In episode 324, host Mike Petrusky speaks with Bryan Berthold, Global Lead of Workplace Experience at Cushman & Wakefield. Berthold shares the latest research and insights his team has discovered on the importance of well-being in the workplace and how facility management and corporate real estate leaders can improve the overall employee experience. The pair agree that flexibility and choice are essential components of a positive workplace experience, and Berthold delivers the data to back this up. He explains why, as the purpose of office spaces shifts towards community and connection, facility management and real estate professionals are well-positioned to take the lead in solving the challenges of hybrid work through integrated problem-solving skills.
Agenda
- Implications of workplace decisions on employee well-being
- Importance of flexibility and choice in the workplace
- Changing purpose of the office and challenges of hybrid work
- Role of real estate professionals in solving these challenges
What you need to know: Workplace takeaways
Takeaway 1: Addressing employee well-being is critical for workplace transformation
A decline in well-being negatively impacts overall workplace experience and productivity. So, organizations should implement changes in the workplace that prioritize enhancing well-being, reducing burnout, and fostering a sense of purpose among employees.
Berthold shares that well-being has dropped from 75% to 39% over the last two years, particularly among younger generations. “We saw our first declines last year in the overall workplace experience. So we went into COVID, but the workplace experience actually never really went down. It stayed around two-thirds. Well, it all of a sudden went down just over 50%. Productivity index of people being focused, collaborating, doing their best work. That took its first drop by 14 basis points last year.”
The actionable insight: “If anyone has a takeaway, prioritize thinking about the implications of the things we do. Is this going to improve people’s well-being? Is it going to reduce burnout? Is it going to give them a good sense of purpose? That’s got to be top of mind, because if you raise that, the rest will follow suit.”
Takeaway 2: Real estate professionals can lead in hybrid workplace solutions
Real estate professionals have the skills and training to build integrated solutions to complex problems, making them ideally suited to tackling the challenges of hybrid work.
They’re adept at solving complex, integrated problems, and could lead the transformation of workplaces into a hybrid model:
“I think our skill set with this kind of problem-solving puts us in a natural sweet spot to help figure out the future of workplace and buildings and hybrid work,” Berthold explains.
Takeaway 3: The purpose of office space is evolving
The purpose of office space has changed, particularly in the context of hybrid work, so making office spaces conducive to collaboration, relationship-building, and connecting to company culture, is more important than ever.
“The purpose of the office has changed, and now we have the data to back it up. So, there are, like, five key things and why people will go in. It’s all about community and connection,” says Berthold.
And he has the data to back it up. “Only 56% of our people that we survey feel that office is meeting that need.” So, he suggests that attendance policies alone would not solve this issue if the office spaces did not meet the employees’ needs.
Workplace management insights
- Employee well-being has become a priority, with a significant drop in overall workplace experience and productivity index due to declining well-being.
- Flexibility in the workplace significantly improves employees’ workplace experience.
- The purpose of the office has changed from a place to do heads-down work to a place for community and connection.
- The current workplace often fails to meet the new purpose of the office, with only 56% of surveyed employees feeling that the office meets their needs.
- Solving hybrid work is a complex, integrated problem that requires a transformational approach rather than incremental steps.
- Real estate professionals, with their skill set in building integrated solutions, are well-positioned to help solve the challenges of hybrid work.
Learn more about C&W Experience per Square Foot™ Instant Insights
Check out the “On My Way To Work” video series
Do a deep dive into more workplace insights by exploring all Workplace Innovator podcast episodes
