As we jump into the new year, we take inventory of what is working and what is not: relationships, physical movement, mental health and the elusive work-life balance. When we map these out, we tend to focus on our personal lives outside of the work when we should also be applying these — relationships, movement, mental health — to work itself. After taking inventory of these areas, evaluate what changes need to be made. Are there small changes that can improve your work life? Or, maybe it’s time to make a bigger change and find a place that works better for you.

A study in Australia found that toxic workplaces increase the risk of depression by 300%. Let’s break down the key aspects we laid out above and identify what is toxic and how to break the cycle.

Relationships

We’ve all seen the cartoon of the boss versus the leader where the boss is yelling orders juxtaposed with the leader to helping to carry the load.

We work harder, better and more enthusiastically for someone who lines up shoulder-to-shoulder with us than when working out of spite or fear. Most of us spend the majority of our time and energy on work. Leadership must acknowledge and support employees without demanding a lot of their time and also allowing enough time to complete assignments. Ways the workplace can build better relationships:

• Open and honest communication
• Appreciate employees: Acknowledge accomplishments right away
• Show value and be empathetic: Learn the kind of praise each team member values – in front of the whole company, a private moment, involving their family, etc. – and deliver accordingly
• Follow through on commitments: Showcase deadlines and follow-up if not met
• Learn from your employees: Acknowledge that their views are important

Movement

Movement promotes active, alert and engaged employees. Having a calendar full of back-to-back meetings brings down morale as well as energy and creativity. Management can set an example by showcasing how important it is to take a break and move your body.

Ways to move:

• Offer to pay for standing desks
• Have employees block time to walk outside or take a work-out break
• If able to meet in person, have walking one-on-ones or walk to a coffee shop

Mental Health

Outside of movement, we need mental breaks to gather our thoughts. Employees benefit from setting out time in the morning to see their day ahead and to settle from the morning they might have had, especially for those still working from home. I know I personally need a break after my toddler yells at me because she wants a different backpack, so you never know what colleagues and employees are having to juggle at home. It’s also useful to take a break between projects to reset and give your best work to the next task.

Ways to have a mental break at work:

• Offering Headspace to employees for free
• Setting mental time for beginning/mid/end of day
• When on PTO, not reaching out to give that mental space
• Making sure that employees take their earned PTO

Choose to implement some of these changes for yourself, for your team or suggest to your HR team. Little changes go a long way. And remember, perfection is the enemy of greatness. The balance will always be a bit off but we can all continually reevaluate in search of that harmony.

One of the biggest challenges for companies today is finding and securing the right real estate. The old way of doing things looked something like this: your broker puts together a survey of a dozen or so properties, you tour them and choose the best two or three, then the landlords compete for your business.

Though a periodic nightmare every few years for most companies, at least there was confidence that there would be a successful result. Today, for a myriad of reasons, there is a supply issue that has forced companies to change the way they typically look for space. What happens when you have outgrown or outlived your current space, there are only two or three properties available with your specifications and when you tour them, you don’t like any of them?

This describes many of the markets today. Many development companies hit the pause button on building office space for a good decade after the Great Financial Crisis. When the pandemic hit and the future of office space became uncertain, most other planned projects for office space were shelved again. Together, these factors mean that when a project does get financing and actually gets built, companies looking for space may find that it is already leased by the time it is finished. This is called “preleasing” and it is a concept that most companies need to get familiar with if they want to effectively compete for the right space.

The tables have turned. Now, companies are competing for the buildings versus the old standard of buildings competing for the tenants. A great example of this is UnCommons, our highly-anticipated $400 million mixed-use development opening in Las Vegas next year. The first phase of UnCommons’ nearly 180,000 square feet of office space is 99% leased and won’t be complete for six more months. We are getting ready to start preleasing Phase II of UnCommons. The types of companies we’ve attracted were not small local businesses, but discerning regional and global companies such as DraftKings, Morgan Stanley, CBRE, Sotheby’s International Realty and BDO. These industry leaders saw this pattern in other markets and realized that they needed to secure space in newer, more modern developments while there is still space. It’s just like the old game of musical chairs. In fact, UnCommons’ first official tenant, CBRE, signed their lease before we even broke ground.

In general, preleasing can be very risky for a company. What if the project is delayed, or doesn’t get finished? What if it ends up being much different than initially represented? What if my company’s needs change during the development period? What if, what if, what if? There are many reasons companies procrastinate on making real estate moves, especially if the focus is on risk management. But the real risk to an enterprise may lie in the fact that the modern workforce wants more out of the workplace. And if a company doesn’t get this right today, the bigger risk may be getting or keeping the talent that really moves the needle of the success of the company.

Today, companies may want to start thinking about office leases two years prior to its expiration. Yes two years. Interview and hire a broker early. Have them keep you informed of new developments as they may take up to two years to complete. Track progress of the leasing and be ready to pounce when you need to. I realize that it is almost a miracle if the timing lines up perfectly for the new development and your existing lease obligation. Try to approach your current landlord and negotiate some flexibility in your existing lease. Check your “Holdover” paragraph in your current lease to see what type of penalties you have if you need to extend for a short term. Most new leases offer some free rent in the beginning that could help cover some of those holdover costs, so you are not paying double rent.

For most companies, the opportunity to relocate to a modern workplace is a top priority, and although rent is an important factor, don’t lose sight that when the music stops…you will need a chair.

Tom van Betten is vice president of strategic relationships at Matter Real Estate Group, the developer behind UnCommons.

Looking to relocate your business soon? Let’s connect: tom.vanbetten@matterrealestate.com.

On this Giving Tuesday the start of what some call the “Giving Season.” During this quarter’s Uncommon Conversation discussion, we challenged the idea of the “Giving Season” as giving lip service to community when our communities need – and deserve – our support all year long. I was joined by Joy Hoover, founder and former CEO of The Cupcake Girls, founder of soon-to-launch enterprise, Esōes Cosmetics, and Jen Taler, co-founder and creative strategist of Fergusons Downtown. We talked about how to decide what to support, why giving should happen year-round, how nonprofits can keep donors engaged, and how UnCommons bucks the trend of a single season of giving.

When setting up a corporate giving plan, it’s important to include your team in the planning. Start a conversation! What causes matter to employees? Are there current organizations that team members already donate their time and/or treasure to? Not everyone has the resources to have a building named after them or a fund in their name, but Hoover believes that everyone has a way to contribute. She lives by the motto: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do want you can.”

We urged attendees to expand the Giving Season to something that lasts throughout the year. Taler challenged the idea of the Giving Season by reminding attendees that the “why” a company wants to support a cause doesn’t change, so the level of support should remain consistent. As Hoover stated, many organizations and businesses would prefer to receive $100 each month than a one-time donation of $1,500 at the end of the year. The same goes for supporting local, small businesses. Many highlight Small Business Saturday two days after Thanksgiving but it’s important that we support these small and local businesses throughout the year.

One way Hoover suggested that nonprofits can engage supporters to contribute throughout the year is by showing the results. Many of us have received goodie bags, swag and T-shirts from causes that we support. At best, we wear these shirts to bed or reuse as rags around the house. At worst, they end up in a landfill. Hoover encourages nonprofits to engage donors by showcasing the work that’s being done and what their dollars are being used for, rather than spend funds on tchotchkes. Inviting donors to volunteer their time with the organization helps donors see the firsthand impact of their contribution and results in donation that are bigger or made more frequently.

We have taken Hoover’s motto to heart  at UnCommons, where we are now bringing together thought leaders to share ways we can all spread giving throughout the year. As an example, we give all team members one paid day off each month for a day of volunteerism.

We look forward to what we’ll learn during our next panel. Uncommon Conversations is a free-to-attend recurring panel discussion that encourages ambiguous, vulnerable and open dialogue celebrating differences and cultivating a shared human connection. If you missed the conversation and want to watch, see the full recording here, previous discussions on UnCommons’ blog here and be sure to stay tuned our social channels and monthly newsletter for our next Uncommon Conversation.

It may be counterintuitive to think that a space centered on human connection will have a strong focus on technology. At UnCommons, we believe that properly utilizing technology in fact frees up more time, headspace, and energy for those important person-to-person relationships.

Every day it feels like there is new cutting-edge technology that is being introduced to make life easier. But how do you approach an office space with MANY people who have different priorities and ideas on what is convenient? Using technology to simplify being a tenant—be it unobtrusive building security, efficient parking or catching up on community happenings—we are fostering connection between humans.

It can be annoying when you can’t find a fab or hard key to get into a space. I’ve been there before, as I’m sure we all have. At UnCommons, we are utilizing Openpath to solve this reoccurring problem. Utilizing your phone and Bluetooth to access the space will mitigate any hassle associated with traditional key or fab entry. Openpath is an innovative and intelligent access control that automates security infrastructure so you don’t have to dig in your pockets to find a key or hope that a friend with access walks by.

How about the headache of parking?! Well, that is where Flash Parking comes into play. Flash Parking will help the manage parking structures with integrated access control, kiosks, valet, and more, that seamlessly sync to a cloud dashboard for automation and insights. Everything will be operable from your phone to access the garage or an automatic license plate scan for a seamless exit.

This might sound like a lot of tech for one space. The benefit of all these amazing functions are that they will be integrated into our UnCommons app by Host CBRE.

In the app, tenants and guests will see what is happening in their space and outside their four walls. Features we plan to include in the app:
· Community events calendar
· Ability to book meeting space
· UnCommons news
· Capability to place food and beverage orders from UnCommons’ restaurants
· Exclusive links and discount codes for tenants

We are aiming to make the entire experience at UnCommons seamless. The future of that is technology. We can’t avoid it and finding the best ways to integrate it will keep us connected and make our workflow easier.

On Friday, Sept. 17, we hosted our second “Uncommon Conversations” panel discussion in conjunction with the Las Vegas Chamber. In light of today’s competitive environment for attracting employees, we focused the discussion on “Winning the War for Talent: What Do Employees Want.” Led by UnCommons Community Director Amalie Zinsser, the thoughtful conversation shared insights from wife-husband power household Alex Estrada, product designer at global remote software company, Help Scout, and Benjamin Cline, design director and co-founder of product studio, Rally Interactive.

Many leaders feel like talent is leaving in alarming rates and the numbers support the perception. According to Harvard Business Review, in July of this year, four million Americans quit their job, with the top fields for resignation being tech and medical, leaving 10.9 million open positions. With what some have termed “The Great Resignation,” Alex and Benjamin shared what they believe will help companies retain their employees.

Benjamin reminded business owners that perhaps their business is their baby but for their employees, it’s still a job. No matter how engaged an employee is in their work, they will still have other priorities. Alex and Benjamin agreed that the most important pieces for employers to work on for the sake of their employees is trust, transparency and culture that makes each individual feel valued.

Every person is made up of different fabric and has different priorities; therefore, each employee has a different way of working that is best for them individually. Employers are best served to set up an environment where each person has what they need to do their job then set them loose. UnCommons helps to support this with trails dotted with local art that will be a welcoming setting for walking meetings. Employers must learn who their employees are, how they work and what their priorities are. Employers must trust their teams to do their work and emphasize output instead of input.

With teams moving day by day from virtual to in-person to hybrid working models and back again, it’s important that leaders are transparent. Benjamin told a personal story about being transparent last year when revenue in his company hit a brick wall and his team was feeling uneasy. He also shared tangible ways to increase transparency:

• Expectations for advancement must be made clear so anyone at any level can set their sights on the next step and work towards it, should they choose
• Increase frequencies of one-one-ones
• Establish office hours

Trust, transparency and many other important parts of winning the war on talent can all be explained by culture. Everyone talks about it but it’s not easy to create. The duo emphasized that it’s okay for employers to stumble when working to enhance the company’s culture because it shows that they are working towards change. Employees should also feel empowered to influence the company culture that are part of instead of being dictated to. Some think that virtual work is a roadblock to culture, but Alex insists that’s not true. If an office is set up for virtual working, it’s much easier to transition to in-person and hybrid. Additionally, if a company is set up for virtual work, team members never feel that they’re missing out, whether working remotely or because they had to miss a meeting for an unexpected appointment. Some simple tips Alex shared to set up a workforce for virtual work and enhance that culture:

• Include a Zoom link in every meeting regardless of if you anticipate anyone using it
• If every meeting is recorded and posted, then those who missed a meeting OR new team members can efficiently catch up
• Document work, whether written or on video with a tool like Loom, takes time but is worth it so everyone can be involved and easily jump in where needed
• Create virtual times where two people are randomly matched that mimic watercooler talks or passing in the hallway where team members who aren’t working on the same projects have 15-minute virtual chats

Underlying all these suggestions is that employers will best succeed if they treat their team as individuals and understand that each has different priorities and work styles. Fitting a triangle employee into a square role makes the employee feel undervalued and isn’t necessary with a little bit of thought, a lot of communication and some technological assistance.

Uncommon Conversations is a free-to-attend recurring panel discussion that encourages ambiguous, vulnerable and open dialogue celebrating differences and cultivating a shared human connection. If you missed the conversation and want to watch, see the full recording here and be sure to stay tuned our social channels for our next Uncommon Conversation.