Investing in the Customer Experience

June 28, 2021

Dallas, Texas - March of 2020 marked the beginning of an incredible time for office building owners and operators.  By August of that same year, almost 70% of companies said they would downsize as working from home was going to be the wave of the future.  However, it did not take long for companies to realize that there were vital areas that could not be addressed by working from home such as culture, mentoring, collaboration, and social interaction.  In a follow-up survey just six months later, only 17% of companies said they would downsize and 8% of companies said they would need more space.  By the time companies actually come back fully, hybrid or otherwise, the space needs will equalize further.  There is still some uncertainty about how and when companies will come back to the office, but most are targeting at least a hybrid return either this summer or after Labor Day.  In addition, a Harvard Business School study shows that people who work from home are putting in an average of 48 minutes more per day. A second study by researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of Essex found that while remote workers increased their hours by 30 percent, there was no rise in productivity. All of these factors will influence the demand for return both by the employer and by the employee.

 

At Gaedeke Group, we started preparing for our customers’ return to the office in the spring of last year.  Our initial focus was on health and wellness.  Our WellSpaceä initiative included upgrading all air-conditioning systems with needle point bipolar ionization (NBPI), a state-of-the-art air purification system that reduces particles, VOCs, germs and viruses found in the air, adding ultra-violet fans in elevator cabs, and installing nano-septic pads on all high-touch areas in our buildings including the elevator buttons.

 

We also proudly became one of the first companies in the country to achieve Fitwel® Viral Response certification. Fitwel's Viral Response (VR) module was developed in coordination with leading public health experts and real estate companies to effectively address the unique challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious respiratory diseases. The VR module allows building owners, companies, and commercial tenants to demonstrate compliance with evidence-based strategies that mitigate viral transmission and build trust to create healthy and resilient environments for all occupants. Gaedeke Group has been on the leading edge of driving property-level progress in confronting the challenges of COVID-19 through the firm’s early adoption of these strategies.

 

Our latest initiatives have been focused on upgrading the customer experience.  We are in the process of adding Teams rooms to our conference centers and boosting Wi-Fi throughout our outdoor spaces.  Additionally, we have added games such as cornhole and ladder golf for those wanting to take a break while at the office and have even started a bicycle program at several buildings as more attention to the outside experience has been a positive result of the pandemic.

 

We are still in unprecedented times as office building owners, managers, and occupants.  However, the demise of the office was greatly exaggerated.  Long live the office!

 

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About Gaedeke Group

Gaedeke Group is a best-in-class, full-service owner and operator of office buildings across the U.S. Headquartered in Dallas, Gaedeke’s portfolio encompasses 3 million square feet of Class A office properties in Arizona, Texas, Florida, New York and Washington, D.C. www.gaedeke.com

About Gensler

Gensler is a global architecture, design, and planning firm with 50 locations across Asia, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and the Americas. Gensler designers strive to make the places people live, work, and play more inspiring, more resilient, and more impactful. www.gensler.com