By Ken Giannini, Board Director, MCM Architecture
Every week a new survey is published or a statement from a CEO hits the press related to corporate occupier’s desire to adopt a form of hybrid working for the long-term post Covid 19. And as a result, the desire to occupy less space in their central office hub. This is not however the death of the office and the discussion about the future of work and re-purposing the office for collaboration, mentoring, creative work and the cultural glue for organizations is well documented. Organizations’ will need offices.
But what about the landlord? Landlords are asking- What do we do now to attract and keep great occupiers, and fill our buildings?
I have an idea that is of its time. A time when the world has started to cooperate, collaborate, and work towards a common purpose. When work, life, values, and priorities are shifting. Employers are seeking to look after their people in a holistic way in and out of the office.
What if landlords came together with their occupier clients to support lifestyles not just workstyles?
The starting point of this idea is for landlords to ask yourself, who is your customer? No, it’s not the CEO or the CRE Director, but the entire workforce that occupy each and every building in your portfolio. Yes, all the portfolio not just those within a single building.
My suggestion is treating your occupiers as Members not Tenants. Members of your exclusive club. Provide those members with perks and benefits.
For example, access to all the shared landlord provided facilities and events in all the portfolio…the co working spaces, the reception breakout spaces, gym, cycle parking, showers, TED talks and events, the concierge services, etc. Across the whole portfolio not just within their own building. Landlords can provide a variety of benefits and facilities, but not have to do it in every building.
On top of that landlords support your club members lifestyle not just work. Tap into the buying power of that community of members by negotiating discounts or benefits with lifestyle products such as Netflix, Just Eat, Spotify, Uber, cinemas, theatre, health clubs, and etc. all accessed via an app that has all the products, services, locations, perks in one place for the members.
Look at the numbers: in the extreme case both LandSec and British Land have about 6-7million ft2 of office space in London alone, each. That equates to a population of occupiers (members) of around 600,000 members each. That is the population of Bristol! One hell of a buying power community. And this idea will work for smaller landlords as well.
The basic membership is free but special services or products are commercialised via service charge. Say a Gold, Silver and Bronze type of membership.
Imagine the win-win; occupiers win as the CEO that does agree which building to lease can see this as a benefit to all their staff. Landlords build brand loyalty and differentiate themselves. And keep their customers within their portfolio for the long term. Dare to imagine, is this the time for that illusive concept of partnering?
Originally published by Ken Giannini as a LinkedIn article on 21/02/2021 as part of the #BCOvoices blog series.
By Jenny Brand, Director at Teneo.
As the third lockdown drags on – past Christmas, past the Beast from the Baltic, past who-knows-what-else in the coming weeks – we clearly have a desire to return to the office when safe. YouGov polling shows that fewer than one in five workers want to only work from home, while businesses gain from the office’s important role in boosting creativity, corporate culture and employee development. Home working will remain, but it will be balanced with time back in the workplace.
However, returning to the office is no simple task – as some of us may have experienced last summer. Having packed our laptops and struggled into some work-appropriate attire, we returned to a workplace much changed from what came before. In came the hand sanitiser and plastic screens. Out went our pre-pandemic way of working, so too employers’ past relationship with their employees’ health.
At the time, these changes may have felt temporary – a bridge between the pandemic’s supposed early peak and it apparently being wrapped up by Christmas. Now we know that change is here to stay.
Covid-19 looks set to be an ongoing part of our lives. The virus is varying and mutating and, sadly, is unlikely to just go away – something evidenced by Health Minister Edward Agar’s comment that the Government is considering annual booster jabs to ward off Covid-19, similar to how we fight flu. For business, both its continued presence and its lasting impact create a range of challenges.
First, employers will need to stay abreast of Government guidelines. Having made strong progress with its vaccine rollout, the Government looks set to encourage offices to reopen this autumn. This means offices will reopen before the Government intends to lift social distancing guidelines, so some measures will stay in place. Plus, in the longer term, variants may require new measures to be introduced. Understanding and implementing these will be no easy task.
What’s more, employers will need also to consider their vaccine and testing policies. Doing so is fraught with potential pitfalls. Understandably, most employers will want to encourage staff to be vaccinated. But what to do with employees reluctant to get the jab? How, while respecting employee privacy, can vaccine uptake be monitored within the workforce? These are not easy questions, and no one answer will work for every business.
And these are just the most immediate and tangible concerns. The pandemic has changed how employees view employers’ responsibility to their health, something which is an important driver of trust. We’re yet to fully see just how Covid-19 has shifted these expectations, so employers must be switched on to this change.
In America, we are seeing the rise of the Corporate Medical Officer, dedicated to staying on top of these challenges. Given all the above, should such a figure be employed? The role is uncommon the UK (for now) but it is an idea that demands consideration.
The reopening of offices will provide clear and vital benefits. Yet it will also present a new and difficult set of challenges for employers, with Board agendas continuing to be weighed down by points around employees’ health. There is much to discuss, and many opportunities to assess. Deciding action, though, will be tough.
Originally published on 19/02/2021 on LinkedIn as part of the #BCOVoices series of expert blogs.
Cleveland Clinic London, which is building a new state-of-the-art hospital to open at 33 Grosvenor Place, Central London in early 2022, and the leading CEO advisory firm Teneo, have collaborated to develop a set of services to support corporates in getting their staff back into the office when government guidance permits. Interested? Get in touch. Follow Jenny Brand on LinkedIn.
By Christopher D Richmond MBA MRICS, Senior Head of Real Estate, PwC
Photocred: Ant Rozetsky
A revolution currently evolving suggests that the traditional office environment is soon to be a thing of the past and be replaced by the virtual office where staff work predominately from home. This supposes that offices will be smaller but used more intensively, made possible by the growth of information and communication technology and desk sharing, offering the potential for savings in occupational costs. At the same time, providing an opportunity to design a solution that optimises the infrastructure expected by staff, creates more efficient methods of working and maximises utilisation. Consequently, the way business manages its people’s needs and operates its office space will be transformed.
Some of you may be surprised to learn the above is an extract from my MBA Dissertation entitled ‘Alternative Ways of Working and its Impact on Future Office Accommodation Needs’ written in 1998. I was struck by how similar my research at that time is reminiscent of those discussions we are having today. Back then technology greatly influenced work styles during the 1980’s when we saw PC’s start to emerge on every desk reinforcing the convention at the time that individuals were fixed to workstations. The 1990’s started having a profound impact on working patterns when the Internet began linking together people and business via information networks on a global scale. The emergence of the information age increasingly centred around the concept of a virtual organisation that created a web of workers, capital, and technologies who operated in a flexible and agile way.
Fast track to 2020 and the outbreak of Coronavirus (Covid-19) has necessitated home working for most office based staff creating a fundamental social change that places people at the heart of modern business. The virtual working utopia we have been looking for it seems. Well not quite. Many employers are taking the opportunity to reassess their business and workforce needs to redefine their workplace strategy that supports the emergence of hybrid working. This envisages staff time being split between the office and home, or elsewhere, leading to inevitable changes to working behaviours and employment conditions. The consequences of these changes will involve looking beyond flexibility and agility techniques to clearly defining how workplaces will function to meet the essential social human needs. In other words, ensuring the working environment is safe, nurturing, secure, calm and aesthetic as a prerequisite to psychological health, well-being and growth. All of which is essential to encourage and reassure staff returning to the office.
Designing a creative, supportive and engaging workplace where people can work intuitively and interact on a human scale should remain the prime objective. But office experience counts for a lot and whilst the long held belief that it should be seen as a ‘business hotel’ in delivering 5 star service and hospitality still holds true, I believe we are entering a new paradigm with the emergence of the ‘business theatre’. A place of opportunities to enhance human condition and gatherings. Where people become the performers and the office provides the stage for social engagement, self-discovery, expression, education and creativity.
As I sit in my garden office writing this article, I am practicing the very essence of home working utilising technology and information networks that were not invented when I started my career in 1988. But here’s the rub. Lockdown has taken away the place where my career was formed, where my dreams are enacted, relationships forged, and successes shared. After almost a year of restrictions, I miss watching ‘live sport’ and attending ‘live events’ that was once our freedom and liberty. But more than this, I crave daily face-to-face interaction and participating in ‘live work’ in a physical office. It is for these reasons the virtual office will never replace the ecosystem dynamics of a vibrant and engaging live office workplace that encourages and enables us to achieve great things, that lifts our spirits and morale when we are down but more importantly, reminds us that we are social beings and that we thrive when we have human contact.
#BCOvoices is a series of blogs looking at the impact of Covid-19 on the commercial property industry, along with broader topics. If you would be interested in contributing, please contact chane.scallan@bco.org.uk.
Follow Christopher Richmond on LinkedIn here.
By James Ainsworth.
Photocred: @theblowupphoto
I need not repeat the story of 2020; we have all lived our own version of the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges have been unique to us all by virtue of our circumstances; however we were all unified by the Government’s stay-at-home orders, and may continue to be for some time yet as we flit in and out of local and national lockdowns. With the roll-out of the vaccines well underway and thanks to the herculean effort by the network of NHS and volunteers, there is at least light at the end of the tunnel.
For the vast majority of us, the pandemic has meant that working from home has become the new normal, and there will be people who have not set foot in their offices since mid-March 2020. But does this mean the death of the office as some commentators have suggested? Not by any stretch; moreover, this is an opportunity for owners and occupiers alike to make some bold moves in delivering the workplace for the new normal that focuses on service, connection and wellbeing.
We have all heard of some very reactionary responses, made very publicly, that businesses no longer need offices to the extent that they did previously, and that some would be closed on a longer term basis, maybe even permanently; but perhaps this misses the point of the office completely. Undoubtedly, the office, seen solely as a place to travel to in order to merely sit at a desk and undertake a job will have to evolve for those that have not already started this workplace journey. Home working may well now become the workplace of choice for the concentrated lone working environment, and those with a segregated home work space may well thrive on this by managing to avoid the ‘live at work syndrome’ experienced by those working at the kitchen table, or in their shared house bedroom. However we are intrinsically social animals, and thrive on human connection; it motivates, it inspires, it gives purpose. Ergo the office has a purpose, it is the best medium for the work based human connection and it can help to instill corporate values. We are hearing increasingly of home working fatigue and of genuine excitement at the prospect of getting back to the office to engage in person and experience those “bump into” interactions which do not exist in a virtual or remote working environment.
So what is the role of the office post-COVID then, if not to provide a physical space to work. Well clearly it still has to fulfil this purpose and there will be a proportion of the workforce who are more comfortable physically and mentally in working from the office, maybe full time. The savvy CRE manager will have to consider the needs of the full spectrum of their businesses workforce, not just their senior level cohort, as well as other post-covid evolution such as a reduction in business travel. However there is likely to be a shift to a much more hybrid model where work is split more between home and office, with task appropriate work undertaken in the relevant setting, and the location of working influenced by the shape of the day in terms of meetings and required interactions.
Regardless of the evolution of collaborative working technologies, virtual meeting platforms, and second life workplaces, (which are all important developments in themselves) which have facilitated our home working hiatus, the office is and should remain the workspace of choice for connection and group working. We must ensure that workplace evolution not only facilitates this, but encourages it. The hybrid model, with increased remote working (based on 2019 standards), may mean that some businesses are able to relinquish office space, but I suggest that this will most likely apply to those businesses that needed to move along a journey of workplace utilisation improvement regardless of the circumstances. For others, the opportunity will be in maximising the use and design of existing space in support of the connection and experience of employees and clients, but also not to forget the needs of those that require concentrated working space in the office.
The business hotel has been a concept championed by many of the larger corporates for some time, recognising the importance of hospitality and service, not only for clients and visitors, but also for the staff using the space every day. This is going to be the key to the new office experience, and ultimately what will draw people back into the office. The office will be as much a place to work as it will be a place to meet and share experiences with colleagues, clients and contacts. It will be a space to make use of innovative and next level technology and tools, or wellbeing & healthcare resources and experiential environments that cannot be replicated virtually, or in our homes. People may even return to the office to experience high quality food and beverage offerings, both within the office environment and by returning to favourite local high street offerings that have been sorely missed following repeated trips to our uninspiring or empty kitchen fridges. We also shouldn’t overlook the importance to the local economy of the footfall generated by the office and need to bring the buzz back to our towns and cities.
The challenge now for owners, through the management of multi-let buildings, or occupiers who manage high quality workspaces, will be to embrace this change and not be content to reopen currently mothballed space, expecting it to be used in the same way as in 2019. This may only be a smaller step change for some of the more forward-thinking owners and occupiers, but may be a real leap for those that have not moved with the pace of change in the past 5 – 7 years of workplace evolution. COVID-19 has undoubtedly advanced the workplace by a factor of X (depending on how far along the journey you were in March 2020), it is now our duty to embrace this.
Property and building managers need to look to embrace service and technology to support their occupiers, and to deliver a level of service to occupiers that will complement and enhance the experience that their staff and visitors receive. The focus of much of the research commissioned by the BCO Occupier Group over the last 5 years is thrown into sharp focus and in particular the 2019 paper titled The Customer Experience Revolution highlights the need for fresh thinking and innovation within the industry not only to provide a higher level of service within the property management industry, but also in order to attract the right talent to continue an upward trend in Customer Experience.
The space as a service concept has been embraced by the disrupters such as WeWork, TOG and Spaces, with experience and service at the heart of what they do, particularly by creating a sense of community. While their delivery model doesn’t suit everybody and I do not believe that they are the death knell of traditional leasing that was once anticipated, we do have to take learnings from their customer experience model. This is the major attraction to their space and something that service providers and occupiers alike must look to embrace in order to provide the environment and services required to provide an innovative and vibrant workplace through the 2020s. Some great work is being done, as highlighted by the case studies within the 2017 paper Office Service Standards and Customer Experience also commissioned by the BCO Occupier Group, and there are undoubtedly further examples of the continued evolution of CX within the industry.
Post-Covid, experience will be key, and a picture of excellence in any office or workplace setting will very much focus on innovation in both hard and soft services that create an experience to return for. This is not the death of the office, it is the re-birth.
As I pick up the mantle as Chair of the BCO Occupier Group, I look forward to championing the position of the occupier in the post-covid recovery and working hand in hand with owner and manager groups within the industry to ensure that we see a successful recovery and growth of the sector, with an emphasis on delivery of great service and continuous innovation.
Follow James Ainsworth on LinkedIn here.
#BCOvoices is a new series of blogs by the BCO. We’ll look at the impact of Covid-19 on the commercial property industry, along with broader topics. If you would be interested in contributing, please contact chane.scallan@bco.org.uk.
By Katrina Kostic Samen.
As an active voice of the BCO Board for the last 12 and a half years, eight as a board member and more than four within the presidential team, it is now time to pass the mantle on to new leaders and the next generation. I have met so many fascinating people who have helped us reach genuinely impressive milestones and create lasting change for the industry.
One of the main reasons I campaigned to join the BCO Board all those years ago was to give something back to the industry. I felt it was also time to steer the organisation in a different direction, which up until that point had not successfully integrated occupier opinion. My goal, therefore, was to ultimately align the end user’s business needs with the built environment, enhancing wellbeing and enabling choice from an inside-out perspective.
I was approached to join the presidential team in January 2016 because I represented a younger, more vibrant occupier focused female lead who had a reputation for challenging the status quo, and I’m pleased to say that’s exactly what I did!
I was well aware of the lack of senior female role models in the industry, particularly on the BCO Board. As only the third female president in the organisation’s 30 year history, this transformation was not something I took lightly. Equality is still lacking across many industries and real estate is no exception.
Despite this, we have made significant inroads when it comes to diversity & inclusion. In fact, the 2018 conference in Berlin saw female attendees increase by as much as 17%, a vast improvement on previous years. In order to continue this progress, as part of my presidency I aimed to ensure that there were at least two women of merit on each BCO committee.
Another key priority was supporting our NextGen colleagues. We invited younger members to attend Berlin, supporting their platform within the BCO. We now also offer free student membership and even a seat on the Main Board. As with all industries, our future lies with those that come after us and it has been a passion of mine to ensure that we continue to encourage our future leaders. Creating a mentorship programme where senior people in our industry coach the stars of tomorrow through various means, is already well underway throughout the UK.
The BCO is undoubtedly a magnificent organisation, but it has sometimes retained a façade of formality and, in some cases, rigidity. As an industry in a constant state of change we must be prepared to respond accordingly and consciously adapt. I did not just want the organisation to be the British Council for Offices, but to also stand for Building Communities for Occupiers, continuously evolving its remit when it comes to engagement and diversity.
I am extremely proud of the fact that together we have managed to achieve so much. By creating a positive legacy and effecting real change within the BCO, I look forward to the future, certain that we will not go backwards. Last year saw workspace firmly in the spotlight and despite the many challenges, it has provided us with a unique opportunity to rethink and reshape our office buildings, public realm and neighbourhoods.
We need the industry to grow alongside what occupiers want and what the future generation needs; the pandemic, for all its faults, has provided a catalyst to ensure this continues to happen and I know that the current BCO leadership team will undoubtedly carry on what we started.
Here’s to being bold and brave as we head into 2021.
2020 Brought forward a series of new challenges for all; from a global pandemic, tackling the impending Climate Crisis, and addressing ongoing issues around Equality and Inclusivity.
That is why the BCO NextGen were thrilled to bring back the BCO NextGen Competition for a second time in 2020. First launched in 2017, the BCO NextGen membership were tasked with looking beyond the Pandemic and sharing their vision of the Office in 2025.
As the office sector faces seas of change, we challenged entrants to imagine a better future. Entrants were encouraged to think outside of the box to present innovative and thought-provoking solutions that bring to life how the workspace may change over the next five years.
Entrants were free to choose their own theme related to the current global state, or one of the below:
Shortlisted entrants presented their ideas at the ‘Pecha Kucha’ style webinar on 9 December, with the competition’s judging panel announcing the joint winners at the end.
Competition judge and BCO’s Immediate Past President Katrina Kostic Samen praised all five teams for the amount of work that went into delivering the presentations and thought leadership while working in teams, completely isolated during the pandemic.
By Gina Colley, Threesixty Architecture Ltd
“COVID exacerbated many social issues such as gender inequality, men’s mental health, and isolation of the disabled community. Hopefully, we are now at a place where there is light at the end of the tunnel – an important time to pause and consider how we rebuild some of the structures that have fueled these inequalities. Scattered Space is a model that can help businesses build an agile network of premises. The aspiration behind it is to bring more opportunity, more equality, and more life to the workforce.”
By:
– Chris Radley
– Sam Ki
– Benjamin Koslowski
“Grown from our research and conversations we’ve had with colleagues, three key themes were health, sustainability, and experience. Futurework is a short animation that looks at where we work and rethinks the workspace as a network of connected places.”
Watch the full recording of the Top 5 teams at the event where the judges had the difficult talk of choosing the winners here.
By Annabel Koeck, Associate at Grimshaw Architects
#BCOvoices is a new series of blogs by the BCO. We’ll look at the impact of Covid-19 on the commercial property industry, along with broader topics. If you would be interested in contributing, please contact chane.scallan@bco.org.uk.
In 2017, I made the decision to take part in the BCO’s inaugural NextGen design competition. Our challenge was to imagine, and then design, ‘the office of 2035’ and answer questions about both what it would look like, and how it would support the way we work. Little did I know then, that those questions were only going to get bigger.
I’m proud to say that our team, Team 88mph, won that first competition. It was an opportunity that allowed me not only to meet my peers and introduce my work to the industry, but to learn from new perspectives, test the boundaries of what I can do – and, incredibly, do it all in a safe environment. It is an opportunity I remain incredibly grateful for.
This year, the BCO is bringing back it’s NextGen competition and asking our industry’s brightest young minds to re-imagine what the post pandemic workplace looks like, in just five years’ time. The stakes are higher, the time frame more immediate – but the challenge is just as irresistible as the one I signed up to.
With the final deadline for entries approaching, it felt appropriate to reflect on some of the lessons I learned from my experience two years ago.
“Parameters are the things you bounce off to create art”*
The BCO is asking NextGen members to consider the most pressing issues affecting the here and now – from the global pandemic and tackling the impending climate crisis, to addressing ongoing issues around equality and inclusivity.
The competition provides a unique opportunity to set your own parameters and decide what challenges you want to focus on. A response to this competition is a chance to create your own future – whether that be a response that is specific to a location, to a challenge, to an occupier, to an age group, or sector.
This year we’ve also faced one of the biggest challenges our industry has ever seen: the coronavirus pandemic. But, this challenge also opens up opportunities for more creative solutions. Don’t be afraid to push the boundaries and try something new.
The benefit of new perspectives
Stuck at home all day, many of us have lost the opportunity to learn from colleagues and external mentors, meaning our networks may feel more limited than ever.
Taking part in the NextGen Design Competition provides an excellent opportunity to do something about it and connect with new faces – whether colleagues you’ve never worked with before, peers from other firms or external consultants. I can honestly say that I was pleasantly surprised that the consultants I asked, and didn’t know very well at the time, were so interested in working on an unpaid, hypothetical competition! So make the effort, understand their perspectives, broaden your network in the built environment sector, and work in the interstitial space between all your specialties to really innovate.
What are you waiting for? Make sure you sign up and get involved here before entries close on 29th November.
*Quote from Neil Gaiman, English author
Article originally posted on LinkedIn by Annabel Koeck as part of the #bcovoices series.
Photo: Jimmy Tompkins
Like so many others, the office sector has spent the past five months focusing on the physical threat posed by COVID-19. Social distancing, one-way queuing systems and an endless barrage of reusable masks have quickly become crucial elements in our line of defense to make sure we protect people’s physical health and get Britain back on its feet, safely.
But as time ticks on, it’s important we don’t let mental health drop from the agenda.
With most of the UK working from their kitchen tables, colleague contact reduced to weekly Zoom or Teams calls and natural development opportunities largely stagnated in a newly virtual world, protecting mental health in the workplace is more important than ever.
As the UK begins to think more seriously about a return to the office, the sector is faced with a new opportunity to reinvent the way we build for, and manage, mental health in the workplace. In 2018, the BCO published a seminal piece of research called ‘Wellness Matters’ – that began to shape what practice wellness really looks like – but two years on, the world is a very different place, and it’s even more important that we take this opportunity to really embed these principles into the heart of our office designs.
As remote working continues to soar in popularity, employers face pressure to go beyond the typical wellbeing gimmicks – gym discounts and the odd free banana – and look to add a real sparkle or wow factor that helps to reassure workers that their wellbeing is being taken care of. The Flourish Model was a principal part of the framework introduced in the Wellness Matters Report. The ‘wow’ factor is an important ingredient of The Flourish Model, focusing on aspects that aren’t traditionally evaluated but still remain important – such as natural light, views out on nature, colour and green landscaping in the office.
It’s these enticing elements, combined with greater social interaction, that make a return to the office a relishing prospect.
See The Light
It’s no secret that natural light and fresh air have an enormous impact on worker wellbeing.
Natural ventilation is preferable in the office or home, hence the importance of many windows to let daylight and fresh air enter the building. For buildings in cities this is a challenge and also requires a good match between the building form and internal layout to allow a flow of air to be effective for the occupants.
And while home working is attractive for some it carries limitations for others. A lack of space, natural light, poor ventilation, noisy distractions or social isolation mean it is more likely than we need a more flexible and blended approach to arranging our working lives.
Reconnect with nature
Having spent months limited to one daily outdoor allowance, many of us have become quite accustomed to being at one with nature and enjoying the views of our local green spaces for some mental relief. A moment in nature can inspire creativity, particularly when physical human interaction isn’t available.
The Flourish Model begins to unpack both why and how office buildings should aim to provide a similar multi-sensory experience The senses need stimulation to keep the brain performing at its best. Atmospheres that lack good air quality, natural lighting or personal temperature control, for example, can sap workers’ energy and dry up any chance of creative thinking.
Green landscaping is easily implemented in offices no matter their shape and size and goes far beyond scattering potted plants across desks.
The emergence of biophilic design through vertical gardens, green walls, or architecture built specifically to make a statement can be given more soul by indoor landscaping and this can make people feel less stressed and more creative.
Active working
Remote working provides more opportunities to be active throughout the workday. Whether it’s enjoying daily exercise during a lunch break or regular stretching in between online meetings – such movement allows workers to break up their daily schedule and prevent musculoskeletal problems building up in the body.
Moving around is essential for health and wellbeing and should be incorporated into work life – wherever we are. When in the office, workers should be encouraged to take meetings in local parks, weather permitting, for example. Likewise, privacy booths are becoming more common and allow us to get our daily dose of quiet mindfulness, which the brain needs to replenish the mind.
All in all, it’s clear COVID-19 will change the way we plan and design workplaces. If we are to create environments that are healthy, have low infection risk and help people flourish, we need to consider all the elements in the Flourish Model, as shown in the BCO Wellness Matters Report, so that we can inject life and resilience back into our office workforce.
Derek Clements-Croome, Professor Emeritus at Reading University
Derek’s new book Buildings for People: Sustainable Liveable Architecture, will be available to purchase in late October.
#BCOvoices is a series of blogs by the BCO. We’ll look at the impact of Covid-19 on the commercial property industry, along with broader topics. If you would be interested in contributing, please contact chane.scallan@bco.org.uk.
Dan Bayley, Head of Tenant Representation, BNP Paribas Real Estate
Ten years ago, the relationship between landlord and tenant was simple. It centered around rent collection day. In today’s world though, this transactional relationship isn’t enough.
Recently, landlords have had to familiarise themselves with the wants and needs of a new, altogether more challenging occupier. This occupier demands more than just four walls and big windows. This occupier demands that customer experience be put first and look for workspaces that are as nice to work in as they are to look at.
For the landlord-tenant relationship, this is changing the way the two work together. Landlords are expected to be more open and collaborative in their approach. To keep an occupier happy, and protect the opportunity for long-term security, landlords need to be flexible. This makes the job more challenging. It also makes it a lot more interesting as landlords juggle evolving customer expectations with the realities of what they can control.
The first concern for most occupiers is culture. Whilst seasoned managers may mock the ‘fussy’ millennial worker that expects integrated tech, hot desks and beanbags, the reality is that these softer elements of office design and fit out, when applied correctly, can have a very material impact on a business’ ability to attract and retain the best talent.
This isn’t to say that an office without beanbags and slides won’t attract great talent. The fantastical offices of tech land aren’t appropriate for all sectors and businesses, nor should they be. However, other sectors can and should apply creativity to their office designs. Whether it be a large central socialising area, a selection of breakout areas that offer different work set ups, sound-proof privacy booths or quiet zones – it is important to offer occupants the choice of where they want to work. Different spaces for different moments and different work demands.
At a time when the role of the office is being questioned, this flexibility is more important than ever. The reality of COVID-19 is that the office market is facing greater competition. For the first time, it’s competing with the home and so offering a variety of spaces that can cater to many needs, rather than the single workspace available to most of us at home, is vital.
The second element of office design on most occupiers’ minds today is tech. The everyday worker doesn’t care about how high the ceiling is or who has the flashiest furniture. People want a seamless experience with technology that is intuitive and responds to their changing needs.
Yes, technology is evolving with a never-tiring speed. Sadly, though, that’s no excuse for being left behind. It’s up to landlords to accept this challenge and deliver change that keeps up with the world outside our front doors, or we risk being lost to it. When invested in properly, both financially and through the correct facility management roles, technological solutions can improve the efficiencies we manage as landlords as well as the experience of our occupiers. It can help landlords better measure occupancy levels and air quality that ultimately helps them save on energy, while making the office feel more comfortable for those within it.
Another important aspect is standards such as WELL, Fitwel and Wired and they are becoming increasingly important to both landlords and occupiers. These standards are reassuring for occupiers looking for space as they certifies certain aspects the building sets out to deliver. Equally, it allows landlords to offer a much stronger positioning of the building to future occupiers.
I think the future relationship between occupiers and landlords will be much more collaborative, built on two way communication with the aim to find the best solution for a particular tenant. Being transparent with your occupiers will benefit both parties, allowing them to be honest about their needs and allowing you to be transparent about the challenges so that you’re able to deliver a pragmatic reality that meets the needs of both parties.
As COVID-19 brings new questions to the fore about the role of the office, I would encourage all landlords to embrace the change. By starting an honest conversation about your occupiers’ needs and demonstrating that you can, and you will, continue to learn and adapt, everyone wins. By working together, landlords can deliver better offices, filled with happier and more productive people.
Originally posted on by Dan Bayley as part of the #BCOvoices blog series on LinkedIn.
#BCOvoices is a new series of blogs by the BCO. We’ll look at the impact of Covid-19 on the commercial property industry, along with broader topics. If you would be interested in contributing, please contact chane.scallan@bco.org.uk.
18 May 2020 | by Adam Bray, John Redfern
As the unexpected turn of events of 2020 has us all re-assessing daily life as we know it, attention now turns to the future of workspaces and how they will operate.
The role of a proactive and forward-thinking managing agent and landlord is to anticipate trends and the demands from its customers. However, nobody could have predicted the huge impact that COVID-19 has had. Nonetheless work patterns have shifted significantly in recent times, as customers have come to expect more from the spaces they occupy, opting for greater flexibility and enhanced services.
Clearly there are new challenges on the horizon as the industry grapples with social distancing, and technology will play a part in providing solutions. Many landlords of landmark buildings are pushing the boundaries of customer service, and it’s vital that property management strategies focus on helping to achieve this vision, whilst also challenge boundaries of our own and provoking debate to stimulate innovation. This will be especially important as we begin to return to the office after lockdown, and as we look to implement new ways of working and interacting.
The BCO has previously reported that efficiency, flexibility, adaptability, sustainability and wellbeing continue to be of top concern to occupiers. Office building owners and managers are increasingly being asked, and now expected, to offer a service that supports these business objectives and this isn’t going to change any time soon. In the current environment, adaptability, health and wellbeing will be at the top of everyone’s agenda and the role of the property manager will be to deliver the services to support this.
To do this effectively, engaging clearly and consistently with occupiers is paramount in understanding their specific needs. At a basic level, property managers are already hosting regular occupier meetings and video conferencing calls, but the adoption of technology has enabled a greater and more granular access to information about buildings through mobile apps and smart building measures. It has also facilitated the creation of platforms that enable real-time building feedback, digital twin modelling and platforms to integrate smart building functionalities including speed-gate integrations and air-quality sensors. Technologies like these post-COVID will be of utmost importance to ensure seamless and contactless building access, reducing touchpoints and assisting with frictionless movement around the building, as well as providing a one-stop-shop centralised communication tool.
There is already a revolution underway, moving from customers’ requirements for ‘space as a commodity’ to ‘space as a service’. This has been spoken about at length in the past and the BCO has been producing research and recommendations on occupier satisfaction since 2002. Their 10-point action plan and set of checklists that measure the performance of a building forms the basis of our RISE strategy, which we have in more than 60 sites, home to over 60,000 occupiers.
In order to successfully assess and address the performance of a building it is incredibly important to receive this feedback to enhance services. It is also important to offer transparency in management services, and to quantify how well service is delivered. In our buildings, through RISE, we have introduced a certification scheme which is designed to do exactly that. This independent audit, which assesses the standard of compliance with the requirements and expectations of occupiers and landlords, allows service levels and performance across prime offices to be raised through benchmarking and the creation of a bespoke framework to deliver services that address gaps in services.
The significance and effectiveness of this bespoke framework and benchmarking can be shown through our work at Cannon Place where the initial independent assessment score of 41% was improved to 92% in just one year. The speed of this improvement was the result of following a series of processes by working closely with the occupiers and landlord to align expectations with their goals and requirements. This cumulated in the production of a bespoke action plan, the creation of a customer experience strategy for the building, along with implementing the RISE action plan with a 5-step programme focusing on: operational excellence, customer experience, sustainability and wellbeing, innovation and CSR.
As we now move into a phase of lifting the lockdown with a potential phased return to work, we expect more focus on the role the building plays in wellness, scrutiny of cleanliness and how facilities are managed, as well as opportunities to improve interactions through technology. Tools such as Customer Journey Mapping will be paramount as we have a period of the ‘new normal’ and those journeys change.
Ultimately it is collaboration, transparency and a structure to implement multiple plans and processes, that helps to ensure that building occupiers and building users’ needs and expectations are met. To be able to quantify that to the owner and their customer is a powerful tool to drive constant evolution and improvement of service. As we are all acutely aware, the challenge now lies in adapting this customer-centric model to one which operates in an environment that sees restrictions imposed on gatherings of people, and individual mobility stymied by Government regulations as a result of the pandemic. Coronavirus may have driven people indoors, but there has never been a stronger need for community and interaction.
Originally posted on React News.
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