鈥淒iving deep into your tenants鈥� businesses, helping them to grow and facilitating experiences that fill gaps within their organizations creates greater loyalty.鈥�
That quote comes from a report entitled , and it could serve as a ground rule for landlords and property managers struggling to lure tenants back into their office buildings post-COVID. In fact, it comes from a report from NAIOP, The Commercial Real Estate Association . . . written in 2016.
It underscores the important reminder that, as Kris Cramer, CPM庐, points out, tenant experience did not start with the pandemic. 鈥淚t didn鈥檛 matter how small a tenant鈥檚 office was, as long as there was accommodation for congregation with other people,鈥� says the senior property manager for Colliers in Chicago. 鈥淚t was already a growing trend among office tenants.鈥�
As the reported earlier this year: 鈥淔or , the office shouldn鈥檛 be a place to tackle a to-do list. It鈥檚 a place for collaboration, creativity, and learning, where an employee feels nurtured and a sense of belonging.鈥�
That sense of belonging only intensified during the depths of the pandemic, explains Cramer, who manages two Chicagoland office buildings as well as 20 industrial assets. She says that tenant experience essentially boils down to the need for amenities, something that property managers have recognized for years.
鈥淐olliers has always offered tenant appreciation days and other events鈥� that bring the community into their spaces. These have included events sponsored by Bon Appetit and the Hoffman Estates (IL) Chamber of Commerce. And again, while those were nice touches pre-COVID, 鈥淵ou almost have to offer them now, because they are expected.鈥�
Happily, the advancement of collaboration and congregation spaces aligns nicely with the advancement of technology, and Cramer says that tenants now have the opportunity to streamline all building services and amenities on their smartphones. Colliers calls its app 鈥淣eighborhood,鈥� which she describes as 鈥渁 great way to stay connected鈥� to local-area and building-specific services and events. (Of course, the app can also be used to alert management to building issues.)
In terms of how they approach their spaces, tenants in Cramer鈥檚 charge cover the spectrum of post-pandemic leasing needs. Yes, some are cutting back on their space allotment as they embrace more hybrid work strategies, and at least one tenant, a call center, has opted for full remote work.
But others are actually taking more space. 鈥淲e thought most tenants would cut back to make way for more hybrid work and use their desks for hoteling,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e seeing many tenants taking larger spaces, so they鈥檒l plan for, let鈥檚 say, 100 people even though only 30 or 40 are in the office. So, tenants are edging back slowly and planning for future growth, as well as allowing for more room for collaboration and congregation.鈥�
Since Cramer says that 鈥渢enant experience鈥� is really code for 鈥渁menities.鈥� Topping the list of expected service offerings is 鈥渇ood on site. The type of food service depends largely on the type of building. It could be a deli or a full restaurant. It could even be just grab-and-go sandwiches. Whatever it might be, it seems everyone wants food in their building.鈥�
But the wants and needs of tenants do not begin and end with food, and Cramer reports that other amenities are more popular than ever, such as recreation areas providing everything from conversion spots to 鈥渇oosball and bag games.鈥�
The reality of the tenant experience in all of its forms is more than fun, games, and a place to grab lunch. Cramer points to the current labor shortage and tenants鈥� attempts to attract new talent. 鈥淓veryone is having trouble hiring,鈥� she says. 鈥淎fter COVID, many people decided to retire. Others wanted to work for companies with more robust hybrid work policies and an amenities-rich environment. Whatever the reason, more employers recognize that potential candidates expect such things in their places of business.鈥�
Whatever the driver, the goal is to make the workspace more than the place where we work. 鈥淢ore than ever,鈥� she says, employees want that feeling of comfort and a sense that they鈥檙e appreciated. 鈥淭hey want to have the option to decompress, sit down, and get some sunshine, rather than constantly sitting in a cubicle.鈥�
Office spaces are slowly filling up once again, albeit under new rules of engagement. So, in a sense, we鈥檙e in a transitional time in the post-COVID office recovery. But an emphasis on that above-mentioned 鈥渟ense of belonging,鈥� and an amenities-rich environment are not a passing fad.
鈥淭he tenant experience, in all of its forms, is here to stay,鈥� Cramer concludes.