Recently, we launched our “Uncommon Conversations” series with the purpose to nurture ambiguous, vulnerable and open dialogue that celebrates differences and cultivates a shared human connection. This will be a quarterly, free-to-attend series that will eventually move to the UnCommons space in person.

Our inaugural UnCommon Conversations focused on diversity in the workplace with guest local experts, Dani Badgett, the co-founder and educator of The Fire This Time, and Gabriela Valverde-Rivera, people and culture leader who has worked in human resources for companies including Target, Chipotle and WeWork.

Watch the full video HERE

The conversation covered a wide variety of topics as related to diversity in the workplace and addressed some incredibly insightful questions from attendees including on the benefits of a diverse workforce, if the workforce diversity should mirror the location of the company, how to support diversity internally and recruiting for new hires.

Although few may argue that diversity isn’t important, it actually does help companies perform better. More diverse workforces are shown to have lower turnover, more creativity and more often promote from within.

Gabi recommended that the diversity of the work force shouldn’t reflect the diversity of a company’s geographic community but rather that of its customers. A company does best when it best understands its customers, and to understand customers, you have to employ people with similar backgrounds as they.

Dani provided actionable steps to support diversity in a company. You have to know where you are in the work of change to then determine how to get to where you want to go; many companies have inflated ideas of their diversity initiatives without the right building block for action. Gabi suggested hiring an outside vendor for an inclusion survey to get more realistic views. Dani encouraged leaders to get feedback form employees on potential diversity initiatives before initiating; thereby, getting buy in and ownership from employees before the program is rolled out. She also emphasized that those in charge of diversity and inclusion in a company need to be given power and investment like any other executive would.

Gabi challenged leadership to stop looking for a “cultural fit” when recruiting and instead look for a “cultural add” which will reframe the objectives when hiring and keep companies from continuing to hire the same kind of people simply because they “fit.”

This panel and future discussions are moderated by UnCommons’ community engagement lead, Amalie Zinsser. With Zinsser as the catalyst, these pieces will come together to offer an elevated experience that enables people, teams and businesses to operate in harmony with each other, accelerating performance and growth.

“I’ve found that, all too often, people shy away from hard conversations because they feel like they might say the wrong thing or feel cornered,” said Zinsser. “We will ensure that Uncommon Conversations is a safe environment for people to not only share their perspective, but to get outside of our comfort zones and challenge the way we think and act – all for the betterment of our community.”

If you missed the conversation and want to watch, see the full recording below and be sure to stay tuned our social channels for our next Uncommon Conversation.

Mental health awareness is perhaps at an all-time high as we have had to navigate the many life changes we made in response to COVID-19. With this awareness, how it impacts our companies, and how we can all better support ourselves, and each other, I asked my friend, Phil Dixon, to weigh in. The founder and CEO of the Oxford Brain Institute, Phil has more than 30 years of experience in teaching leaders and managers ‘soft skills’ ranging from visioning and strategic planning to one-on-one coaching and conflict resolution. He has worked with some of the world’s largest companies including Apple, Facebook, Google, Twitter, Yahoo! and Stanford Graduate School of Business. We are grateful that he has taken the time to share some insight with us for Perspectives Matter. -Jim Stuart

 

WHAT IS MENTAL HEALTH?

There is no agreed upon definition as to what we mean by “mental health.” The World Health Organization (WHO) defines it as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”

There is an equally useful description of emotional health on FamilyDoctor.org

“Emotional health is an important part of overall health. People who are emotionally healthy are in control of their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. They are able to cope with life’s challenges. They can keep problems in perspective and bounce back from setbacks. They feel good about themselves and have good relationships.

“Being emotionally healthy does not mean you are happy all the time. It means you are aware of your emotions. You can deal with them, whether they are positive or negative. Emotionally healthy people still feel stress, anger, and sadness. But they know how to manage their negative feelings. They can tell when a problem is more than they can handle on their own. They also know when to seek help from their doctor.

Recent research has shown that good mental health is strongly linked to and integrated with good health in other health dimensions such as physical health and spiritual health. For example, if we look at the following “usual suspects” that enhance physical health, it turns out that they also enhance mental health.

• Physical activity – includes strength, flexibility, and endurance
• Nutrition and diet – includes nutrient intake, fluid intake, and healthy digestion
• Alcohol and drugs – includes the abstinence from or reduced consumption of these substances
• Medical self-care – includes addressing minor ailments or injuries and seeking emergency care as necessary
• Rest and sleep – includes periodic rest and relaxation, along with high quality sleep

In addition, aspects that increase spiritual health also increase mental health.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach in terms of attaining mental health; each of us is different in what we require to keep mentally healthy. Perhaps the most important part is knowing yourself, what makes you tick, what triggers you and what causes you stress, both socially and at work. Once you understand those things, you can tailor your own approach to mental health and stress management.

MENTAL HEALTH, STRESS AND SLEEP

It might also be useful to take a moment to review why it is important to understand mental health and stress management. Let’s just take two aspects: stress and sleep.

First, stress. It’s long been known that chronic stress does bad things to our bodies. More recently, we have discovered that it also does bad things to our brains. Our brains have about 86 billion neurons, each of them connected to tens of thousands of other neurons. Think of it like the Internet in your head.

One way of measuring brain health is to look at the length of those neurons and the number of connections they have with other neurons. Stress impacts three important areas of the brain:

• The pre-frontal cortex is the center of all its executive functions; for example, rational thinking, prioritizing, empathy and self-control
• The hippocampus is the center of memory and learning
• The amygdala is the focus of our response to stress – it’s like a sentry on duty constantly monitoring for threats in our environment

Under chronic stress – typically defined as two weeks or more of continual stress – we can measure that the length of the neurons in the pre-frontal cortex and the hippocampus shrinks and their number of connections is reduced. This means that executive functioning and memory and learning are reduced in their effectiveness. Not something that we really want to have happen to us. On the other hand, under stress the length and the connections of the neurons in the amygdala increase. It’s as if this sentry has taken another ten shots of expresso in order to become even more vigilant. That means we become even more susceptible to stress when we have already been stressed for a long while.

The good news is that, if we take the stress away, the pre-frontal cortex and the hippocampus tend to go back to normal. The bad news is that the amygdala doesn’t. It stays at that increased level of alertness.

So. The bottom line? Find a way of managing your stress before it has its effects.

Now let’s take a brief look at the effect of sleep. Lack of sleep has a direct impact on us, the very next day. Those three parts of the brain that we talked about above are all affected. We tend to be slower at decision making, become more irrational, have less empathy with others, can’t remember as much and are generally more lethargic. Chronic lack of sleep exacerbates all of these issues and more. In addition, there are longer term issues associated with chronic lack of sleep – it appears that there is a greater chance of overall cognitive decline and an increased chance of dementia.

What’s the right amount of sleep? There are two schools of thought. One, is that we all need approximately 8 hours. The other is that it is different for all of us and can range from 4 or 5 to as much as 10. In general, research shows that most of us don’t get enough. And the “I’ll catch up at the weekend” approach still causes damage.

So. The bottom line? Understand your own need for sleep and arrange regular routines so that you get the right amount for you.

It also turns out that, not surprisingly, there’s a mutual impact between stress and sleep. If we are stressed, it is often more difficult to sleep, and if we have had a bad night’s sleep, things stress us more. As luck would have it, there is a way to break out of that cycle. Research shows that if you focus on positivity and maintaining a positive attitude, it is easier to sleep and to manage stress.

PROTECTION, PARTICIPATION AND PREDICTION TO COMBAT THREATS

One last comment about the brain and stress. Our brains are driven by threats. To be more precise, they are driven by threats and rewards. Why that is, is a longer story. Suffice it to say, at this point, that there are a lot of things that cause the brain to perceive threats and what threatens one person’s brain doesn’t necessarily threaten that of another person. At least, not to the same degree. Some people have a high need to work with other people, yet others don’t have the same need. Some people deal with change much more easily than others. Some people are worried about exactly what is going to happen next, and others just let what happens roll over them. We are all different in what makes our brains feel threatened.

For the people who need to work with others, sending them home to work in isolation puts their brain under a major threat. For the people who don’t deal well with change, changing the way that they work puts their brain under major threat. For people who need to know what is going to happen next, dealing with any level of uncertainty, ambiguity or doubt puts their brains under major threat.

Experts have identified nearly fifty dynamics that cause one or more of us to feel threatened. These fifty can be divided into three ‘buckets.’

The first bucket is our need to feel protected. We want to know that we are safe. We want to feel physically safe, emotionally safe and financially safe. We want to be treated fairly. We want to know where we stand.

The second bucket is our need for participation. We are social animals and, to a large degree, we enjoy interaction with other people. We want to know that we are accepted into, and approved by, our group – especially a group of people who are important to us. We want to know that our voice is heard, and our opinions are taken into account. And we want to avoid looking stupid in front of our family, friends and peers.

The third of the buckets is prediction. Our brains want to know what is going to happen next. We want to have some sense of control over our lives. We want to know what is expected of us. We want to know what is going on.

Any given dynamic can cause our brains to respond to perceived threats. Let’s take the example of being sent home to work in self-isolation. To some people that is a direct threat to their brain. They like being around people and feel uneasy when they are not. In addition, it is a change. Once again, to some people that is also a threat to their brain. What about the person whot really needs to know what’s going on, and gets their information from water-cooler talk? Again, their brains are likely to feel very threatened.

So, just the act of having people work from home, can put some people into a heightened threat state.

Now let’s pile on yet more things. Let’s add the concept that there is a virus that has the potential of being a real danger to all of us. Once again, for people with a high need to know what is going on, the uncertainty or not knowing can put their brains into a threat state.

Now let’s add in a resultant economic threat.

If you take all of these threats or potential threats and add them together … well, that’s what’s going on in our brains as we work at home and listen or read about COVID-19.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

We can start by recognizing that our brains are reacting exactly the way they were designed to: to detect danger and respond to it. If we can dig a little deeper and understand what it is that causes us personally to feel threatened, that helps. We are not all the same and what helps one person, might not help another. Understanding the specifics of what threatens you, is another good step to managing your own stress.

When our brains feel threatened, they don’t tend to behave logically. We tend to have more fear and worst-case based responses and less rational ones.

It is quite common for people, especially at this time of the year, to make resolutions to do something different, and very often they are associated with the “usual suspects” that we mentioned earlier. It is also beneficial, however, to take a look at other things that might stretch our brains. To that end I have enclosed a list of activities that have been shown to have a positive impact on our brain.

Phil Dixon

 

Tom van Betten joined Matter Real Estate Group to pursue his passion for commercial real estate after 20 years of leading his own brokerage practice. As Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Tom brings partners, brokers and tenants together, relying on decades of multi-faceted experience to cover every corner of the business. Through every transaction, Tom creates strategies that benefit everyone involved. A former top-performing broker, he has honed his skills guiding some of North America’s leading companies into new facilities.

Ever since the character Blake in Glengarry Glen Ross famously exclaimed, “Put the coffee down, coffee is for closers,” I have been intrigued by the intensity of the “sales floor.” As I entered the commercial real estate business right out of college, I was given a phone and a list of names to try and schedule meetings. I remember fumbling over my cold calls, trying to stay focused in a noisy room with paper notes everywhere.

Office environments have evolved over the years, but COVID-19 will change the approach to sales forever. The pandemic will have widespread implications on your sales force, these are the ways I see it impacting on both the process and the office spaces that sales forces utilize.

Selling During COVID-19

When COVID-19 hit, many sales programs had to quickly implement or even develop a crisis strategy. Of course, the firms that had robust digital infrastructure were steps ahead, and the real winners were the ones that could show clients a path to profitability (yes, profitability), not just cost savings. An example would be cross-leveraging a digital branding opportunity at a low cost for a client because the sales team connected the dots. Creativity has never been as important as a tool in your sales chest as it is now.

Traditional tactics such as events, trade shows and expos are not available now, and likely will not be for the foreseeable future. Even taking a client out for a good steak is not as easy or safe right now, as different clients have varied levels of comfort about meeting in person. How can salespeople connect with their client or prospect in any kind of meaningful way? We have found that the move from in person to digital not only can work, but can be the rare opportunity for a “one-to-many” presentation. Webinars and other online presentations can be efficient and interesting; however, this cannot be an infomercial or nobody will show up. This is thought leadership. This is not regurgitating the same information you’ve heard or presented again and again. This is putting some effort into aggregating some people or content that can be of value to a customer, even if no direct sale is made. This is relationship building in a bubble. Add value now and you will be remembered.

Selling After COVID-19

Technology! I know this is the de facto answer to everything, but COVID-19 has magnified its importance. While waiting for vaccinations to happen across the world, this is the perfect time to revamp your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and get 100% buy-in from peers and leadership before everybody is too busy again. Now is the time to stop relying on outdated legacy technology and move into the future with confidence.

That same technology should help you sell online in an attractive and efficient manner. Efficiency is going to be a key factor of success going forward, as we all realized working from home. A sales team can’t burn up minutes and hours chasing people and documents around. I was recently contacted by three salespeople from the same national data provider. I was thinking how frustrating it must be to not even share a database in today’s world! Have the difficult “territory” conversation now and set up equitable battle stations for salespeople to fairly focus on clients and beat the competition.

It’s time to give the desktop computer to Goodwill and gear up the team with a laptop and quality webcam. This will allow mobilized sales forces to meet online and collaborate when not in the office.

Business travel will come back. There is no substitution for a face-to-face meeting to build trust and complete a business transaction. However, the travel costs will require that trip to be the “silver bullet” or the one chance to win or save the business. How can that one trip in the future be that much more fruitful? Better presentations, images, flowcharts, metrics, case studies, etc.  What else can you do while you are there? Use this time now to prepare for Fall 2021, when all signs are that sales will be “game on!”

Offices will also come back. As we anticipated, our study from earlier this year showed that people miss going to the office. Several more recent surveys show over 70% of people want to return to the office at some level. People miss collaboration and human interaction. Experts believe that many offices may choose to change the days of a week required to be in the offices, but there will not be any change in the space needed for offices. The dedensification to create physical distancing will be offset by a more mobile workforce. Sales teams will need creative ways to communicate with their prospects, as sales call “drop ins” may not be available and, even if you are allowed in, you may miss the key contact.

Successful sales forces have always been on the cutting edge of trends – be it technology, psychology and more – and this year will be no different. We have the opportunity to redefine what sales and sales roles look like and should be excited about what’s ahead in the next 6-9 months.

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

 

1. People:

Yes, people! Oh happy hours, lunches and office brainstorming sessions with our colleagues, how we’ve missed you. There’s nothing quite like having a white board up on a wall for all to see and collectively gather the latest and greatest ideas. Or wandering into a colleague’s office to go over plans and reports. We miss human contact and particularly in-person collaboration, so ‘people’ are at the top of our list of things we are most looking forward to.

2. The New 9-5:

Whether we have enjoyed it or not, we learned in 2020 (it’s hard now, even to type these numbers) that many of us CAN work from home. We can be accountable, we can keep a normal schedule and we can save time on our commutes. With this insight, we believe employers will have greater flexibility moving forward in how to approach the workweek. It might be “work from home Fridays” or a staggered schedule to allow a mix of work at the office and at home. It might be a policy that allows parents to pick up their kids from school and finish their work from home, or it might mean taking a break from a bustling workplace to work from home, or vice versa, to better focus on projects that require more concentration,

3. Mental Health is Now Top of Mind:

Isolation, job insecurity, and too much time around your spouse and family are all factors that have led to mental health crises for many. Prior to this past year (let’s not mention the year by name, again), mental health was dealt with privately. Sure, mental health may be covered by your company’s health plan, but you weren’t actually speaking to your boss or employees about it. This past year, we’ve found that people have been much more inclined to talk about their mental health and even communicate their need to seek help with their employer. We believe this openness will continue to be normalized as we go into the new year and, let’s face it, nothing ever gets resolved when you sweep it under the rug. We are also seeing a greater degree of access to mental health professionals with online therapy services like Talkspace, which now accepts payment from many insurance providers.

4. Extra Family Time:

While we have found that trying to be a teacher to your six-year-old while still managing a busy workload leads to an incredible amount of stress (see #3, ahem), we have found that we like the extra time with our spouses, kids and lovable pets. We are more aware that time is short and that we don’t really want our jobs to keep us from school plays or baseball games. We now recognize that we can be more flexible with our work week and that can allow for leaving work early to be there for our family, plus we now know that we have the tools to finish off the workday at home later in the evening.

5. Less Travel:

For many of us, video meetings were rare pre-COVID. We may have even found them to be a bit hokey. Meetings on Zoom and Microsoft Teams are now a part of the day-to-day workplace, and we have found that in many instances, they CAN replace face-to-face contact. While business travel will not be dead, it will certainly be less frequent. Plus, while there’s nothing quite like meeting in person for collaboration, we believe that video meetings will remain popular in a post-COVID workplace and will alleviate travel demands for a lot of people. That’s good news for many of us who have described our jobs as “living on a plane.”

6. Vaccinations:

Much of our return to the office will hinge on vaccinations – who has been vaccinated, and who hasn’t. There will even be events, conventions, and other activities that will require vaccinations. Your employer may even require that you be vaccinated before you return to the office. Skeptical about vaccinations? We think employers will continue to offer video meetings and work from home options for those who want to wait… at least, for now. With that, we will see a need for employers and employment law to help us navigate solutions for employees who don’t want to be vaccinated in 2021, and likely beyond this upcoming year.

7. Expansion of Wellness Programs:

The stressors of this past year have been through the roof. In addition to encouraging employees to seek support through therapists, group counseling, etc., employers will be encouraging employees to take care of their wellness while at the office. Ways to implement such programs might include a time set, daily, for afternoon walks – knowing that sunlight, exercise and fresh air are key to help fight depression; as well as the development of onsite physical fitness classes and gyms as well as other activities, like running, while at the office.

8. A New Office:

While we are all thrilled to have vaccines rolling out, we are also keenly aware that we want to work in office spaces that limit the spread of bacteria and provide personal spaces. At the same time, we want to feel inspired, plus we want our teams to feel inspired. Expect to see better HVAC systems, operable windows and hand sanitizers in public spaces, plus new policies in common areas like kitchens and conference rooms. There will be a reconfiguration of the bullpen as we touched on in an earlier blog, plus new furniture layouts that support activity-based work where you can find quiet areas to focus. Areas for collaboration will provide a more kinetic environment. Many older offices will be forced to remodel to support the vitality the modern workforce craves away from home.

9. Healthcare:

Healthcare has been a major issue for employers and employees since the Affordable Care Act. COVID-19 will have lasting implications on companies and the types of healthcare plans available to employees. Companies know that the price of healthcare is high, but not as high as the price of unhealthy employees. We expect to see greater attention to the types of healthcare available to employees, as well as programs that are focused on prevention.

10. Elevated Customer Service:

One of our New Year’s resolutions is to do more to show our customers and clients how much we appreciate them. Without their business, this past year would not have been possible. While communicating through masks and limits on in-person contact have kept us physically separated, we have been reminded to not take our customers and clients for granted. We are reminded of all those lessons our parents taught us – to treat others as we want to be treated and to always say please and thank you. We are reminded that we are all human beings.

 

Now more than ever, companies are offering mental health and self-help resources to their employees.  However, even with more awareness and resources, mental health is still not a normalized conversation to have in the workplace. Plus, no one could have anticipated how our mental health would be challenged, all within the span of one year, by a pandemic, election year, climate change and racial injustices. Many people are navigating these struggles in isolation while working from home.

A recent survey of 256 companies by the nonprofit employer group, the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, found that 53% of employers are providing special emotional and mental health programs for their workforce.

Though the resources are there, some leaders may not know how to encourage their teams to use them effectively. We all know that in order for people to do their best work, they need to be at their best, so I’ve comprised a list with some immediate ways to support your employees and their well-being.

1 – Create an ethos surrounding wellness, inclusivity, openness, and diversity. 

Begin building a workplace culture that provides a trauma-free space and is inclusive to all generations, cultures and races. Hosting digital roundtables and Slack channels dedicated to this space can help show the care and lines of communication are open. Establishing a genuine connection and finding time to support your workforce outside of happy hour Zoom calls, which people grew tired of pretty quickly, will make this message more impactful.

It’s important not to shy away from these topics. Ideally, you can be a part of those conversations, now more than ever. Don’t wait for something negative to spark up a motion of support — start the conversation to show that you are aware.

Ways to create this ethos:

• Host monthly speakers to discuss their insights on wellness and work balance.
• Be transparent about how the company is diversifying the leadership team and candidate pool.
• Revisit and establish policies that strengthen any anti-harassment policies so all feel welcome in the workforce.

2 – Set policies that promote work-life balance.

Working remotely and not taking time off is setting up employees for burn out. Some employees are trying to balance taking care of their children in this wild juggling act. Many people are putting others and their deliverables first, not themselves. Leaders need to ensure employees are taking care of themselves, not only for employees’ health but for that of their overall workforce. For example, Kickstand Communications is giving its employees three hours each week to disconnect, according to Business Insider.

If you have the luxury to offer a three-day weekend every month, do it. That extra day is for them. Go the extra mile and provide active break sessions in their calendar to support meditation, a quick run, or yoga.

3 – Cover the costs to provide resources.

Starbucks has announced that employees who work 20 hours or more per week are now entitled to  expanded mental health benefits. You can also offer memberships to applications that provide insights and tips on bettering mental health, such as Headspace ($69.99 annually per individual with special pricing for larger teams). Going the extra mile to extend this to family members is a way to show that we are in this together and here to support all.

4 – Be aware of the news.

Setting a calendar reminder to start your day to read the news to know what might be impacting your team is another way to be in the know and ready to support your team. This will go a long way in developing a trusting environment. You should already have a pulse on what is heavy on your employees’ minds to know what you should be ready for with any breaking news. If you see something that you know might affect your team, be ready and willing to have an open conversation. Be sensitive to the idea that breaking news will have different impacts on different people.

These are just some small things to have an impactful and supportive environment for mental health. Here at UnCommons, we are creating the foundation to provide a return to the office that is more mindful and empathetic to our community’s current needs. Here are a few examples of some programs we are developing:

• Positive reinforcement through signs and messages across the campus through our Good Thoughts Everyday effort.
• Promoting health through community collaboration in programs like our Sunrise Series, a regular morning event to help people energize, inspire, and set intentions for the day or week.
• Uncommon Bonds focusing on setting up meaningful peer-to-peer and mentorship relationships focused on personal and professional development.
• Rejuvenation and outdoor spaces where employees are invited to unwind and relax during the workday.

We are all human, and we are all trying to thrive. Let’s do it together.

Amalie Zinsser is the community engagement lead at UnCommons, where she serves to foster a culture of the community.

 

Everyone seems to know the slang term “bullpen” at the office – a buzzing place without walls, only cubicles – more generously known as “workstations.” Many workers in the Baby Boomer or Gen X generations started in the bullpen, just out of college, where hard work was recognized and eventually may have led to a quiet sanctuary: the private office.

Bullpens became popular after World War II when many office workers were employed to type documents prior to any mainframe computers becoming standard equipment in the field. By the 1960s, information management was becoming a big business, keeping right up with manufacturing. This work did not require privacy and, thus, the open floor plan was born.

In 1968, Herman Miller’s Research Director, Robert Probst, unveiled Action Office, the world’s first open-plan modular system of panels and attaching components, later to be known as the cubicle. Unknown to most, Bob’s vision (along with Miller’s design director, George Nelson) was to create a system that promoted collaboration, flexibility and adjustability to allow workers to modify their workstations to best support their tasks. The timing was right, as mainframe computers become personal (desktop) computers, the cubical and bullpen was an effective way to optimize office space.

Fast forward more than 50 years, and not much has had a comparable impact to the way work is done, until now. One silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it has forced corporations and the design community to reimagine what has come of the modern Open Office Bullpen since Probst’s invention. Some believe that the pendulum had swung too far. From Bob’s original vision for Action Office, to seas of sameness with cubicles, and now the most recent trend of “Benching” (think desks in a row with no wall separation), the novel requirement for social distancing will be the biggest impact on space utilization, thereby spurring the most drastic changes in design.

This urgency of redesign was fueled by some staggering research findings. In a case study in South Korea, 43% of workers on a call center floor tested positive from COVID-19 after the Seoul Metropolitan Government was notified of a single positive case there. Research from MIT published in Spring 2020 shows a sneeze can blast potentially infectious droplets as far as 27 feet – well beyond current social distancing guidelines. The priority in a bullpen is no longer efficiently using space, but keeping employees healthy and safe.

Some companies are adapting to this not by changing their layout, but by staggering their work force. For instance, some employees might come in Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and others on Tuesdays and Thursdays. With this model, the bullpen is only at 50% occupancy at any given time, providing the recommended physical distancing. Of course, this is in tandem with increased cleaning protocol, better air filtration, touch-free technology, one-way traffic in hallways and the ubiquitous face mask when not at a desk.

In addition to these fixes and short-term modifications, we are seeing the emergence of other trends, including:

• Accommodating teams has become a challenge, leading to the evolution of “Zoom rooms” where a portion of the team is included virtually, and some physically in the space.
• As companies have a knee-jerk reaction to raise workstation panel heights to protect from coughs and sneezes, collaboration and human interaction decreases.
• Forward-thinking companies are starting to see the office as more of a destination for collaboration and less of a “heads down” privacy space with seas of workstations.
• The “me” space is getting more private with less density, and fewer neighboring colleagues. The “we” space is moving to be virtual, outside, or in physically distanced conference rooms with augmented air filtration.
• Zones within the office floor plate are starting to develop – what in the past might have been a “quiet zone” versus a “chat zone,” there are now additional areas such as a “safe zone” and “social zone” to accommodate different levels of comfort.

50 years after the bullpen was invented, we find ourselves again searching for inspiration from Bob Probst. In a COVID-19 world, workers are craving human-centered design, flexibility and choice. Matter, together with leaders in the space like Herman Miller and Henriksen Butler, will continue to anticipate the needs of our communities and build our projects to suit.

Tom van Betten is vice president of strategic relationships at Matter Real Estate Group, the developer behind UnCommons. Heather Bressler is the principal and market president for Las Vegas at Henriksen Butler.

 

Though much of our lives the past several months have been socially distanced, the return of sports is bringing us some much-needed connection. Sports have a way of uniting people and can be a distraction or provide an escape from the stresses of the world, whether it be for three periods, nine innings or 18 holes.

In the absence of being able to cheer on our favorite teams in person, we asked Chris Conlon, the culinary mastermind behind Platform One, to share a few recipes for our at-home tailgating. Just in time for the Raiders first game, Chris is sharing recipes for Korean pork belly tacos and pimento grilled cheese cheeseburgers. Enjoy!

Korean Pork Belly Tacos “al pastor” with Sriracha Crema and Cilantro

You’ll love this Asian twist on al pastor tacos!

Makes 8 Tacos

Ingredients:

For the pork:

3 c. of your favorite Korean BBQ sauce

1 c. Gochujang

¼ c. Kochukaru (or Korean chili powder)

1 Jalapeño (stem and seeds removed)

¼ c. Whole garlic cloves, peeled

¼ c. Cane sugar

1 ½ lbs. Pork butt (or shoulder), cut into ¼-inch cubes

1 lb. Pork belly, cut into ¼-inch cubes

For the tacos:

2 tbsp. lard or canola oil

2 c. White onions, diced

8 6-inch corn tortillas (try to get fresh tortillas, if available)

1 c. Cilantro, roughly chopped

½ c. Crema

¼ c. Sriracha

2 tbsp. Toasted sesame seeds

8 Lime wedges

Steps:

Combine the Korean BBQ sauce, gochujang, kochukaru, jalapeño, garlic and sugar in a blender and puree until smooth.

Place diced pork and pork belly in a large bowl and massage with pureed marinade. Let the pork marinate for at least 4 hours; overnight would be best.

Heat the lard or oil in a cast iron skillet. Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Cook pork and white onions until the pork is cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.

Warm each tortilla in the skillet.

Divide the pork amongst the tortillas.

In a small bowl, combine the crema and Sriracha and mix to combine.

Garnish each taco with cilantro, crema, sesame seeds and serve with lime wedge on the side.

Hatch Chile Pimento Cheese Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger

Your favorite burger gets a decadent and cheesy upgrade with Hatch green chile pimento grilled cheese sandwiches replacing the buns!

Makes 4 Burgers

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground beef (90/10 will work best)

2 tbsp. Canola oil

16 slices of Texas toast

32 oz. Pimento cheese

4 Lettuce leaves

4 Slides of tomato

4 tbsp. Creole mustard

1 tbsp. Kosher salt

2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning

8 tbsp. Butter, softened

4 slices American cheese

Steps

Divide the ground beef into four equal 4 oz. patties. Season with kosher salt and Cajun seasoning.

Heat the canola oil on a griddle or skillet over high heat. Sear the burgers on both sides. When the second side is almost finished being seared, add a slice of cheese to each patty. Set aside in a warm place, like a low temperature oven.

While the patties are cooking, build the grilled cheeses. Divide the pimento cheese between 8 slices of Texas toast; top with remaining slices of toast. Butter each side of the sandwiches. Griddle each sandwich and cook as you would a grilled cheese, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Spread 1 tbsp. of mustard on 4 of the sandwiches. Place the burger patty on top. Finish with lettuce and tomato. Finally, top with a second grilled cheese and cut in half on a bias.

Suggested additions: bacon, pickled, roasted or fresh jalapeño, grilled onions, pickles or any of your favorite burger toppings.

Pimento Cheese

You can always purchase a great pimento cheese, but making your own is easy to do and allows you to adjust the flavor and spice level to your liking.

Makes about 1.5 cups

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

4 oz. Pimentos, drained and diced

1 Small serrano pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced

½ c. Mayonnaise (I prefer Dukes for a true taste of the South)

1 tbsp. Black pepper

1 tsp. Kosher salt

Steps:

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine until a smooth spreadable paste is formed.

Place in fridge to cool for at least 2 hours.

 

At Matter, we’ve always created spaces with an eye towards the recipients who will use them. Things are different now as we all consider our office spaces and how – sometimes even if – we will use them going forward. In order to better understand how office professionals are feeling, we conducted a survey. Some of the findings were expected and we have already started redesigning projects to fit what we anticipate will be the priorities of employees in the future. We’d heard, and experienced in some cases, struggles with isolation (46% of respondents) and its corresponding declining mental health (58% self-reported), a longing to collaborate with colleagues (60%), and missing the socialization that comes with an office setting (52%). This study survey supports the assumptions we had made.

First, some information about the recipients who responded to the survey. The vast majority of respondents live in California (21%) and Nevada (69%); while we would have loved to be able to have representations of the whole country, we are limited by our networks. 57% of our respondents are male and 41% female, 85% of whom typically work from a physical office space. 85% of respondents were working full time before COVID-19 and 87% are working full time now; the uptick seemingly comes from interns who gained full time employments, potentially corresponding with college graduations. Our age differences are well spread with 38% Gen X, 30% Baby Boomers, 17% Millennials and 12% Gen Z. Since information regarding the virus, safety precautions and the economy changes daily, it is important to note that this survey was answered between the months of June and July. We will be interested to compare these results to those this fall.

Possibly the most important takeaway is an employees’ feeling of stability in their position. 76% feel very secure or secure with their employment status with 3% being very unsecure; possibly reflecting the industry of those included in our outreach. When it comes to returning to physical offices, 57% of respondents feel extremely or somewhat comfortable returning to work with 9% feeling they shouldn’t feel forced to return. This could be attributed to the communication of employers with 78 respondents having already received safety protocol from their employers.

Recipients are looking for certain office attributes when they return to the office, most of which can easily be done without much effort or hard cost. Recipients are overwhelmingly looking for two implementations: nightly deep cleaning (59%) and hand sanitizer stations (57%). These factors were even more important than the availability of a vaccine (51%). Respondents didn’t find much value in closing communal spaces (16%), staggering lunch times (14%), or bringing in box lunches instead of buffet-style (17%). More than any other attribute, 35% of recipients are NOT comfortable with employees being required to install contract tracing apps that would notify workers when a colleague is diagnosed with COVID-19 while 16% would be in favor of the tracing.

77% of respondents would rather take the stairs than wait for a socially distanced elevator. This could have many implications for new buildings. Designers may start to build staircases as actual public spaces with attention to design, aesthetics and lighting rather than an industrial setting most only see during a fire drill. Stairway entrances may become more visible and closer to the elevator or main entrance rather than at the end of hallways or behind an elevator bank. If taking the stairs is a trend that continues, will lower floors start to be more desirable for office suites?

Our respondents view on masks reflects the wide spectrum of view in the country. 40% of respondents consider a mask to make them feel MORE comfortable in going back to work. When asked directly if employees should be required to wear a mask in the office 55% said yes, 45% no. Seemingly, there are split reactions to the requirements of masks in the workplace.

Working from home has its perceived benefits and downfalls. Respondents are finding it difficult to collaborate with coworkers (53%) at home, they’re experiencing more distractions at home (46%) and are suffering from social isolation (46%). Not surprisingly, recipients are most looking forward to returning to work so they can collaborate better (60%), socialize with their peers (52%), return to the community aspect of an in-person office (49%), and have a separation of home and work (48%). All things considered, respondents show their desire for flexibility when they are in working in an office, with the most respondents (79%) wanting to work from the office at least three days per week.

70% of respondents plan to change their work travel post COVID-19 with 54% choosing to only travel with essential and 16% not traveling at all.

Respondents were cautiously optimistic when it came to how COVID-19 has or will change their lives. 50% are somewhat worried about the impact of COVID-19 on their lifestyle with only 9% extremely worried and 5% not worried at all. Respondents are most fearful of a member of their family contracting COVID-19 and there is uncertainty creating anxiety/nervousness for 61% of respondent. Between 40% and 58% feel that social distancing has had a negative effect on themselves, friends or family—with the highest negative effect being self-reported. 82% of respondents believe that they are likely or very likely to completely return to old lifestyles after a vaccine is available. The activities that they are looking forward to are visiting restaurants (76%), spending time with friends (56%) and going to sporting events (50%).

At Matter, we believe it’s important to respect each individual – only amplified with the introduction of a global pandemic. We all have the opportunity and responsibility do what we can to encourage a safe, welcoming and collaborative work place and hopefully this interpretation of the data will help to make informed decisions and move forward purposefully and informed.

 

As real estate developers, we are no strangers adapting to change. Whether it’s incorporating an evolving trend, adjusting material needs and costs or integrating new technology, our industry is constantly evolving. Most of these changes have been gradual, but in the wake of the first pandemic of our era, there is an urgent need for developers to change our practices – seemingly overnight.

In the early 2000s, our industry embraced the standards set by LEED™ for environmental responsibility and we developed projects with the aim to achieve certification. Since then, much of what LEED encompassed is now integrated into the modern building standards of today. Today we are learning about a new standard of responsibility, one that encompasses health and safety. It’s called the WELL Building Standard™, and we are now viewing each of our projects through a new lens to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or any other pandemic that may arise in the future.

So, what is the WELL Building Standard and how is this going to change the real estate industry? The WELL Building Standard was developed by The International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™), which, as noted on its website, www.wellcertified.com, is “leading the global movement to transform our buildings and communities in ways that help people thrive.”

The WELL Building Standard is described as “the premier standard for buildings, interior spaces and communities seeking to implement, validate and measure features that support and advance human health and wellness.”

This translates into action in many ways, which we are implementing now into the construction of UnCommons, our first-of-its-kind mixed-use development coming to southwest Las Vegas in early 2022. UnCommons, which is the the only development in Nevada to be built with WELL standards, will introduce the next generation of office, residential and lifestyle space. Built for longevity in an ever-changing world, these standards are comprehensive and include: building materials, common area spacing, indoor air quality, touch-free technology and UV lighting.

Building Materials – What is old is new again. In this case, materials that were first popular more than 5,000 years ago, including brass and bronze, will make a resurgence. Coming from copper and its alloys, these materials are now getting top consideration for high-touch surface areas due to their ability to kill bacteria and other microbes on contact. Look for copper door handles and cabinet pulls, antimicrobial fabrics and antiviral handrails.

China accounts for nearly 30% of all U.S. building product imports, making China the largest single supplier to the U.S. This is shifting, as supply chain challenges force U.S.  developers to look for locally or regionally sourced products.

Spacing – One of the simplest changes in future development is increased spacing within your office. With a request of your architect or furniture vendor, you can increase spacing between desks and plan physical barriers. However, integrating adequate spacing into infrastructure of the project is not so simple. Can you imagine someone sneezing in an elevator today? Stairwells will no longer be dark soulless spines of a building, but potentially a safer route to your office. This may actually compromise demand for the more expensive upper floors in high-rise buildings. Building lobbies will have isolated furniture, feeling more like airport furniture and look for more meetings held outside where the weather permits.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) – During my commercial real estate career, I found there were two main complaints from tenants: parking and HVAC (also known as heating, ventilation and air conditioning). The HVAC complaints were typically zoning issues of too hot or too cold, basic maintenance, or repair and/or replace, but now the stakes are much higher. Today, HVAC systems perform a crucial role in keeping essential businesses like grocery stores and hospitals open and safe. While we know that viruses can be spread through physical contact, coughs, sneezes and even breath, they can also travel through a recirculating HVAC system. In fact, you could have a completely healthy company and unknowingly be sharing air with a careless neighbor from another floor the whole time.

New HVAC systems and High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters offer “fresh air” ventilation, the ability to disable recirculation and increase air change rates to minimize the risk of moisture, which could contain the virus and settle on internal surfaces, as well as help with dust management. Indoor air quality in employment centers will need to become near hospital grade to maintain the well-being of employees and reduce air pollutants that increase the risk of virus spread.

Touch-Free Technology – The trend that rightly started in restrooms, touch-free technology is next on developers’ mission-critical lists as tenants and visitors expect nothing less today. Smart phone apps, voice, facial or optical recognition will all become more prevalent. Calling elevators using a foot button or using technology like Amazon’s Alexa, for example, could remove the need for physically pushing a button or touching a surface altogether. With your phone still in your briefcase, using Bluetooth, your front door could know it’s you and allow access with a wave of your hand over a sensor.

UV Lighting – Borrowing best practices from hospitals, some buildings are utilizing UV lighting to disinfect offices at night or meeting rooms in between uses. Scientists have known for decades that broad-spectrum, germicidal UV light has the capacity to kill microbes. Hospitals and laboratories often use UV light to sterilize tools and other equipment. There are overhead fixtures and even robots being designed that would roam the halls at night disinfecting offices with UV light.

I often wonder how actions and routines will boomerang back when the virus fades and a vaccine is available. Although I think social distancing guidelines may relax, an employee deserves to be and feel safe at work. Safety is never out of style and you should anticipate a transformational drift to a safer, healthier work environment.

Tom van Betten is the vice president of strategic partnerships at Matter Real Estate Group, the developer behind www.uncommons.com.