Property companies are ramping up wellbeing initiatives for staff and tenants returning to their buildings after months of lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic.
As the government eases lockdown measures, agents have reopened offices, retailers have announced plans to open non-essential shops and companies are plotting a path back to the office.
Legal & General’s head of property operations, Mark Tyson, said the relationship between landlord and occupier has “never been more important” than during this transition, and that wellbeing is at the heart of this.
The company is installing sensors in buildings to monitor air quality, humidity and the concentration of people. The data will be available to building users to help tenants feel safe and informed about their workplace.
“While coronavirus has had a number of wide-reaching negative consequences, strengthening the working relationship between landlords and occupiers will be one positive outcome of the current crisis,” Tyson said.
At CBRE, which started a phased reopening of offices on 26 May, Natalie Barnicott, head of people in the UK advisory business, said it had been important for the company to let staff know that returning to the office was not mandatory. For those who choose to return, CBRE has prepared welcome packs and training programmes.
“One of the key learnings from the past few months is around community and connectedness,” Barnicott said. “We’re continuing our series of regular ‘all staff’ updates, and reflecting the experiences of those returning to work in offices, as well as employees working from home for an extended period of time.”
Darren Richards, head of real estate at British Land, agreed that transparency is critical in moving out of lockdown. “With many people being keen to return to work and to shop, the key element is making sure they feel confident and reassured about doing so,” he said. “Therefore, being transparent about what is being done to look after their wellbeing is vital.
“Owning and controlling our public realms – for example, in our office campuses in London – really helps here, as does having an integrated property management team.”
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