As real estate developers, we’re always thinking about space: how we can make it better, how it can work more efficiently, and how people will feel best interacting within it. We are now thinking about the space between all of us as we have learned to keep a six-foot space between ourselves and others, including our own close friends. With this in mind, we recently hosted a series of webinars with the Vegas Chamber of Commerce to examine how we can best prepare to return to our offices in a safe and thoughtful way.

Through the course of four webinars: “Day One,” “Saving Restaurants and Your Safety: Bringing Business Dinners Back,” “Your Brain on COVID: How Fear will Prevent Your People From their Best Work,” and “No More Hugs: How to Keep and Grow your Team’s Culture with Six Feet of Separation,” we brought in experts to share their insights to guide companies through this transition.

There has been a lot of talk about how businesses are reexamining the office – and even asking the question, do we even need offices? There is one benefit that stands apart from the rest – and that is human connection. We are meant to be around others and what we are finding from our own team is that connecting with colleagues is what people are missing the most.

With that in mind, we brought together some of the nation’s best minds in various fields to share their insight and help provide a road map to what reopening might look like. It struck me that regardless of the experts’ background and area of expertise there are common themes. We need to be innovative. We need to listen. We need to empower those around us so their talents can shine.

If you weren’t able to join us, we are happy to share each of these webinars with you now.

Day One
Before we even invite employees back to work, we need to do work ourselves. To help us understand this, we featured Darrel Fullbright, office practice lead from world-renown architectural firm, Gensler, and Kylie Roth, global strategy leader for Knoll, a constellation of design-driven brands for the workplace and home. They shared actionable insights on first steps in preparing the workplace and covered topics including alternating work schedules and modifying workstations. View the whole discussion, which we recorded because we knew it would be fell of insight, here.

Saving Restaurants and Your Safety: Bringing Business Dinners Back
Deal makers know that the business lunch or dinner are one of the most valuable cards in the deck but restaurants are struggling and need us just like we need them. We called on industry veterans to share their expertise on how restaurants and bars will be able to safely resume service, how to open poised for long-term success, how to ensure businesspeople, friends and families feel safe when dining out, and the importance business leaders play in saving the vulnerable restaurant industry. Moderated by J. Riley Lagesen, founder and chair of Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP’s national restaurant industry practice group, panelists included Scott Gerber, principal and CEO of Gerber Group and Elizabeth Blau, founder and CEO of Blau Associates. View the complete discussion here.

Your Brain on COVID: How Fear will Prevent Your People From their Best Work
People are in the offices but how do we make sure they feel safe and empowered enough to do their best work? The psychological impact of COVID-19 and what Psychology Today refers to as “an epidemic of anxiety” is on the minds of leaders concerned with their team’s health and happiness along with business performance. Understanding how the brain has been affected by this crisis and what business owners can do about it is key to unlocking fear and guiding teams. The discussion with Phil Dixon, MSc., founder and CEO of the Oxford Brain Institute and Tom Rieger, president and CEO of National Business Innovations, LLC. included critical insights from two renowned leaders in corporate psychological health who are not only well published authors but have guided the likes of Apple, Google, Facebook, the US Military and NASA as panelists. View the whole conversation here.

No More Hugs: How to Keep and Grow your Team’s Culture with Six Feet of Separation
People who know me know that this has been one of the hardest things for which to adapt. Handshakes, much less hugs, have been banished in the last few months among both personal and professional contacts. As businesses begin to re-open it is more important than ever that teams feel engaged and in-step with company culture, while maintaining social distancing. Alex Masters-Goessling, senior director of communications and employee enablement at Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) and Mark Tomaszewicz, chief experience officer at Bulldog Drummond – two leaders in employee engagement – provided actionable suggestions to help teams feel safe and valued as they are welcomed back into the physical workplace. This enlightening flow of ideas can be seen here.

We’ve all proven that we can work from home when we need to, even in some of the most stressful time imaginable, but should we? I believe it’s in all our best interest to get back to work in our offices as long as we’re thoughtful about it and listen to people who are experts. We at Matter Real Estate believe that when our neighbors and colleagues’ succeed, we all succeed. We are here to serve as a recourse. I’d love to hear your thoughts on these videos, or other issues you anticipate. Shoot me a note at info@materrealestate.com. We’re all in this together and together we’ll get back to work shoulder to shoulder and face to face, even with 6 feet separation!

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

–Viktor Frankl

 

As we create a roadmap and prepare to return to work, I am reminded of Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning,” which chronicles his life inside a Nazi concentration camp. It is one of the most profound and insightful books I have ever read and continue to reread through different stages of my life. In the book, Frankl outlines three principles in his search for the meaning of life, one of which is how we deal with unavoidable suffering. COVID-19 is today’s unavoidable suffering.

The way an organization’s leadership responds to COVID-19 puts their “true self” on naked display for all to bear witness. In this era of a global pandemic, inspirational posters adorning office hallways no longer veil what may be at the core of your company. This crisis shines a bright light on your true, authentic corporate culture.

Anyone who knows me knows that I place a great emphasis on company culture. That always hasn’t worked in my favor, but despite that, I carry the belief that it is better to be surrounded by “family” than it is to be surrounded by “employees.” This current crisis has reinforced that belief to my core.

 

Hello darkness, meet clarity.

What has your company done for you?

Great cultures show up in moments of challenge and struggle. As we move through our grand “work from home” experiment, many organizations have been exemplary in their support for their teams.  From the obvious tactics of making certain they have the right technology in place, to the not so obvious – like checking in on a regular basis to assess mental health and stress.

The essence of a strong culture and impactful leadership depends on the principle of putting your team’s needs ahead of your own. This crisis has given all of us an opportunity to see where leadership stands across a broad spectrum of businesses.

What has your company done for others?

Empathy is the hallmark of great leaders. Of all of the experiences and emotions that I have woken up to each day during this crisis, nothing has been more surprising and reaffirming than the great humanity on display around the globe, from the alley operas performed in Italy to our own neighborhood dance parties.

But above these highlight reels, many companies have done some amazing things, from re-engineering entire manufacturing processes to support mission critical supplies for frontline healthcare workers to shutting down profitable operations completely, rather than putting their people at risk.

Some admirable businesses decided to pay rent even when it is hard, while others chose not to even when it is easy. Some companies chose to stop paying employees because it is an option; others continue to pay their team because they should.

In the months and years ahead, I predict a ‘great reckoning’ as organizations are forced to answer tough questions from both their employees and the courts of public opinion.

This is as good of time as any to observe the decisions being made and contrast them against your organization’s stated culture and principles. The alignment, or misalignment, of these principles will tell you what the future looks like.

 

Going Forward – Hallmarks of Leading Companies

Company culture, it is more than a poster on the wall.

Perhaps finally, companies will acknowledge the importance of culture as context for performance and employee engagement. Going forward, company operating principles will be well-established and show up in daily activities. We are already seeing this transformational drift in how shareholders view organizations with their response to the COVID pandemic. Never before has public shaming been so quick, nor has it ever generated such immediate response. Thanks, Shake Shack; let’s keep it real!

Your employer will be a bigger part of your life.

The crisis has given companies not only the opportunity, but also the responsibility to care for their teams in ways they never contemplated before. Companies are approaching employee wellbeing more holistically—not only in terms of the physical, but also mental and emotional wellbeing. Employees are recognizing the importance of wellness, meditation, getting outdoors, solitude and community in a profound manner. Companies have recognized this, as well, and will assuredly make it a new priority.

Also, as we have learned to appreciate our time at home, we have come to realize its drawbacks. I would expect companies to work hard at reinforcing employee engagement and seek ways to provide a ‘high fidelity’ experience for their teams at the workplace.

It’s lonely out there.

We were more or less forced down this social distance track, but once the coronavirus has left for good, some ‘big questions’ about our purpose will be left in its wake –  both professionally and in life. We have come to realize that socializing is the primary fuel of happiness, and now it needs to be in the right measurements. Sure, we will have survived the virus and learned the efficiency of a 100% digital lifestyle, but as appealing as it first seemed, something was missing. We need that something – our craving for a physical sense of belonging and a desire for human connection beyond pixels.

This imposed isolation has led to increased depression and loneliness. This was a trending topic pre-COVID and it is now front and center. Keeping people mentally healthy now shares the stage with physical well-being as among the greatest health issues facing Western societies.

Isolation is a primary factor in depression, anxiety and other significant mental health issues—and the need for physical and social distancing has only exacerbated this struggle. Previously, mental health may not have received the necessary attention it deserved. Now, meditation apps like Headspace and Calm are actively promoted by companies to tend to the anxiety that has cascaded into our everyday life.

Your employer and co-workers now get it; life and work can be a struggle. 

 After spending never ending days at home—especially without the support systems of school, childcare and cleaning services—we have all newfound respect for life’s demands and appreciation for all-things family. Expect leaders to more deeply understand the flexibility required to orchestrate your personal life, from cooking together to supporting kids in their schoolwork. I believe leaders will have a refreshed level of appreciation for the ways family and friends are critical to life and happiness.

Your workplace will get better.

As employees head back to the office, employers are being forced to re-think their approach to the workplace. Companies will deploy forensic cleaning techniques, more distancing and increased choices for employees across their work environment. In addition, we learned a lot of great things while working at home—comfortable places to relax between meetings, flexible hours, clean air, personalized space, working out, easy walks and good food…mostly. These new expectations will create new demands on the office. Organizations will have a new appreciation for the importance of the office and the need for supporting engagement. More than anything, leading companies will provide a reason to show up now that we know we can get work done at home.

Bringing it all home.

These have been trying times and yet the real hard work still lies ahead. Organizations now must lead. We must have the courage to do amazing things all the while aligning our stated values with our actual values.

Each day is precious, each life even more so. As the eternal optimist, I enter this next chapter of my business life hopeful that we will take ‘lessoned learned’ and apply them to a life ‘better lived’. As Viktor Frankl wrote, we have the “power to choose our response,” and I would wager that the wakeup calls for company culture will be ringing loud and clear in the years ahead.

 

Jim Stuart is a partner at Matter Real Estate Group, the developer behind www.uncommons.com.

 

As I sit in my backyard working on my laptop, I have been reflecting on the future of the office. For so many of us, the office has been our primary workplace since college. I think of it now as the place where we huddled to share ideas, high-fived successes and came together for team celebrations. Now, in the wake of the coronavirus, will it ever be the same?

I must admit, I was initially surprised by how productive I have been at my “Work From Home” (WFH) office, where I have the fortunate timing of a recent remodel. My home office is separate from the house and out of earshot of the kid’s video game chatter, plus I’m wondering how I ever lived without my new sit-stand desk. Still, I yearn for getting back to the office. Not only for the simple pleasure of interpersonal contact with my coworkers, but for the energy and efficiency created by person-to-person communication.

Before we know it, the time will come for us start working in our own offices again. Here are five things you can do now to prepare:

1. Establish a “Mobility Program”: Something we are all focused on of as of late is business continuity planning. Shutting your workforce down has not been an option, so we have all been challenged to find solutions to work productively in the absence of being able to go to the office. We can learn from that now as we prepare return to our offices by creating infrastructure that allows for more people to work from home. Not just to provide social distancing, but to keep the workplace healthy by making it possible for employees who may not be feeling well to work from home.
   • Let’s start with technology. Many companies, mine included, are implementing new communication applications and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) on the cloud for easier file sharing.
   • Next up are guidelines. It is important for employers to establish clear guidelines to help employees understand any new WFH policies. What can they expense for their new home office? What are the new “office hours” for response times? Employees will also appreciate being a part of this process. Perhaps start with a survey of what they liked and did not like from their WFH experience. And most importantly, leaders need to live by and demonstrate these new behaviors. It is not enough to write about it; your employees will be keenly aware of how seriously leadership adapts.
2. Get to know your “FF&E”: You may know this term meaning “furniture, fixtures and equipment,” or the basic elements of outfitting an office space. One trend will be to continuing physical distancing, distancing seats and workstations to be further apart. At least for the time being, the densification of office floor plans is no longer acceptable. You may be lucky to already have reconfigurable workstations, as spaces offering more private areas stand to become more popular. Now is the time to reintroduce yourself to your furniture vendor and have them provide you with new ideas. Typically, the larger manufacturers are way ahead of these trends and prove to be an invaluable resource. Suggestions will likely include more distance between desks; having employees sit back-to-back, rather than facing each other or side-by-side; and wider hallways. An easy and immediate solution is to remove half of the chairs from the conference tables.
3. Sanitation: Maybe less visible to employees, but just as important, will be new cleaning regimens that will be viewed as “best practices” for leading companies. Sure, I would expect a “welcome back” hand sanitizer on my desk, but it will be much more than that. It may be worth having a discussion with your landlord or property manager to see what protocols have changed to ensure cleanliness in the public areas like the lobby and restrooms. How often is your space cleaned by the janitorial service? What is in their scope? What types of products are they using? What are the new hygiene guidelines for your office and employees? Is there a written plan or guidelines your landlord can share to ascertain if they are taking your employees health and safety seriously? Talk is not enough. Moving forward, employers will have a responsibility to keep their team safe.
4. Air/Sunlight: Perhaps now is the time to understand the air filtration system that you work within. Viruses can live in the air, plus most offices could use better ventilation. The more air changes the better, as there is no substitute for fresh air. Natural light has always been preferred to dark or fluorescent lights, but it is now proven to offer a health benefit. Start by opening the blinds, asking management to change the filters and ensure the service and maintenance of the HVAC. Most tenants are unaware that the air you are breathing has been recirculated throughout the building. The risk here is that while you may be doing everything right to control a viral outbreak, if the other tenants in your building are not, then your people may be at risk. The most advanced systems will recirculate the air in your space only.
5. Leadership: Now may be the opportunity to refresh your company culture by connecting with your co-workers at a higher level. Staying safe post COVID-19 will be a team effort. Listen to your employees’ concerns and be open to arranging a more flexible work environment and schedule. Communication will be key to monitoring mental health and happiness as we all get back to the new normal. More than anything else, empathy and compassion are required. People will return to work scared, and regaining confidence after the trauma of COVID-19 will take time. Be patient.

Before the pandemic, we were seeing companies shift the way they worked towards providing more freedom, but now freedom has become commonplace. What will motivate employees and increase moral besides the typical amenities? Start by letting them know their safety and wellness is now at the top of the list.

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