Hundreds of millions of employees are preparing to return to their offices as markets and buildings slowly reopen. The transition will be gradual, but most employees want to return to their buildings sooner rather than later, even if for a few days each week. At the same time, employees want to feel confident that their buildings are doing everything they can to provide a safe, clean, and comfortable environment. Furthermore, employee schedules, commutes, and mindsets will look different in the coming months as companies coordinate rotational work from home vs. office programs, employees consider driving to work rather than taking mass transportation and people maintain a heightened awareness of health and environmental factors that could impact exposure to COVID-19.
Easy access to information and tools that enhance comfort, will help employees as they transition into new routines and re-acclimate themselves to working in office buildings. The more that owners and operators can do to proactively communicate and provide transparency to office tenants, the better.
Cohesion recently conducted a survey of over 1,000 office employees asking them what was most important to them as they return to their office buildings. Building cleanliness and air quality were the #1 most important factors. Following building safety and security as the #2 most important factor, building communication and information was the #3 most important to office employees.
Here are a few key findings related to building cleanliness, comfort, and communication:
- Over 80% of office employees would like access to information on how recently/frequently office building areas were cleaned, while nearly 80% of would like to know the indoor air quality
- 60% would use a smartphone app to access information about the building, while nearly 50% would use it for communication of building notices
From these results, not only do tenants expect buildings will do everything they can to ensure a clean environment, but they want transparency to the status and actions of the building. Tools that connect building environment systems, provide access to information, and deliver proactive communication, will enhance tenant comfort as employees return to their office buildings.
Cohesion Offers a Suite of Tools to Enhance Tenant Comfort
Owners and operators should be able to service and communicate with tenants from anywhere and at any moment. Connectivity to systems, information, and communication tools enables operational excellence and delivers enhanced tenant experiences. By implementing these capabilities, tenants will feel informed, comfortable, and safe working in buildings. Forward-thinking and tenant-centric owners and operators will also benefit from improved tenant satisfaction and retention at this pivotal moment for the commercial real estate market.
Cohesion’s Tenant Comfort Features Include:
Communications | Provide transparent and real time communication between management and tenants with streamlined notification and chat tools.
Fitness & Wellness | Enrich daily routines by building awareness of and access to fitness and wellness offerings in and around the building.
Transportation | Make commuting easier with self-service parking reservations and payments, as well as visibility to real-time public transportation options.
Indoor Air Quality | Instill confidence that occupant health and productivity are top priorities with monitored and optimized indoor air quality.
HVAC | Enable greater control and adjustment of temperature in leased spaces and zones. To learn more about Cohesion's tenant experience features, request a demo with our team.
