In our webinar, The CRE Journey to the Digital Workplace Experience, Sabine Ehm is joined by industry experts Philip Ross, Simon Pascoe and Mark Needham, to discuss the future of the workplace. The panel explores how global businesses have addressed employees working remotely, and how performance measures will look post-pandemic. Tune in to find out how each panelist perceives recent movements, their future predictions and what they’re doing to adapt their CRE strategy. 

Listen below for 3 thought-provoking clips from the webinar or watch the entire webinar:

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“It’s important to have more long-term measures in place … and not to expect answers straight away.”

The workplace has changed considerably since the pandemic, and as Sabine Ehm, Thought-Leadership and Research Manager at Locatee, points out, we can expect a spike in employee attendance once it’s safe to return to the office. Although, it is imperative for corporate real estate professionals to understand that this is not necessarily a long-term reality. In this clip, Sabine alludes to the importance of conducting long-term measurements such as space utilization and assignment, and to wait and see how it all pans out before abruptly changing the CRE strategy. 

People are now used to working from home and having flexibility. Once the excitement of being in-office subsides, some staff members may choose to continue working remotely. To help manage the sudden increase of people back on-premises, companies will want to look at tools that can help them understand who wants to come to work, as well as see how the space is really being used. 

 “It’s invaluable when you’re planning large real estate portfolios and trying to get a better return on your investment.” 

Technology is evolving faster than we can keep track. There are always new ways for companies to problem-solve, but implementing different systems requires trust. In this clip, Mark Needham, Business Development Manager at Cisco, talks about artificial intelligence being used to measure office utilization and how employees are using allocated spaces. Other kinds of technology are also being used to gather data, such as various types of sensors. These devices can provide crucial information to CRE managers. However, many still do not fully trust them and are concerned about potential privacy implications. Mark suggests that initially “we will see a spread of maturity” in the perception of AI until it eventually becomes the norm. 

“You can tell from the gray hair, I’ve been around long enough to have been through a couple of cycles, and I never let a good crisis go unused.”

Companies often overlook CRE strategy when quantifying success. When the pandemic hit, that changed, dramatically. With close collaboration between business leaders and real estate managers, companies quickly evolved to address the needs of employees. We’ve seen similar movements as a result of previous crises, such as the 2008 financial crash. In this clip, Simon Pascoe, EMEA Head of Real Estate at Novartis, speaks to how he takes advantage of this momentum to make lasting improvements. He points out how pivotal this particular shift has been; it has awakened the importance of real estate strategy and its potential for monetary returns. 

In crisis, we adapt, quickly. Since the start of the pandemic, companies have been rapidly changing the way they conduct business. Fortunately, the leaders at the top have recognized the significance of real estate planning. It will be important to continue this collaboration once employees return to the office. CRE managers will have to continue gathering reliable data to make favorable decisions in coming years. It will be tempting, but they should avoid making rushed decisions if they see spikes or drops in early attendance. 

Watch the full webinar to hear more insights from Sabine, Phillip, Simon, and Mark as they analyze the current CRE climate and how the future will look.