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6C— February 26 - March 10, 2016 — Commercial Office Properties — M id A tlantic
Real Estate Journal
C ommercial O ffice P roperties By Caroline Shelly, LEED-AP-BD + C, CID, HF Planners, LLC What is a WorkPlace Strategy?
D ue to the economic downturn in 2008, companies learned
maximum potential. This al- lows organizations to achieve the greatest return on their investment. Entering the workforce now is anyone born in the 1980’s who is between the ages of 26 and 35 years old, known as the Millennial Generation. Companies that attract the younger workforce; like Tech- nology, Software and Invest- ment sectors should have a WorkPlace Strategy in place that identifies what the Mil- lennial is looking for. According to the US Cham- ber of Commerce Foundation; the Millennial is taking the
office space to the next level based on their use of the com- puters. Their main sources for news are the Internet (59%) and TV (65%). Less captivat- ing to this generation are newspapers (24%) or radio (18%). This also impacts how they work, by printing less and storing more documents on servers. Connectivity is key to their work output. A workplace strategy that attracts Millennials is the use of smaller workstations for “Focus Work”. Smaller workstations should allow for quicker connectivity at desk height thereby allowing for
cordingly. For example, one of the larger hotel chains head- quarters’ in NJ published a list of amenities offered to their employees, including a 24 hour health club, full service cafete- ria, coffee shop, convenience store and credit union. The intent of these offerings is not only for employee convenience but to help reduce their carbon footprint by keeping them on- site for a good portion of the day. This also plays a role in their pursuit of being a “Green” company. A workplace strategy sup- ports the changing nature of work while incorporating budget conscious “Green” de- cisions that help evolve mar- ket conditions and company priorities. Millennials bring with them the desire and knowledge of what it means to be “Green”. A company’s mis- sion statement that includes “sustainability” as a part of their employer brand will be more enticing for recruiting. Creating such an environment establishes brand loyalty and also makes the employee feel connected to the company’s mission beyond profit. In conclusion, integrating a successful workplace strategy will help escalate the efficiency, the use of work space, perfor- mance of employees and realize the cost of your investment. Guided by the ever-changing economy, technology and work- force, companies must adapt to stay relevant to these changes. Caroline Shelly is princi- pal of HF Planners, LLC. n a section of the MARE Journal P.O. Box 26, Accord, MA 02018 781-871-5298 • 800-584-1062 fax 781-871-5299 www.marejournal.com Publisher/CEO Linda Christman lchristman@marejournal.com Section Publisher Alissa Aronson araonson@marejournal.com Commercial Office Property Spotlight
ease of access for technology needs. Space is also needed for collaboration and flexibil- ity among employees. Huddle rooms or private alcoves with soft seating are located in the space for private phone calls or meetings. The integration of audio visual and video con- ferencing is also valuable for collaboration. The employee is thereby utilizing the entire facility as one’s office. But looking to the future, will these strategies be enough? Un- like generations before them, Millennials demand work-life balance. Organizations are shifting their approaches ac-
how to deal wi th the i r space head- aches more e f f i c i e n t l y and creative- ly. These les- sons lead the w o r k p l a c e strategy for
Caroline Shelly
today’s corporations. A work- place strategy is developed when a company seeks ways to improve work space efficiency by improving the environment while utilizing space to its
Section Editor Julie King jking@marejournal.com
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