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Saying goodbye to the
traditional workplace
The gig is up. Since we are working
differently now, corporate workplaces
must be prepared to support these
changes.
To this end, firms are increasingly
redesigning their offices to provide
fewer private offices and cubicles,
and more open and collaborative
space to address the fact that
30-50% of their workforce are not
actual employees. The goals are
twofold: first, to provide workplaces
that facilitate discussion and
collaboration. Second, to decrease
the firm’s overall rent bill by providing
less physical space per worker.
Contracting and collaborative
workplaces are key factors in why
office vacancies remain elevated
even with our economy at full
employment, and why so little new
office space is being built. Continued
economic and job growth won’t
change that. We just don’t need as
much office space.
More and more gig workers are
utilizing co-working or collaborative
spaces such as Regus, the industry
leader in shared work space, which
has 3,000 locations in 900 cities
across the globe or WeWork, which
claims 50,000 members who work in
its spaces.
Together, they and other providers
of co-working space, have leased
several million square feet of space in
the past few years and that trend is
sure to continue with the growth of
this economy.
The gig economy also impacts
traditional corporate culture and
employee engagement. With so
many contractors in the mix, it’s more
important than ever to demonstrate a
commitment to all workers – whether
full time or temporary. When all
workers are engaged, they are more
likely to be committed to company
goals. Plus, you never know where a
contractor may end up. They could
return as a full time employee or even
work for one of your clients one day.
How CRE executives can
plan for the future
Now more than ever, CRE needs to
secure a seat at the table with other
business unit leaders when discussing
the company’s strategy and forward-
looking plans. There needs to be a
good understanding of not only who
will be using the space, but how and
when they will be using it. Different
groups should be considered and
consulted with when planning. For
instance, according to Deloitte, 70%
of millennials might reject traditional
employment/business and choose
to work independently in the future.
Given this reality, this group’s work
styles should definitely be addressed.
In addition, artificial intelligence and
robotics will be more prevalent in
the near future and their presence
should be factored into the planning
as well. Armed with this type of
information, companies can design
and continually redesign a workplace
that works for their organization
going forward.
At the end of the day, businesses
that will be successful in the future
will be those who break down
the barriers between people,
workplaces and technologies and
empower their employees to be
productive and creative
no matter
where
they are.
65%
of today's school
students will be
doing jobs that
don't exist yet
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