location to complement their global strategy. Foreign based companies may be looking at a U.S. destination to build local capacity, expand services, and gain market access. No matter the reason, the framework and model described in this report can be utilized.”

TechAmerica Foundation’s new report, Low Cost Domestic Sourcing: A Guide To Location Selection, provides a framework to help government agencies and private companies work through the evaluation process. For a pdf summarizing the report, click this link.

Looking ahead to what 2010 might bring, a new survey conducted the first two weeks of December 2009 asked facility managers and other building professionals about water conservation, water costs, and other related issues in their facilities in the coming year. The survey was conducted by AlturaSolutions Communications for Waterless Co., manufacturers of waterless urinal systems.

E-mail invitations to take the survey were sent to about 500 facility managers and building professionals. A total of 154 people answered some of the questions; 84 people completed the entire survey. Virtually all, 89 percent, indicate that, compared to past years, concerns about water conservation will increase in 2010. Participants were also asked if they thought the cost of water would go up in the next few years and by how much. Their responses were as follows:

• Forty-three percent believe water costs will go up 15 percent or more;

• Thirty percent foresee costs going up about 10 percent;

• Twenty-three percent believe costs will go up about 5 percent; and

• Four percent do not believe water costs will go up in 2010 or in the near future.

Most of the other survey questions dealt with actual water use and fixtures in their facilities. For instance, 58 percent indicated the facility they work in has not installed water-conserving fixtures or systems. This statistic is surprising because 72 percent of the respondents indicated installing water-conserving fixtures and systems is either important or very important.

Sixty-two percent said that most of the water used in their facilities is used in restrooms; this was followed by landscaping, according to 13 percent of the respondents; the remainder selected kitchen and food service areas, cooling and heating systems, or they indicted they were “not sure.”

Finally, the participants were asked what types of water-conserving fixtures and systems their facility is considering installing to reduce water use. The following were their responses:

• High-performing toilets, 28 percent;

• Reduced-flow faucets, 23 percent;

• Reduced-flow showerheads, 15 percent;

• Waterless urinal systems: 15 percent, and

• Water-conserving landscaping systems, 19 percent.

SOURCE: VISTA, CALIF.

According to a recent survey conducted by CBSalary.com and SalaryExpert.com, facility management is among the top 20 professions anticipating sizable salary increases in 2010. The list is based on an analysis of data from the Occupational Employment Statistics provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and ongoing surveys conducted by Salary Expert.

Last year, Facility Managers (defined as professionals overseeing all things concerned with the operation, repair, maintenance, and construction of facilities, equipment, buildings, and grounds) earned $89,262. This year, they earn a salary of $94,491 placing them in the 11th position on the list with a +4.38% increase.

The top 10 professions in order are: Oral Pathologists (+6.83%), Social Medical Researchers (+6.65%), Pharmacologists (+5.35%), Toxicologists (also +5.35%), Vocational Teachers (+4.93%), Deans (+4.9%), Social Psychologists (also +4.9%), Early Childhood Teachers (+4.8%), Insurances Agents (+4.73%), and Credit Representatives (+4.53%).

Completing the top 20:
12. Software quality assurance testers (+4.23%)
13. Financial securities clerks (+4.2%)
14. Food and beverage order clerks (+4.18%)
15. Computer network analysts (+4.05%)
16. Purchasing directors (+4.03%)
17. Public accountants (+4%)
18. Accounts receivable managers (+4%)
19. Government fire marshals (+4%)
20. Retail store managers (+2.9%)

SUMMARY OF 2010 FORECAST
And while employers are still slow to hire, CareerBuilder’s 2010 Job Forecast suggests the hiring market may begin to thaw, as organizations are beginning to consider hiring strategies designed to preserve the health and growth of their businesses for the future. CareerBuilder surveyed more than 2,700 hiring managers and human resource professionals nationwide across industries.

Full time
Twenty percent of employers plan to increase their number of full-time, permanent employees in 2010, up from 14% in 2009. Nine percent say they plan to decrease headcount in 2010, down sharply from 16% in 2009. Sixty-one percent don’t plan to change staff levels, while 10% say they are unsure.

Part time
Eleven percent of employers plan say they plan to add part-time employees in 2010, up slightly from 9% in 2009. Eight percent say they plan to decrease their part-time help in 2010, down from 14% in 2009. Sixty-nine percent plan no change in headcount, while 13% are unsure.

Hiring by region
Employers in the West are planning to increase their headcounts more in 2010 than the other regions of the country. Nearly one-quarter of employers (24%) in the West say they plan to add full-time workers in 2010, compared to 21% in the Northeast, 20% in the South, and 16% in the Midwest.

While plans to decrease headcounts in 2010 are down sharply across all regions, employers in the Northeast still plan to trim headcounts by 10%, followed by an 8% decrease in the South, Midwest and West.

Hiring by industry
Comparing selected industries, hiring is expected to increase in information technology, manufacturing, financial services, professional and business services, and sales in the coming year. Thirty-two percent of IT, 27% of manufacturing, and 23% of financial services employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in 2010, followed by 22% of employers in professional and business services and 21% in sales. Health care employers are also planning to expand staffs at 21% followed by 18% of transportation employers and 15% of retail.

Hiring by job type
When asked which areas employers plan to hire for in 2010, one-third pointed to technology followed by 28% in customer service. Nearly one-quarter (23%) plan to add sales people, 18% will add research/development, 17% in business development, 15% in accounting/finance, and 14% in marketing.

Compensation
Even as companies continue to watch their spending, they still plan slight increases to salaries in the coming year. Fifty-seven percent of employers report their companies will increase salaries for existing employees in 2010, down from 65% in 2009. Thirty-six percent expect to raise salaries of existing employees by 3% or more, while 11% anticipate increases of 5% or more.

Twenty-nine of employers plan to increase salaries on initial offers to new employees, down from 33% in 2009. Nearly one-in-five (18%) employers will raise salaries on initial offers by 3% or more, while 7% anticipate increases of 5% or more.

HOW EMPLOYERS PLAN TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE NEW YEAR
Companies are looking to the future and making up for lost ground caused by the recession. The following are 10 trends for 2010:

1. Replacing Lower Performing Employees
Employers are taking advantage of the large number of top talent in the current labor pool to strengthen their work force. Thirty-seven percent of employers say they plan to replace lower-performing employees with higher performers in 2010. When asked to grade their current work force, 25% rated them an “A,” 60% a “B,” 15% a “C,” and 1% a “D.” Less than one-half of a percent felt their current staff was a failure.

2. Emphasis on Social Media to Strengthen Brand
The economy required companies to make some tough decisions about their businesses, which had a negative impact on their brands. Close to four-in-ten employers (37%) plan to put a greater emphasis on social media in 2010 to create a more positive brand for their organization. One-in-five employers plan to add social media responsibilities to a current employee, while close to one-in-12 (8%) plan to hire someone new to focus or partially focus on social media.

3. Rehiring Laid-off Workers
Companies needed to scale their businesses to market last year and four-in-10 employers say they were forced to lay off workers. Among those who had lay-offs in 2009, 32% of employers now say they plan to bring back workers with three-in-10 either doing it now or plan to do so in the first six months of 2010.

4. Flexible Work Arrangements
Companies plan to continue providing employees with greater flexibility in hopes of maintaining a better work-life balance. Thirty-five percent of employers say they plan to provide more flexible work arrangements in 2010, compared to 31% last year. These arrangements include:

• Alternate schedules - come in early and leave early or come in later and leave later - 73%
• Telecommuting options - 41%
• Compressed workweeks - work the same hours, but in fewer days - 32%
• Summer hours - 18%
• Job sharing - 13%
• Sabbaticals - 6%

5. Cutting Perks and Benefits
Even as companies look to the new year and toward growth opportunities for their businesses, many are still choosing to trim perks and benefits. Thirty-seven percent of employers say they will cut perks and benefits in 2010, up from 32% who said they trimmed in 2009. Perks and benefits employers plan to trim in the new year include bonuses, medical coverage, suspended 401k matching and office perks such as coffee, tea, and condiments.

6. Rehiring Retirees and Postponing Retirement
Companies understand the intellectual capital mature workers bring to their organization, and 27% say they are open to retaining their workers who are approaching retirement. Sixteen percent say they are likely to rehire retirees from other companies in 2010. Additionally, one-in-10 are likely to provide incentives for workers at or approaching retirement age to stay on with the company longer.

At the same time, workers have expressed interest in postponing retirement. Thirty percent of employers report they have received requests from workers approaching retirement age to stay on with their company, up from 22% last year.

7. Freelance or Contract Hiring
While employers still plan to be cautious regarding the number of full-time employees they add in the new year, many will turn to freelance or contract employees to help keep their businesses moving forward. Three-in-10 employers anticipate hiring freelancers or contractors in 2010, up slightly from 28% in 2009. Six percent expect to employ more freelance workers or contractors than last year, while 15% expect to hire the same amount and 10% plan to hire fewer.

8. Green Jobs
Employers will continue to turn some of their focus to the environment in the new year. Eleven percent of employers say they plan to add “green jobs” in 2010, the same amount who said they added them in 2009. “Green jobs” are positions that implement environmentally conscious design, policy, and technology to improve conservation and sustainability.

9. Bilingual Recruitment
Employers have identified having a diverse work force as an important measure of success as they begin to rebuild their businesses after the economic downturn. One area they plan to focus on is building a bilingual team. Nearly four-in-10 employers (39%) said they plan to hire bilingual candidates in 2010 and half said that if they had two equally qualified candidates, they would be more inclined to hire the bilingual candidate.

10. Business Travel
While employers are inching away from cost containment and more into growth, one area they still plan to save money on is business travel. Forty-three percent of employers say that in their organizations there will be less business travel in 2010 than in 2009.