The New Office Space Dynamic
Upgrades and redesigns don’t come cheap, and owners of older office buildings need to be nimble, flexible and creative to level to playing field.
In addition to my managing Korn Ferry’s global real estate practice, I also serve as the managing partner of our New York Office. This role provides me with an opportunity to observe the dramatic and dynamic changes occurring in office utilization and occupancy trends.
Last week, we relocated 40 members of our team to a WeWork location to address growth issues. Shifting occupancy to a new location also provided us with more flexibility in our primary office space.
Initially, I was concerned that employees would potentially be reluctant to move offices. Instead, the move was so well received that we were over-subscribed with interested parties, primarily those in the millennial and boomer generations. The option of hoteling, having a more social atmosphere and smaller but more collegial open-space designs that promote a different kind of office experience appealed to many of our team members.
The experiment very well may have a significant long-term impact on how we think about our office facilities needs. This also made me think about older office buildings, with which owners are unable to compete with new buildings that are designed to respond to current and future tenant needs. Upgrades and redesigns don’t come cheap, and those owners need to be nimble, flexible and creative to level to playing field.
Job Listings
SPONSORED JOB GRAMERCY PROPERTY TRUST Property Manager (FORT WASHINGTON, PA) Manager will act as a single point of contact for tenants with responsibility for the planning and coordinated delivery of all management services. In conjunction with Asset Manager, Manager will also develop and implement an overall Strategic Asset Plan designed to enhance the value of the assigned properties.
JLL Space Planner (Menlo Park, CA) Planner will be responsible for the managing space planning, occupancy planning and analyses and assigned strategic relocation projects throughout all facilities within the portfolio. Planner will also coordinate with the Workplace Planning Managers, successfully delivering projects with minimum impact to employees or business operations. HINES Space Planner (MULTIPLE LOCATIONS) Position will assume responsibility for headcount versus desks allocations on agreed restacks, and will provide a single point of contact for moves and space execution. CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD Occupancy Planner (NEW YORK) Planner will provide tactical and strategic Space & Occupancy Planning expertise to manage the supply, capacity and demand of assigned client’s New York City portfolio of space. CBRE Senior Occupancy Planner (RAYNHAM, MA) Purpose of this position will be to provide complex research, data mining/analysis, reporting and interpretation of space planning metrics in an effort to provide recommendations and proposed solutions for a client’s occupancy needs. BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM Space Planner/Designer (RIDGEFIELD, CT) Position will support the Ridgefield, CT site in all aspects of planning, space programming, design, estimating, implementing, and inspection activities for internal projects as well as for all existing facilities, inclusive of Regional US sites upon request. Position will also be responsible for contributing to the Site Master Plan, providing information and proposals to address the changing site needs. APPLE INC. Field Sites Strategic Space Planner (CALIFORNIA) Strategic Space Planner will be dedicated to the Field Americas campuses and sites. Role will be dedicated to Apple’s small & large field sites in the Americas and assist current space planning needs and strategically plan future moves and migrations. JLL Senior Occupancy Planner (NEW YORK) Planner will assist with the development of migration plans, group-level and individual moves, and facilitate planning issues identified in the customer planning meetings. ROBERT HALF Senior Workplace Design Strategist (NATIONWIDE) Role will facilitate, coordinate, and/or perform space programming, planning, designing and change management for real estate projects in North America. This will include compiling reports and presentations as well as implementing standards related to the design and layout of Robert Half field offices. COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL Design Coordinator (ATLANTA) Coordinator will successfully communicate design strategies (i.e. schedules, modifications, updates) to consultants, contractors and vendors to meet all established deadlines; partner with Project Managers to create, communicate and maintain project schedules; and provide design support for vendors and contractors during installation.