How can companies convince their employees to return to the office after more than 2-and-a-half years of working from home? What can they do to attract the best workers in a tight labor market? Amenities might be one of the keys.
Those companies that offer wellness amenities such as natural daylight, walking paths, green spaces, onsite fitness centers and healthy eating options gain an edge in attracting employees who can pick from multiple job offers. They can also point to these amenities when enticing their own workers to return to the office, at least on a part-time basis.
As an example, consider Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, a company that designs and supplies safety technologies, energy management solutions and braking systems for trucks, trailers, buses and other commercial vehicles. The company opened its new headquarters building in the Avon, Ohio, a western suburb of Cleveland, at the end of 2021. The 231,000-square-foot space features floor-to-ceiling windows that let in wide swaths of light, an on-site fitness facility, private meeting rooms and plenty of collaboration space.
The building is also surrounded by green space, walking paths and outdoor work areas that give employees the chance to leave their indoor spaces and work in nature, all of which makes for happier, healthier and more productive workers. The building has earned the Silver LEED certification.
JLL’s project and development services team assisted Bendix on budgeting, site selection and design of the new headquarters space. Geis Construction served as the general contractor, while GLSD Architects served as the architect, engineer and LEED specialist. Hasenstab Architects designed the lab space. Bendix was previously headquartered in Elyria, Ohio.
Jack Duff, senior vice president in the Cleveland office of JLL, said that Bendix chose its new space in part to boost its odds of attracting the best employees. When job applicants must decide which new position to take, the quality of the offices in which they will be working, and the amenities that they offer, play a key role, Duff said.
“Recruiting was one of the reasons for Bendix to move into this location,” Duff said. “Their previous headquarters was a bit more remote. So even though they were in that building for 80 years, they were ready to make a change. The area they have moved to has high visibility from the main highway. It is close to shopping and restaurants. Overall, it is a great spot for them.”
Wellness matters
Jessica Urbin, vice president at JLL’s Cleveland office, said that the wellness features offered at Bendix’s new headquarters are key today. As employers and employees continue to work through the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus in office spaces has shifted to amenities that can boost both the mental and physical health of workers.
Urbin points to the walking paths that wander around the headquarters building as a good example. Employees can use the paths during their breaks for both physical exercise and a mental recharge. The office space also features a fitness center with showers and lockers. A wellness clinic is attached to this space.
And both amenities – the fitness and wellness centers – are available to not only workers but to their family members.
Bendix had a goal, too, to reduce its carbon footprint with its new headquarters space. The company achieved this, earning its LEED certification while doing so. The large windows of the new headquarters allow natural light to bathe working areas, another plus for employees. There’s also a composting program and community garden for employees at the headquarters space.
To encourage brainstorming, the headquarters features several collaboration spaces. These areas, too, are bathed in natural light, with Urbin saying that employees are already using them frequently to work together on projects.
Finally, employees can take advantage of outdoor eating spaces adjacent to the company cafeteria, giving them the chance to spend more time in nature during their workdays.
“There is a war for talent out there,” Urbin said. “It’s important for companies to offer amenities that can improve the health of their employees. And companies must clearly communicate what they are doing for their employees. It can be through increased benefits, a better working space or diversity and inclusion initiatives. All of these will become more prevalent as we design space and move ahead post-COVID.”
Workspaces that promote collaboration matter, too. When employees work from home, the fresh ideas that spring from collaborating with their peers often disappear. New office space, then, must feature collaboration areas that foster teamwork, brainstorming and creativity.
“When people have heads-down work, they can do that from home,” Urbin said. “That is not what is driving people to the office today. Now it is about connection and connecting with people on their teams. Companies like Bendix are highly innovative. It was a challenge for them to make remote working successful. They did it. Now they are offering this new space to encourage their employees to get back to working with each other. This space supports agile work and connection.”
Are people coming back to the office, not just at this Bendix headquarters building but across the Cleveland market? Urbin says that there is still uncertainty in the office sector, with some workers coming into the office two days a week and working three days remotely. Other companies are requesting that their workers come into their offices more frequently.
“Companies are trying to give their workers flexibility,” Urbin said. “But at the same time, they are also trying to get people back into their offices. Some companies are looking at a reduction in their office square footage. Others are looking at space relocations. It really is all over the board.”
As in other markets, Class-A office space is attracting more new leases than are older, less-amenitized buildings, Urbin said. The flight to quality is real here.
At Bendix’s new headquarters, employees have been steadily flowing back to the office, Duff said. And the company is already using its new space as a way to attract the greatest talent.
“Their parking lot is half full now, when before it was almost empty,” Duff said. “I see people on the trails and on the patio. Trucks are coming in and out on a regular basis. Employees are enjoying the space. I spoke with one of the senior engineers there, and he said that this was the most employee-friendly environment he has ever worked in. It is very easy for Bendix to bring in a new potential employee and showcase what they have. It’s a great recruiting space.”
