FMJ.CO.UK CORPORATE REAL ESTATE FOCUS
APRIL 2021 29
the purpose of the o ice will shi from the
place where you work to the place where
you connect. A location that focuses on
brand, clients, co-workers and external
partnerships.”
HYBRID WORKING
The lockdown hiatus has led to many
organisations evaluating their real estate
portfolios; in what Carroll describes as a
“seismic shi towards a workforce-centric
model, as employees are dispersed, digitally
enabled and liquid like never before”.
He sees the future of work being more of
a hybrid model with a firmer focus on the
needs of the employee.
“These changes will characterise the
workforce and working patterns in the next
five years and this will inevitably impact
the portfolio of the future workplace.
Work from anywhere will
drive footprint dispersion
and portfolio
transformation.”
When it comes to
location, advises
Julian Cooper,
Managing
Director at
Clarendon,
organisations
will have to
maintain a
balancing act
between what
employees want and
what’s best for their business.
“If you want to find a space that is
close to a lot of your employees, then it
may be a suburban location, but if there
are some teams that will be using the space
more than others, perhaps a location more
convenient for those employees will take
priority.”
Alternatively, he says: “It may be that the
majority of clients are centrally located
and so it makes sense to have a workplace
near them. Businesses may also want to
prioritise collaborative spaces for larger
teams, more meeting rooms and loungetype
spaces.
“This is why the hub and spoke model is
gaining traction. It allows employees easy
access to an o ice space with all of the usual
amenities, as well as a place to collaborate
and socialise with colleagues.”
Robin Davies, Business Development
Director at Freespace believes a revolution
in how space is utilised will result in an
overall reduction of 20 per cent of corporate
real estate within the built environment.
He sees the hub and spoke model for
corporate real estate taking a significant role
in pandemic recovery. Where previously, a
company HQ would house all departments,
“the trend in regional hubs, or satellite
o ices, means employees have an easy
reach of a workplace without the daily
commute”.
This hub model is already being trialled
within the public sector. In July 2018, the
UK government released its plans for the
One Public Sector Estate (OPE)(iii), a strategy
designed to consolidate its assets to
increase e iciency and to encourage local
growth and collaboration.
Says Davies: “This major operational
transformation in the UK public sector has
seen public servants vacating hundreds
of buildings across the country to occupy
fewer and more e icient regional hubs.
“As of January 2021, 17 hubs had been
created as we accelerate towards the target
of between 18 to 22. This includes the
closure of 130 HMRC o ices. Instead, former
occupants of these buildings have now
been placed into 13 regional
hub centres.”
Given these
new modes of
working, should
organisations
even be
maintaining
corporate
o ices when
they can
encourage
and support
distributed work
to save money on
real estate? Despite a
definite trend towards hybrid
work systems, o ices are still highly
valued by employees argues Carroll. JLL
data found that 70 per cent of employees
find the o ice environment is more
conducive to team-building and creative
collaboration.
He explains: “Hybrid working patterns
are driven by the simple fact that people
really miss the o ice, above all the human
interaction it o ers. CEO sentiment has
shi ed through the pandemic and there
is increasingly strong recognition of the
value that the physical workplace brings to
enterprise performance and culture.
“The cores of our cities will also be
reimagined to reflect their changing role in
the urban ecosystem. They will re-emerge
as hubs of innovation, collaboration and
interaction. With two thirds of employees
expecting to be able to work from di erent
locations post-crisis, we expect greater
adoption of flexible and agile space formats
within portfolios.”
DESIGN RETHINK
If the hybrid workspace is the preferred
option, how should CRE redefine and
redesign workspaces that will support it?
Plum of AWA reckons this may depend on
how a hybrid model is operated, for example
where some members of a team are in the
o ice and some not then the spaces must
accommodate small groups of people, with
a social distancing provision.
For Davies a design rethink presents
an opportunity. “Department heads and
business leaders must review how they take
care of their own people and optimise their
working environments accordingly to make
them feel fulfilled, cared for and, in turn,
productive. This will also pave the way for a
strong work-life balance.
“It will take some time to figure out, and
the design of certain workplaces may need
constantly evolving depending on the
requirements of individuals and teams.
However, what we have established is
that workplaces must support the social
elements, the impromptu conversations,
and connectivity, yet at the same time,
provide a space for collaborating and
focused work for those who have struggled
in those areas when working remotely.”
The cores of our cities will
also be reimaJined to reƜ eFt
their changing role in the urban
ecosystem. They will re-emerge
as hubs of innovation,
collaboration and
interaction.”