Four key trends governing office design and planning: ABM CEO Scott Salmirs

It seems there’s a battle for RTO We have reached the plateauThe company is calm Hybrid DententeSarmir says the battle is not over. Many CEOs Secretly, they hope to add two people’s in-person work to another day on an employee’s schedule. That’s especially true now that the labour market has changed power. Get away from the workersand then return to the boss’s hands.

“this I’m going back to the officeit’s definitely still happening. I think so Economic climateyou really know what the company is thinking,” Salmir says. luck.

However, as businesses try to lure workers, there are some important changes that companies are making to their offices, Salmir says. Many large companies are cutting staff and streamlining operations. As a result, they trade smaller, higher quality spaces in centralized locations in older buildings as a way to attract workers. They also abandon their open plan offices and add more private spaces to “make the space more kinder,” he says. And of course, the boss makes sure the pantry has its own snacks in stock.

“They look at the pantry and what they have to offer, including coffee, snacks, all the good stuff,” he says. “It’s really important to our employees.”

luck Sitting with Salmir we discussed the future of office space and what workers can expect in the future.

luck: What trends do you see regarding RTO?

Salmir: If you do, this commercial real estate crisis is about people who are not at work and what will happen in office buildings. Mostly Class A buildings were really resilient. When people come back, now the benchmark is 3-4 days a week. Over the past 18 months, it has been increasingly.

But the less known fact about this more difficult time we currently have is that it gives management teams the ability to ask workers to come back to the office more, especially since the job market is not big. Four years ago, there was no way for management to tell people they were coming back. They just get another job. Not so much now.

What does the future look like for RTO?

I think in this economic situation we really see what businesses are thinking. It’s going to be a “one more day.” Therefore, if you are 3 years old, there will be four. If there are four people, they could turn 5 years old. This will be in my mind for the next 6-9 months.

We were promised Office Apocalypse A few years ago, people were saying that corporate real estate would be empty. What are you looking at in the market now?

We classify real estate into three buckets: Class A, Class B, and Class C. Class A is a good building, with really good amenities and they are great buildings. The lease rate is off the hook and the occupancy rate is like 95%. What I’m struggling with is the class space for B and C.

Let’s say you have 20,000 square feet, you’re in a Class B building and renting $50 per square foot. Now there aren’t many people coming in, so if you want to bring people back to the office, you know you have to give them a good space, so you can pay $100 for a 10,000 square foot building with the best amenities in the best places.

When it comes to office space, what do you see as a top priority for businesses now?

I think that’s how they organize their space as there’s usually a lack of private space as more people come back. People wanted this big open plan where everyone sat at a long desk. In order to get people back, businesses realize they need to give people more privacy. So you can see open spaces being converted into meeting rooms or areas with more secluded spaces.

They also look closely at the pantry and what they have to offer, including coffee, snacks, all that good stuff. It’s really important to employees.

Since Covid, businesses have also prioritized clean spaces. Many (companies) make sure that they can tell their employees that their workspace is healthy and clean. Some clients have moved some of our cleaning squad to staff for the day, so they stand out more, so people can see them cleaning the office and walking.

Most importantly, paying real attention to people’s work habits. Do they work together in groups? Is it a solo work? Are they a lot on the phone? Are they a lot in the video? What we always say to our clients is that we have to start by understanding the organization’s culture and the various use cases.