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Why a hybrid office needs to understand and support employee commutes with transport information
Corporate Real Estate Journal,
11
(2),
106-121
(2022)
Abstract
Commuting will always be a point of friction between employers and employees. It is often cited as the worst part of an employee’s day, and as a critical factor when considering leaving a job or taking a new job. Now, for nearly two years, the traditional home-to-office commute has not been part of the daily routine for a large fraction of the population. As a result, employee sentiments about the return to office are heavily influenced by perceptions of commuting. Employers find themselves in a challenging situation: How to encourage employees to return to the office even a few days a week, while avoiding an increase in turnover, particularly in the currently heated job market? This paper introduces a system of ‘office employee archetypes’ for easier understanding of how employee roles relate to their in-office requirements — and how those employees experience demands to return to commuting. It discusses trends in transportation, hybrid and distributed work, and sustainability that will shape post-pandemic corporate real estate. In addition, it explains how employers can take advantage of the opportunity for a ‘fresh start’ by supporting employees with transportation information software, facilities improvements, benefits, and partnerships with service providers — and how this will increase willingness to return to the office.
Keywords: workplace experience; transport; parking; commuting; hybrid office; ESG; sustainability
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Matt Caywood is CEO and co-founder of Actionfigure (originally TransitScreen), a leading transport information software solutions provider based in Washington, DC. Actionfigure helps people make more informed, more sustainable choices about transport. Matt is a leader in transport data; he serves on the board of the Open Transit Software Foundation and is a core member of MobilityData.org and a member of the Federal City Council and the Association for Commuter Transportation. Prior to launching Actionfigure, he led teams developing artificial intelligence (AI) systems and brain-computer interfaces for transport and geospatial applications at the MITRE Corporation. Matt holds a PhD in neuroscience from the University of California, San Francisco.
Aaron Rinaca is vice president of product at Actionfigure (originally TransitScreen), where he leads strategic direction and vision of product to align with customer needs and overall business strategy. Aaron has an extensive career in commercial real estate, most notably as vice president of marketing technology, Americas with Fortune 500 company, JLL. Prior to JLL, Aaron was the head of global real estate for LivingSocial, where he was responsible for the technology company’s real estate portfolio and ongoing facilities operations of 17 offices in the US and 50 international locations.
