As building owners and managers, you’re well aware that
offices have changed dramatically since 2020. What exactly has changed and why is
relatively self-evident. Office attendance is low and working from home remains
the preference amongst most office workers. How long these changes will last
and what will drive meaningful change for the better remains to be seen.
As advisors to office occupiers, we’re at the forefront of
this conversation. Since 2021, we have surveyed thousands of end users, interviewed
dozens of C-Suite members, and worked with over 50 organizations across the
United States, all for a single purpose, to determine the value proposition that
will increase office attendance and make going to the office worth the
commute.
For one Washington, DC-based trade association, that value
proposition was casual interaction. While its staff felt technically productive
working from home, many also felt isolated from the organization, its mission,
and their colleagues. By fostering casual interactions through hybrid policy, architecture,
and design, the association brought back the “fly-by” interactions that once infused
their workdays with feelings of camaraderie and shared purpose.
In-person attendance is at the heart of a meaningful
in-office experience. In fact, without a critical mass of people, offices are
much like concert halls without performers and audiences, merely empty venues.
But getting folks into the office is difficult.
So what? What’s the role of building owners and managers in
all of this? How can you improve the office experience and increase its value?
After all, you’ve already upgraded fitness centers, built state-of-the-art
conference centers, constructed rooftop decks, and updated restrooms throughout
your properties.
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Why it matters:
Your building has direct
effect on attendance
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At one large international
NGO, the in-office internet is so slow and unreliable that team members take
important virtual meetings from home, where the quality is much better.
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At a large DC-Based
association, employees complained that at times it was, “physically too cold
to work.”
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There are two opportunities for landlords. First, make any
remaining improvements needed for a seamless in-office experience (additional
details below). Second, offer tenants workplace strategy as a service, so they
can maximize the in-office experience for their staff, based on their unique
situation and organizational priorities.
We have identified the following areas as those with the
greatest concern amongst end users and the greatest ability to improve from the
owner / manager side:
1.
Attendance policies and anchor days are
essential for an effective hybrid workplace.
2.
The in-office experience must be better than
working from home.
3.
In-office Wi-Fi and tech must function reliably
and seamlessly.
4.
Leaders and managers must model ideal behaviors
– from casual “water cooler” conversations, to using the latest tech, to
following attendance policies.
Simply put, the in-office experience must be seamless. This
manifests itself in countless areas, from the responsiveness of building
management to the cleanliness and upkeep of restrooms, to the ease of use of shared
amenities.
Another important factor in making the office prove its
value is simply including end-users in the job-defining process. Collaboration
equals investment, and investment in the office promotes attendance.
The collaborative effort may include Workplace Strategy,
formal or informal focus groups, discussions or surveys about organizational
priorities and balancing those needs with employee preferences.
Workplace Strategy identifies opportunities to align
organizational culture, collaboration, and communication. It results in a range
of recommendations to gain efficiencies and build consensus, including process
improvement and changes to the physical office environment.
The office has a lot to prove before attendance becomes
perfunctory again. And that’s why organizations are asking their offices to
step up and be indispensable.
As building owners and managers, you have an opportunity to
support this movement. Ask what jobs your tenants have tasked their offices
with, and you’ll discover how you can make your building equally as
indispensable.
Re-examining the examples above, areas where building owners
can add value include:
- Better than home,” experience
- Ultra-fast and reliable Wi-Fi
- High-quality fitness centers
- Easy-to-reserve and use amenities
- Environmentally responsible practices
- Friendly and approachable building staff
By expecting more out of the office, office occupiers are asking
their offices, buildings, management, and landlords to step up and prove their value
unlike ever before. This is an opportunity for building owners and managers to stand
out and actively help to improve office attendance.
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Logan Gradison helps organizations define their office space
needs. Her areas of interest include, developing workplace strategies for
hybrid organizations, NGO’s, and law firms. Logan is the Director of Workplace
Strategy at Transwestern.