Lead The Way On Hybrid Office: Offering The Fittings And Flexibility The Office Market Wants
In commercial property news, if there is one word that dominates the talk of the office sector recovery stories these days it’s “hybrid”. The remote work ‘revolution’ remains a big deal, but its sticking power is anyone’s guess. Is the world of work fundamentally changed? Or is this just a trend? The answer is not simple or singular, and it often depends on the industries or regions you’re looking at.
So where does that leave us, as commercial real estate (CRE) professionals, in terms of strategizing? Here are three trends to consider:
Teleconference Tools
For new build or re-fitted spaces, it seems clear that anything that can be done to promote hybrid styles of work is a welcome intervention. This entails accommodating employees in the office and those connecting to the office from remote locations. Meeting rooms equipped with a solid suite of contemporary video-conferencing tools will be the default.
The good news on this point is that video conferencing no longer requires expensive hardware. Even the free or “freemium” versions of cloud tools like Zoom, and other conferencing software are leagues ahead of video-conferencing from a few years ago.
A starter solution is mounting big screens to the walls, with HDMI input cables so you can simply plug in a laptop for screen mirroring. The laptop’s speakers and mic often suffice for small rooms. Additionally, for larger rooms, you may want an omnidirectional mic and external speakers, but the days of large custom build-outs may be gone, or at least under serious pressure from “as-a-service” style providers.
What’s important now is flexibility – that the tenant’s preferred tool can be accommodated in the meeting rooms.
Flexi furniture and interior design
Companies offering their workforce flexi-time options will have varying demands for desks, chairs, and workspaces that are multipurpose. Modular and flex furniture makers are stepping in and filling the gap. We’ve already seen collaborations between modular furnituremakers and flex-workspace brands. Correspondingly, interior design options are also on the rise – like stacking doors and dividing walls on casters – that can be used to make quick smart changes.
Although this kind of design is still quite a niche, we can expect it to grow . With that, for prices to come down while new forms hit the market. We can also expect to see creativity in building designs and more purpose-built pockets within buildings. Examples include, project rooms, “outdoor rooms”, and other spaces geared for “activity-based working”.
New leases and legal
It is also worth adding that for the clever and contemporary CRE professional, we can’t just approach this from a fittings and furniture perspective. The key to keeping office business ticking over these days is responsive and adaptable contracting. Accordingly, we will be the ones bridging the gaps between occupiers and developers, between tenants and landlords.
Options like “state of emergency” or force majeure clauses are already relatively common, and increasingly in demand in markets like New York City where we see pressure to allow for future pandemic-esque events that may interrupt business.
With the right amenities and thoughtful design, office spaces can be welcoming and healthy refuges, even in uncertain times, shifting the thinking – as Sandy Speicher of IDEO recently told the Harvard Business Review – to a “reason to come in, rather than regulation to come in”.
Having an agent who is knowledgeable about all the intricoes of commercial real estate is key to a successful transaction.
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