We are living in an ever-more online world. One of the great advantages of that world is that we can access nearly anything we want at the touch of a button. In fact, we are growing to expect it. And if workplaces don’t keep up with that expectation, they will fall behind.
Now that hybrid work has come to the foreground, today’s employees are beginning to see workplaces more as destinations than obligations. When making the choice to spend time in the office, they ask themselves what’s in it for them. What services and amenities do they have access to in the workplace that the home office lacks?
Online Landlords and building managers can render that decision an afterthought by offering quick, online access to a range of their buildings most attractive features, services, and amenities.
How? By bringing their bookable features online in an integrated tenant app that lets workers explore the building’s attractions – and plan their workday highlights – all from the comfort of their laptop or smartphone screen.
Bookable services and flex space
Equiem’s highly configurable bookings system allows for users to access everything from flex space to food and beverage retailers within the building.
How might that fit into a typical user’s day? Let’s imagine it for a moment:
Your user has an important project in the works. She needs to collaborate with her colleagues, so she hops onto her Equiem tenant app to check the availability of one of the building’s shared meeting rooms. She finds one, books it, and – if building management has decided to monetize that space – pays for it in a single, seamless process.
But that’s only the beginning of the process. They’ll need coffee if they’re going to crack this process, so she clicks over to the building’s online eCommerce platform and orders a round for the team, which will be delivered directly to the meeting room half an hour after they begin.
And if she’s commuting to work, she might as well book in a workshop with the building’s onsite yoga studio. Wait a second… there’s a promotion for two weeks’ worth of classes for the price of one.
Well, it looks like she’ll be spending a bit more time in the office. Better book in some time in the video conference suite for her client meetings.
Why is flex space growing in importance?
As you can see from the above example, flex space is growing in importance for today’s professionals. Now that so many workers have begun to utilize the hybrid model of working – spending some time at home and some time in the office – flexibility is of paramount importance.
Today’s hybrid workplaces require more flexibility than the traditional workplace. No longer is every single worker assigned a desk, day in day out. In fact, on any given day, the amount of workers present in the office may be unpredictable.
That’s why it’s important to offer a pool of shared, bookable spaces that your tenants and users can take advantage of. That flex space gives them the versatility they need, and any commercial building offering that versatility will be competitive in the future.
But it’s not just a positive for tenants. Landlords and building managers can use flex space offerings as a way to monetize any unletted space, even offering it to users from outside your tenant base to help show off your building and its amenities to potential tenants.
A role for eCommerce in the workplace
We all know that the shops, restaurants, and services available in an office building can be a significant draw.
This has never been more true than in today’s commercial climate. The previous few years has utterly reshaped the relationship between users and their office buildings’ shops and services.
Tenants have always factored in onsite retailers when making their decision to begin or renew commercial leases. Employees have even been known to consider this aspect of office life when choosing jobs. But today, when users are choosing between the home and office on a daily basis, knowing they’ll have access goods and services they want and need makes them more likely to spend time at the office.
Boost to Work Life for Employees + Tenants
For employees, it’s a boost to their work life. For tenants, it’s a subtle draw to bring their workers in at a greater frequency, which in turn makes them more likely to renew their lease when the time comes.
But the existence of your onsite retailers won’t bring anybody to work if they don’t know about them. By onboarding onsite retailers to an integrated, online shop, you can ensure that even remote or hybrid workers can see their latest deals, promos, and offerings.
The value of connecting your physical workspace with your remote and hybrid workforce cannot be overstated, and may be the single sharpest arrow in your quiver when it comes to encouraging workers to spend more of their time onsite.
