Businesses use ‘sociologists, psychologists, and anthropologists’ to bring employees back to the office

Now, angry employers want to know what makes their employees tick.

Neil Murray, CEO of Work Dynamics at real estate group Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), pointed out that businesses are exploring all angles of the employee brain to find the right formula to get them back to the office.

Many managers want employees to return to their noses, at least in a hybrid model, but they have trouble resisting employees who have become accustomed to flexibility.

Murray’s division consults with key companies about their real estate location, covering everything from the sustainability of the space to the interaction of employees in that space. The latter is becoming more and more important to businesses before they make a fortune through a Grade A office.

Changing location

He describes the new way of designing these spaces as “a moment in time for the renewal of space” that emphasizes human behavior.

“Sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists. You get input, and everybody has slightly different ideas,” Murray said Good luck.

Murray says this mindset has changed dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic, and businesses now need to look at how office spaces can benefit employees.

“You completely change that perspective and think, ‘Why do I need a place in the first place when I can run my business virtually? What is its purpose?’ And then you need that input from different people to try and think about the psychology of what will make people comfortable. “

The Future of Real Estate, a new report from JLL published Thursday, looks at corporate office space needs following the AI ​​revolution. Companies will likely focus more on the social impact of spaces, prioritizing “well-being, hospitality and entertainment,” the authors say.

But that doesn’t mean that a series of attractive workplace additions, such as gyms and cinemas, are the answer to increasing office attendance.

JLL’s Murray says his team explored all the amenities that might entice workers to return to the office, including free lunches or coffee machines. However, there is no silver bullet.

He says: “The most attractive thing about bringing people back is other people.

Building an office that brings them together, Murray says, has been an ongoing battle.

The psychological difference between Gen Z workers and their older colleagues is emerging as one of the factors behind the re-evaluation of the office space. Murray says going to university in a remote area before completing a mixed course has changed the needs of young workers compared to their predecessors.

“There’s going to be a collective psychological difference in that generation as expected,” Murray said.

Office space

Without considerations based on productivity and motivation, Murray says businesses that take the approach of bringing employees into the office are not seeing much success.

“Those who try to legislate and try to authorize three days, we see exactly the same number of those who do not fulfill the mandate, and that is corrected in less than three days a week.”

Murray says businesses tend to settle for a three-day hybrid model, adding that younger and younger workers spend more time in the office than middle-aged workers.

Talking to Good luck In February, Murray’s colleague, EMEA CEO Sue Aspey Price, said that companies asking employees to return to the office four days a week were doing so expecting to return for only three days.

Aspey Price says this because changes in office space requirements have led to downsizing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If everyone follows the guidelines, many companies don’t have enough space,” he said.

“If all the working groups arrive on those days, the chances of having enough space are almost non-existent.”

Murray thinks offices will see a return to designated workspaces for workers, including the spread of hot-desking, even if it means workers taking turns at their desks.

“You think about the idea that everyone is becoming more and more unallocated, where is the place for ‘me’ there, and where is your personality?”