CREJ

MARCH 2017 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \

• Optimized productivity

Additionally, as businesses seek to attract junior-level employees to their

organizations, they are discovering the importance of replicating the environ-

ments offered on today’s college campuses, where an estimated one-third of

U.S. business incubators are located. Influenced by their campus experiences,

millennials are entering the workforce with an expectation that they will have

access to similar environments where they can collaborate, explore and create.

What space strategies can we emulate from co-working spaces?

1. Build community through purposeful space planning and events.

2. Develop a strong culture with a clear sense of identity.

3. Foster creativity to support innovation.

4. Provide a place (or places) for focus work.

5. Create opportunities for planned and serendipitous interactions between

members of the co-working space and general community.

The Bottom Line

Why should CRE executives pay attention to co-working environments?

In short, because people are a company’s greatest investment, and their pro-

ductivity and satisfaction are key to the organization’s future performance

and overall competitiveness. CRE and facilities departments that embrace

co-working as a practical real estate strategy can contribute to improving an

organization’s overall performance by providing flexible, productive work en-

vironments that foster collaboration, innovation, extended networking and

passive recruiting. As co-working principles continue to evolve and influence

broader “co-learning” and “co-living” concepts, businesses that integrate these

progressive strategies into their own enterprises will be well equipped to meet

the needs and expectations of the future workforce.

To learn more about the talent, workplace and real estate strategies related

to co-working, read the full white paper o

Moving Forward

Based on data from Emergent Research in

partnership with Intuit Inc., the long-term

trend of hiring contingent workers will con-

tinue to accelerate in the near future.