What keeps employees happy? According to a new survey from Coldwell Banker Commercial Affiliates, it’s most often the physical office in which workers spend their time.
According to Coldwell’s survey, 63 percent of U.S. workers said that their office could better utilize its physical space, while 34 percent say a better floorplan could be a key improvement.
Fred Schmidt, president and chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker Commercial Affiliates, said in press release that workers today aren’t necessarily as interested in gimmicky amenities as they are in working in an environment that is comfortable and offers both coworkinng and private spaces.
“Over the years, there have been many transformations that have shaken up the traditional office configuration,” Schmidt said. “These go beyond the headline-grabbingnews of foosball tables and napping pods. Workers, and notably the newest members of the workforce, are demanding smart use of office square footage, and commercial real estate professionals are taking note.”
It’s little surprise, then, that respondents said that the most important office amenity was a the decidedly not sexy ample parking.
Other coveted office amenities cited in the survey were food courts and outdoor lounging space.
The survey found that 64 percent of respondents desired enough room to park their cars at work while 60 percent wanted a food court, cafeteria or restaurant onsite. Rooftops, outdoor patios and gardens are growing in popularity, too, with 41 percent of U.S. adults interested in outdoor lounging space.
“Workers are demonstrating that they want to eat lunch with their colleagues rather than eat alone, and they want to spend time in outdoor office lounges rather than at their desks,” Schmidt said. “Offices are becoming a center for social activity, and it is important for office commercial real estate to accommodate this.”
And what about the office layouts themselves? Coldwell Banker reported that 79 percent of adults would feel more comfortable with an open floorplan if private spaces were available, too.
