Your Place or Mine?

There’s been much in the press lately about the future of the office and what shape it will take in this post-GenY, post-recession, post-technology environment. The question that keeps recurring—as Boomers retire and HR folks turn to the next generation, as corporate space allocations continue to shrink and as digital devices free us from our office desks—is, what is the importance of place?

It was the topic of conversation for my keynote panel at the BOMA Every Building Conference in Seattle in June, and is treated in-depth in the upcoming issue of Better Buildings, in Jennifer LeClaire’s insightful feature, The Brave New World—In Your Office Building. Indeed, all of these factors (probably the economy least, or at least most short-term, of all) are working major changes on the way we work and the shape of where we work.

But does shrinking space mean a subsequent shrinkage in the importance of place? Of course not, as CoreNet Global points out in its recently released Corporate Real Estate 2020 report. According to its membership survey, 60% of respondents agree with the following statement: Alternative workplace strategies such as the virtual office will play a conspicuous role in some sectors, but physical place will predominate when we consider the totality of corporate real estate. By comparison, the total of those who disagree, strongly disagree or were neutral on the subject barely broke 15%.

But that doesn’t mean the role of the office will remain stagnant. As we approach 2020, the office will not only be used to support certain routine processes but also to spur collaboration and innovation. It will, most importantly, evolve into a haven for professional community.

The virtual office today is what the paperless office was two decades ago . . . : a vision that will probably never, or at least in our lifetimes, ever be achieved. Technology is gifting us with mobility and even more miniaturization, allowing us to commune remotely on a professional level. But it can’t replace the need to commune on a personal, intimate and more human level, face to face without the intrusion of a videoconference.

Also in the upcoming issue of Better Buildings, Jacqueline Hlavenka’s cover focus on the BASF building has much about creating spaces for interaction and collaboration. Forward-looking firms are recognizing the need for fluid work environments that can accommodate such concepts as hoteling and yet underscore the demand and the desire for in-person meetings face to face.

Or, as CoreNet summed up: Most people want to come together to work each day, and the recognition that work does have a strong social component to it will continue in 2020. Physical space will remain important for corporate branding, collaborative activity and innovation.

The very nature of work ensures the ongoing need for place.