Page 43 - FDI Alliance International Magazine. Spring 2021 Digital Interactive Issue

thinks the future includes a hub and spoke model
where a company has a main office location in
a large metropolitan area, with smaller satellite
offices in surrounding cities. This type of model
will allow for reduced commuting, reduced office
occupancy levels, and flexibility for employees.
“Companies are all over the board with their
return to the office strategies. Some that had
planned on going back in January have had
to readjust several times and are not looking
to return until summer now,” said Fredericks. A
hub and spoke model will add convenience for
employees and supports functionality at all levels.

Dan Breen, Managing Director at Jones Lang
LaSalle in New Jersey, is also a site location
consultant who regularly deals with office-type
projects and real estate needs. “I'm in close
proximity to New York City, which will likely
be the capital of the hub and spoke model.
For generations, people have commuted into
Manhattan, in particular, from an hour or more
away, and for some meaningful percentage of
people in the region, that’s going to change.
The new model is going to improve quality
of life significantly, in a positive way, for those
commuters. But the ramifications of that will
be really significant for other parties; there are
businesses, even whole micro-communities, that
have sprung up around these commuter rail
lines, and the associated lifestyle. What happens
to them? And what about the City itself? It’s going
THE FUTURE OF THE OFFICE York City’s economic condition, and ability to training facilities, but not for smaller meetings. research showed that up to 25% of the workforce
to be fascinating to see how this impacts New
recover from this pandemic,” Breen observed.
in advanced economies can work from home
That would be where the satellite offices come in,
The offices of tomorrow will more than likely also
utilize a hybrid model. “A hybrid model seems so employees can gather more safely in smaller between three and five days a week. Breen
mostly agreed, adding that “there are going
numbers,” according to Fredericks.
to be the most favored among companies to be a lot of considerations that drive people
right now. It could be a situation where people An analysis by McKinsey & Company supports back to the office, where I don't think that the
are in the office two to three days a week and Fredericks’ thoughts; though in a lesser capacity work from home scenario is going to be as
work the remainder from home, or where the than at the peak of the pandemic, remote work big a factor as some people believe. That said,
main office is only utilized for large meetings and and virtual meetings are likely to continue. Their the ability to work from home on a Monday
and or a Friday is an important selling point for
some employees, something you were seeing
In a span of a few days, the world went from planning to bring back their workforce by the people expect more flexible work arrangements long before the pandemic. And, even more so
bustling business-as-usual to deserted urban end of March, according to a report from The from here on out: 54% of respondents expect to than before, companies are going to have to
cores, not unlike those described in popular Conference Board. work from home at least one day a week. Add to demonstrate a certain amount of flexibility in
dystopian fiction books. Vast amounts of office it, a new Korn Ferry survey found that nearly two- how they accommodate their workforce, which,
spaces sat completely empty for months and Corporate giants like Dropbox have made their thirds (64%) of respondents are more productive of course, creates commensurate challenges in
months, and with each passing day speculations entire workforce permanently remote. Facebook at home. efficiently managing their real estate.”
grew about what would happen with the excess will allow up to half its employees to work remote
spaces. permanently. American Express and Capital One On the flipside, the Steelcase survey found that the One of the biggest drivers behind office
are planning to keep their respective staffs remote top two reasons folks want to return to the office projects choosing locations right now is reliable
Now, an entire year later, the world is still battling until at least Labor Day 2021. All this in stark are to connect with colleagues and reconnect to internet; fiber optic capabilities are a must. This
a pandemic, major metropolitan business contrast to the finding that 60% of employees the organization and shared purpose. is an essential for both brick-and-mortar office
centers are still largely working from home, and expected to be back in the office by the end buildings as well as home offices.
corporate executives are continuing to strategize of Q1 2021, according to data gathered by So, that begs the question, what is the future of
where to go from here. CREtech. the office? Communities may want to throw support behind
incentivizing remote work either on the individual
It is unlikely that offices will return to pre-COVID When thinking from the individual perspective, Sara Fredericks, Director at Newmark in Dallas, or employer level. Virginia offers a grant program
levels of occupancy any time soon. Vaccinations the needs of office workers have changed. Office Texas, is a site location consultant who works that can award employers up to $50,000 in tax
are rolling out and consumer confidence is furniture manufacturer Steelcase surveyed 32,000 regularly with locating corporate office projects. credits for telework-related expenditures per
rising, though only about 40% of employers were people in 10 different countries. They found that Based on her experiences over the past year, she employee. Vermont instituted a grant program

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