In its third member survey of the top-10 office complaints, the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) once again found that disagreements about office temperature rank at the top of the list. But the order has switched: People now complain of being too cold more often than being too hot.

“It’s too cold” and “It’s too hot” ranked one and two respectively, followed (in order) by poor janitorial service, not enough conference rooms, not enough storage/filing space in workstation, poor indoor air quality, no privacy in workstation/office, inadequate parking, computer problems, and noise levels.

When the same survey was conducted in 1991, “too hot” ranked first and “too cold” ranked second. All of the other complaints have surfaced on previous surveys in different positions. This year’s survey marks the first time the noise-level complaint has made the top 10.

The 2003 Corporate Facility Monitor survey, sent to 2,400 IFMA members in early May, yielded a 14.2 percent response rate. The largest percentage of respondents (86 percent) manage facilities where more than 100 employees work.

Sixty-eight percent of respondents reported receiving one to 20 complaints/requests per week; 10 percent reported anywhere from 50 to several hundred. Seventy-six percent of respondents said the average turnaround time for an answer or solution is one day.

For more information, visit www.ifma.org.

Publication date: 09/22/2003