Real Estate Journal — Green Buildings — March 27 - April 9, 2015 — 23B
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G reen B uildings
By Caroline Shelly, LEED AP, HF Planners, LLC What is a workplace strategy?
D
ue to the economic downturn in 2008, companies learned
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 prin- cipal of HF Planners, LLC and a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design - Accredited Professional (LEED-AP). n
Unlike generations before them, Millennials demand work-life balance. Organiza- tions are shifting their ap- proaches accordingly. For ex- ample, one of the larger hotel chains headquarters’ in NJ published a list of amenities offered to their employees, including a 24 hour health club, full service cafeteria, 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-
the desire and knowledge of what it means to be “Green”. A company’s mission statement that includes “sustainability”
how to deal wi t h t he i r office space h e a d a c h e s mo r e e f f i - ciently and c r ea t i v e l y . The s e l e s - sons lead the w o r k p l a c e strategy for
“A company’s mission statement that includes “sustainability” as a part of their employer brand will be more enticing for recruiting.”
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
ports the changing nature of work while incorporating bud- get conscious “Green” decisions that help evolve market condi- tions and company priorities. Millennials bring with them
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 maximum potential. This al- lows organizations to achieve the greatest return on their investment. Entering the workforce today is anyone born in the 1980’s who is between the ages of 26 and 35 years old, known as the Millennial Generation. Compa- nies that attract the younger workforce; like Technology, Software and Investment sec- tors should have a WorkPlace Strategy in place that identi- fies what the Millennial is looking for. According to the US Cham- ber of Commerce Foundation; the Millennial generation is taking the office space to the next level based on their use of the computers. Their main sources for news are the Inter- net (59%) and TV (65%). Less captivating 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 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?
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