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Fostering a collaborative, creative office atmosphere can go a long way toward attracting and retaining millennial talent. According to the Pew Research Center, millennials comprise the largest share of the U.S. workforce, surpassing baby boomers last year. Appealing to young workers has become essential to a company’s success.
Baby boomers have also expressed interest in changing office design. The popularity of co-working spaces and the rise of telecommuting highlight a growing dissatisfaction with conventional office environments, regardless of age.
In Arlington, Carr Properties debuted its answer to shifting workplace models: WaveOffice. Launching in what has become a millennial hub, the office concept at 3033 Wilson Blvd. represents a working environment that puts employee needs first.
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“The workplace environment is changing, moving from long-term leases and institutional [feeling] environments to a workplace that offers innovative interior design, flexible lease terms and amenities that improve the daily experience of the individual worker,” Carr Properties founder and CEO Oliver Carr said. “It is all about reimagining the workplace through the eyes of the employee.”
Beyond salary, young and veteran employees value job purpose, training and upward mobility. The feel and layout of an office can help convey an environment that offers these opportunities.
But for many established companies, the wide-open, free-for-all layout of a co-working space can be frenetic and detrimental to employee productivity and brand image. For some companies, co-working still conveys the image of a scrappy startup, not a mature business, Carr said.
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Striking a balance that marries amenities with a professional environment can be challenging. Carr Properties’ solution is to redesign offices with warm and dynamic atmospheres while offering flexible lease terms and the most in-demand amenities, catering to companies across a broad size and industry spectrum.
The WaveOffice concept offers conference rooms, casual common areas and sophisticated connectivity infrastructure that can keep up with modern technology demands. The environment is more professional while still being conducive to collaboration and flexible lease terms.
“We want to emphasize that WaveOffice is not a co-working facility,” Carr said. “Instead, we’ve created an environment of individual office suites coupled with shared amenities that are perfect for companies that need a home for five to 50 employees where they can have their own branded identity and the flexibility of a one-year-plus lease term, at a competitive cost. If you are running a small business, why would you want to commit to a five-year-plus conventional lease when you could be doubling in size in the next three years and would outgrow your space? WaveOffice provides the lease terms flexibility that allows our customers to grow with us.”
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Carr also streamlined the 50-page traditional office lease by offering a short-form license agreement. Additionally, customers have the opportunity to furnish their office as they choose or work with WaveOffice on a furnished solution.
“For established firms, small companies, consulting teams and frankly all users seeking a flexible workplace, WaveOffice is the perfect solution,” Carr said.
Companies leasing in WaveOffice will have access to all the building-wide amenities Clarendon Square tenants enjoy, including the fitness center, café, lounge and bike room. As Arlington transforms from a bedroom community to a live-work-play destination with innovative restaurants, boutique retail stores and luxury apartments, WaveOffice represents a similar evolution of the city's office space.
Carr Properties, an office REIT with a 6.2M SF urban office portfolio in the Washington, D.C., area that includes five development projects, aims to understand the needs of its prospective customers. Carr Properties is planning to bring WaveOffices to multiple locations in and around the District, and its second location will open in March at 1615 L St. NW.
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