How businesses are changing their office space to help RTO plans: ABM CEO Scott Salmirs
The office has changed a lot over the past few years, and if there’s one person who’s had a front-row seat to that transformation, it’s Scott Salmirs. He’s served as the CEO of ABM Industries for 22 years, a 100-year-old office management provider that he says maintains the workspaces of more than half the companies in the Fortune 500.
The advent of work-from-home policies absolutely changed the game, and as companies struggle to get workers back into the office, he says they’re trying to recreate a more relaxed atmosphere to lure back employees. “Companies are looking at how they redesign everything to make it more hospitable,” he says.
That doesn’t mean turning the office environment into a living room with large couches or ping pong tables. Companies are instead creating more privacy and investing in quality spaces.
Salmirs also had a front-row seat to the more recent phenomenon of companies downsizing their workforce, or pulling back on hiring. That means they’re looking for less office space, but work areas that are higher quality in “Class A” buildings, those built in the last 15 years, in the most desirable locations, or with amenities like on-site management, security, fitness centers, and state-of-the-art design.
Companies are also constantly requesting more conference room spaces, and private areas where employees can go to take calls, or simply get a few minutes of peace. Open-plan offices that thrived pre-pandemic aren’t functional in a world where Zoom calls are the norm, he says. Plus, teams want to be able to maximize their time together and they need a separate space to do that kind of collaborative work.
“To get people back, companies are realizing that they have to give people some more privacy,” he says. “So we’re seeing them convert open space into conference rooms, or areas with more secluded space,” says Salmirs.
Finally, and perhaps most obviously, in today’s office world, drinks and snacks are a must. Employees are used to walking to their fridge or pantry to get a snack while working from home and don’t always want to leave the office to get something quick to eat. So office snacks are no longer considered a perk, they’re more of a requirement.
“They’re looking closely at pantries and what they’re serving, including the coffee, the snacks, all that good stuff,” he says. “It really matters to employees.”
You can read my full interview with Scott Salmirs here.
Brit Morse
brit.morse@fortune.com
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