Navigating the pandemic office work environment, you hear a broad range of potential outcomes, from most businesses going remote to the “6-foot-office” to two-hour lines to get to your floor in a high rise.
The priority of our physical health and safety understandably takes precedence. Like most businesses, this is where Basin Street Properties' focus is right now for our tenants and employees.
Working from home comes with significant intangible costs to your emotional wellbeing, productivity and sense of self within your company. While we have all found ways to be effective in the new world of remote work and Zoom meetings, it is a holding pattern not a new path forward.
As a society that innately craves collaboration, connectivity, and teamwork, this is our offseason. Many companies are like sports teams that can endure an offseason for a period of time, but must physically come together to align and succeed.
Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, recently emphasized that virtual video calls cannot replace in-person meetings.
“What I miss is when you walk into a physical meeting, you are talking to the person that is next to you, you're able to connect with them for the two minutes before and after,” Nadella said.
Without in-person meetings and connections, your social capital declines with your team and our accountability and commitment to each other diminishes.
It is in our DNA to foster relationships and be part of a team both personally and professionally. While your team can be maintained for a period through emails and texts and disembodied heads on a screen, it is not a sustainable model.
Before employees can return to work, they need to know it is a safe and clean work environment.
At Basin Street, we have followed C.D.C., state and county guidelines to develop our C.A.R.E.S. Initiative, providing safer and cleaner environments across all our properties as we emerge from shelter-in-place and stay-at-home directives and ordinances.
The C.A.R.E.S. Initiative focuses on five areas to allow us to work together to provide a safer environment and help preserve employee well-being. Those focus areas are: Clean Hands. Air Systems. Restroom Etiquette. Elevator Protocol. Safe Distance.
Clean Hands
Air Systems
Restroom Etiquette
Elevator Protocol
Safe Distance
Our strategies will evolve as we evaluate changing conditions and the effectiveness of these protocols and procedures.
Working from home can be effective for a variety of tasks, but the collaborative team breakthroughs typically happen at the office and cannot be replicated in a Zoom call. Here are a few of the many benefits of a traditional office.
Remote working may work for a length of time, but eventually, we will need to get back with our team. It is hard to quantify the value of face-to-face interactions, but this is the most effective way to establish strong working relationships, make breakthroughs, close deals and move our companies forward.
At Basin Street, we are fortunate to serve the best collection of tenants in the world; some for over 25 years. They are innovative, tenacious and driven.
While remote working may address short term demands, these outstanding businesses all need the community, collaboration, culture, friendship, teamwork and serendipity of an office environment.
Right now, they are leveraging Satya's “social capital” while weathering these unusual times. We look forward to providing a safe, clean and productive work environment when they return.
Embrace this offseason while we have it. Master the art of Zoom, stagger schedules, schedule social calls with your team, while preparing for when we can return to the office.
Businesses and people crave the social interaction, collaboration, and relationships of the workplace and when it is safe to do so, they will gladly return to it.
We believe in American resilience and ingenuity, and we are grateful to have an exceptional group of tenants that we can serve and help thrive again. Together we hope to emerge from this stronger than we were before.
Matt White is Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Basin Street Properties.
-->Navigating the pandemic office work environment, you hear a broad range of potential outcomes, from most businesses going remote to the “6-foot-office” to two-hour lines to get to your floor in a high rise.
The priority of our physical health and safety understandably takes precedence. Like most businesses, this is where Basin Street Properties' focus is right now for our tenants and employees.
Working from home comes with significant intangible costs to your emotional wellbeing, productivity and sense of self within your company. While we have all found ways to be effective in the new world of remote work and Zoom meetings, it is a holding pattern not a new path forward.
As a society that innately craves collaboration, connectivity, and teamwork, this is our offseason. Many companies are like sports teams that can endure an offseason for a period of time, but must physically come together to align and succeed.
Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, recently emphasized that virtual video calls cannot replace in-person meetings.
“What I miss is when you walk into a physical meeting, you are talking to the person that is next to you, you're able to connect with them for the two minutes before and after,” Nadella said.
Without in-person meetings and connections, your social capital declines with your team and our accountability and commitment to each other diminishes.
It is in our DNA to foster relationships and be part of a team both personally and professionally. While your team can be maintained for a period through emails and texts and disembodied heads on a screen, it is not a sustainable model.
Before employees can return to work, they need to know it is a safe and clean work environment.
At Basin Street, we have followed C.D.C., state and county guidelines to develop our C.A.R.E.S. Initiative, providing safer and cleaner environments across all our properties as we emerge from shelter-in-place and stay-at-home directives and ordinances.
The C.A.R.E.S. Initiative focuses on five areas to allow us to work together to provide a safer environment and help preserve employee well-being. Those focus areas are: Clean Hands. Air Systems. Restroom Etiquette. Elevator Protocol. Safe Distance.
Clean Hands
Air Systems
Restroom Etiquette
Elevator Protocol
Safe Distance
Our strategies will evolve as we evaluate changing conditions and the effectiveness of these protocols and procedures.
Working from home can be effective for a variety of tasks, but the collaborative team breakthroughs typically happen at the office and cannot be replicated in a Zoom call. Here are a few of the many benefits of a traditional office.
Remote working may work for a length of time, but eventually, we will need to get back with our team. It is hard to quantify the value of face-to-face interactions, but this is the most effective way to establish strong working relationships, make breakthroughs, close deals and move our companies forward.
At Basin Street, we are fortunate to serve the best collection of tenants in the world; some for over 25 years. They are innovative, tenacious and driven.
While remote working may address short term demands, these outstanding businesses all need the community, collaboration, culture, friendship, teamwork and serendipity of an office environment.
Right now, they are leveraging Satya's “social capital” while weathering these unusual times. We look forward to providing a safe, clean and productive work environment when they return.
Embrace this offseason while we have it. Master the art of Zoom, stagger schedules, schedule social calls with your team, while preparing for when we can return to the office.
Businesses and people crave the social interaction, collaboration, and relationships of the workplace and when it is safe to do so, they will gladly return to it.
We believe in American resilience and ingenuity, and we are grateful to have an exceptional group of tenants that we can serve and help thrive again. Together we hope to emerge from this stronger than we were before.
Matt White is Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Basin Street Properties.
