LOS ANGELES—The days of basing a headquarters decision on the convenience level of a CEO's commute are behind us. CBRE's latest Americas Occupier Survey found that 86% of the respondents are either reinventing or adapting workplace standards to meet employee demand for more amenity-focused, flexible and technology-driven environments. That's occurring against the backdrop of an increasingly competitive landscape for attracting and retaining talent—and, when the talent is on board, maximizing productivity.
GlobeSt.com spoke with Julie Whelan, head of occupier research at CBRE, and Whitley Collins, global president of the firm's advisory and transaction services | occupier business line, for an in-depth look into the real estate implications of this trend. An edited version of the conversation appears below.
GlobeSt.com: Growth in office using employment is expected to slow. At the same time, we're seeing a skills gap in people who are looking for jobs. With these factors converging, are CBRE's occupier clients saying that this is unprecedented?
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Paul Bubny
Paul Bubny is managing editor of Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com. He has been reporting on business since 1988 and on commercial real estate since 2007. He is based at ALM Real Estate Media Group's offices in New York City.
