Well-meaning reactions to high-level mandates will result in waking the sleeping giants of the pandemic: wasted energy, materials, and effort. Owners who reactively implement system changes without regard for secondary consequences will inherit long-lasting cost and performance impacts. This has the potential to reverse decades of progress in energy efficiency programs and policy. These outcomes can be minimized or avoided with better conversation, leadership understanding, and alternate approaches.
The situation is most ripe for directed reactionary behavior in facilities with a higher employee count and dedicated facility staff. Employees returning to work after an extended period of working off-site will likely pressure leadership, who may in turn issue operational mandates. These mandates will likely come in the form of high-level stakeholder requests to a facility manager. Our examples for discussion are the following: A COO says,