I was watching the Republican presidential debate last week and thought, “I wonder who I would vote for today, if pressed, out of this group? And why?” One person offers something valuable, another person something different—maybe better—and yet another would be a bad choice. I considered factors such as intelligence, platform content, experience, attitude, and appearance. In the end, all I know for sure is that it’s an important decision that can affect me and us for years.
The same can be said of clients and their office space decisions. It will be their company’s home for eight to 10 hours a day for years to come, and can influence virtually every aspect of their business success. My observation is that the criteria used to make these choices has changed over the years. Although some factors will always seem to hit the screen as an important business driver, new elements are surfacing over and over again. It used to be simply a matter of “location, location, location.” That is still crucial, of course, but other considerations are also coming into play:
Timeliness Criteria
• Flexibility in lease terms and terminations.
• Flexibility in space growth and contraction options.
• Minimizing capital expenditure dollars up front for the corporate client.
• Efficiency in the workplace with regard to area requirements per employee (some professional firms at six per 1,000-square-foot leased ratios, and ”hoteling” spaces).
Newer Criteria
• Work-life balance; the location of the office space to external amenities.
• Flexibility with regard to internal space plans, including collaborative spaces, huddle rooms, creative break areas, visual connectivity, etc.
• Flexibility with regard to reconfigurable workstations and moveable walls; the return on investment for these is now easier to calculate, if the work environment changes with any frequency.
• Amenities internal to the building; fitness centers, multiple food options, and shared building conference rooms have become a must, not a convenience.
Most Dramatic Changes
• Recognition that recruiting new talent is critical. Utilizing the work environment as a recruiting tool is now front and center. With everyone doing more with less people, how does a company secure the best and brightest?
• LEED-certified sustainable work environments; they have become cost effective and a part of a company’s corporate culture.
As senior vice president of UGL Equis, Jim Lob co-manages the firm’s brokerage operations in Dallas. He specializes in large corporate headquarters relocations and build-to-suit projects. Contact him at [email protected].
