How One Dallas Landlord Helped Lure Employees Back to the Office

Office is the biggest question mark in commercial real estate. Most office-using companies are still operating remotely through the pandemic, and many are considering long-term or permanent remote work policies. This has some landlords concerned that office demand could diminish significantly. However, property owners can help implement policies that will encourage workers and companies to step back into the office.

Health and safety protocols that prevent the transmission and spread of COVID-19 are the best way for property owners to support a return to the office. In Dallas, owners have taken many of these steps and have seen a significant increase in re-entry, with more than 40% of workers back in the office. “Owners and operators in the Dallas market are increasingly interested in helping office tenants and their team members return to work by creating a plan for preventing the spread of COVID-19 at their offices. In doing so, they are implementing processes and protocols that keep users safe and healthy as they navigate their way back to the office,” Giovanni Cordoves, Western regional president at KBS, tells GlobeSt.com.

KBS has taken many of these steps to infuse health and safety rules into its properties. These processes and protocols include increased sanitation through bipolar ionization, UV lighting, and additional circulation of fresh air; installing antibacterial surfaces and touchless features to common areas of office buildings; and adjusting common area layouts including social distancing decals and suggested walkway paths that adhere to local guidelines, Brett Merz, senior VP and asset manager for the state of Texas for KBS, tells GlobeSt.com.

Technology has also played a role for the company, which has partnered with the cloud-based software company Maptician to provide tenants with a system that will help them return to the office safely and efficiently, according to Cordoves. “The software allows tenants to bring back their team members in an organized and health-conscious fashion including reconfiguring space to allow for social distancing, scheduling workstation use and even tracking symptoms of potential COVID-19 among employees.”

These moves have put Dallas offices ahead of many other markets. San Francisco and New York, for example, only have 13.4% and 15.9% of their workers back in the office. “By establishing these protocols, Dallas office owners and companies are positioning themselves to be ahead of the curve when it comes to a safe and healthy return to the office,” adds Merz.