TenantSee Weekly: Pandora's Office: Part IV - Wearable Work
Today, we examine the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation in the workplace. AI will have broad impacts on work in the information economy, both in how and where work is done. While it's true AI and automation could lead to significant job displacement, it’s also true that AI will create new jobs. Studies suggest that AI will affect job transformation more than destroying jobs, altogether. It automates parts of jobs, not whole jobs. The nature of some roles may change, requiring a focus on skills that AI can't replicate – creativity, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and complex problem-solving. For those at the top of the food chain, this shift will make jobs more strategic and rewarding, enhancing employee engagement and productivity. Yet jobs at the lower end of the white-collar spectrum will be susceptible to displacement.
TenantSee Weekly: Pandora's Office: Part III - Decoding Productivity
Productivity. The backbone of a company’s success. For decades, productivity has served as a key determinant of growth and profitability. Measuring productivity, however, is a different beast. Amid the shift towards remote working, understanding productivity dynamics in both office-based and work-from-home environments has become increasingly pertinent. Unfortunately, the idea of productivity has become one of the battle grounds on which the fight over RTO is being waged. Too often, companies and employees point to misleading and/or ill-defined measures of productivity as evidence their view is right. It’s important to be fact-based and sober in assessing productivity.
TenantSee Weekly: Pandora's Office: Part II - The Psychology of Workspace
One of the positive outcomes emerging from a more holistic contemplation of work is a better understanding of how the behavioral and design elements of the workplace impact well-being, the psychology of the workplace. Historically, the physical office and the culture that accompanied it, was largely a one-size fits all, top-down dictate that employees were not encouraged to question. While this one-dimensional approach may have been easier to conceive, it had the detrimental effect of failing to adequately support some percentage (maybe a large percentage) of the employees. But it’s a new day, a time when we have increased awareness of neurodiversity and sensory processing, an opportunity to provide optionality in support of the broad spectrum of employee (human) differences. It’s a moment when we can more fully contemplate the psychology of the workplace. Indeed, the more thoughtful we are in creating workplaces that cater to diverse employee needs, the better these environments will serve the organization.
TenantSee Weekly: AirOffice
Have we reached the point at which the office product might be consumed like the hotel, or the homes and rooms rented on platforms like Airbnb? We’re certainly moving in that direction. Companies like Upflex (a Cushman & Wakefield partner), The Instant Group and others aggregate global facilities for easy access via technology apps. This transition resonates with the growing demand for flexible, location-independent work solutions, allowing employees to effortlessly book an office space wherever required. I’m in Denver, I go to my app, enter my requirements (much like I would do on Airbnb) and, voila! my space is ready. The question is: are we ready to redefine our workspace consumption in line with the on-demand economy?
TenantSee Weekly: Unusual Times
Want to know how strange things have gotten in the San Francisco office market? An empty office building now costs less on a per square foot basis than it will cost to build new interior space in the same building. Cushman & Wakefield’s Project Development Services team has recently released an Office Fit Out Cost Guide (report is here) which indicates the average cost to build new space from shell in San Francisco stands at $222/SF. Now consider that a building like 350 California Street is rumored to be getting buyer interest at around $200/SF.
TenantSee Weekly: Why Are You Doing That?
We’re excited to promote our upcoming event at Café TenantSee, “Why Are You Doing That?”. For the uninitiated, Café TenantSee is an intimate quarterly in-person event designed to provide highly relevant, useful insights and perspectives for office occupiers. The café opens at 8:45 am on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Come and order a specialty coffee or tea drink from our expert baristas. Light breakfast is also provided. Our program runs from 9:30 to 10:30. Unfortunately, our café is small. We can only accommodate 50 attendees, so space is limited.
