'A Living Organism': WeWork's Head Of Leasing On Creating Experiences To Compete With The Home Office

WeWork Vice President and Regional Head of Leasing for EMEA and APAC Ryan Jans has “a front-row seat” to how occupiers are thinking about and creating their workplace strategies, he said. This has been built during his six years at WeWork, where he has held several roles, from head of sales in his native South Africa to head of leasing for the UK and Ireland. 

“Because our product is operational real estate, unlike a traditional landlord, I'm in buildings all the time,” he said. “I see firsthand how teams use their space and get real-time feedback from how businesses engage with us on renewals, expansions, contractions or team moves.”

In the 10 years Jans has spent in commercial real estate, conversations around the workspace have shifted dramatically, he said. Artificial intelligence, economic conditions, the pandemic and the rise of hybrid work have all influenced how companies think about real estate and approach their workplace strategies, and this will continue to change. 

Bisnow asked Jans about the trends playing out across WeWork’s UK and Ireland portfolio, what occupiers are prioritising today and the office qualities that are compelling enough to rival the home. 

Bisnow: How has companies’ approach to workplace strategy evolved since you joined WeWork?

Ryan Jans: Before the rapid evolution in how we engage with the workplace, space utilisation was straightforward: desks, chairs, meeting rooms. Today, things look very different. Leaders often arrive with a clear idea of how they expect to use a space, only to find that once they move in, their actual behaviours and needs shift. 

Because of this, we’re seeing a growing acceptance amongst decision-makers that adaptability is nonnegotiable. Smaller businesses tend to scale their footprint or figure out ways to reconfigure space faster because there are fewer variables around headcount and growth.

We’re also seeing the office move from a cost line item to being a container that needs to amplify connection, creativity and belonging. It’s not about filling seats anymore. It’s about how space can create collaboration and connection, how it can ignite energy and how it can support employees to do their best work. 

This shift is reflected in who shows up to the conversations. We’re still speaking to chief financial officers, but now chief people officers are right in the mix. It’s an important and overdue evolution.

Bisnow: How are employers boosting office attendance today, such as using mandates?

Jans: Broadly speaking, although some organisations have implemented mandates, it isn’t a full return to command and control. Rather, it reflects employers taking a more active role in shaping how and when people come together. 

This is partly because the labour market is extremely tight. Even so, people — and talent — still have choices. Culture moves quickly, and while mandates are a good way to create momentum to get people into the office, the companies that seem to be thriving aren’t fixated on whether everyone is following the rules to the letter. Instead, it’s about giving people a genuinely good day at work and having the openness to evolve as their needs shift. 

The challenge here is that over the last few years, people have been able to create a hyperpersonalised home situation that suits them. No one wants to spend an hour or more on a busy train, going to an office where they spend their day on calls they could have done remotely. 

We’ve got a new generation flooding into the workplace who prioritise healthy work-life balance and have grown accustomed to hybrid work schedules. It’s more important than ever to embrace this shift and really think about what the office needs to offer for your workforce rather than stick to what you’ve always done.

Bisnow: Do you think there is still a future for remote working?

Jans: Remote working isn’t going anywhere. What is fading is the idea that remote working is the best thing for distributed teams. Ultimately, hybrid has become the new operating system of work. 

People will continue to use their homes or different workspaces for deep focus work or simply for a break from commuting, and the office for collaboration, connection, mentoring and leading.  

Bisnow: You mentioned that the office needs to deliver. What are the key trends you’re seeing in how companies are achieving this?

Jans: While there’s no silver bullet for creating a great office, the companies that are winning right now are the ones asking, “What’s the purpose of our office?” 

Often, the answer to this question is creating an experience that rivals the comfort and ease of the home but delivers the collective energy of the team. As such, we’re seeing three themes stand out.

First, collaboration-first design. For a while, the focus was on opening everything up and reducing desk density. Now the conversation has shifted towards creating spaces where people can genuinely work together, places designed for group work and learning sessions. 

What we’re hearing in our conversations with occupiers and what we are seeing in our spaces daily is that connection continues to be the office’s superpower. Think central gathering points, background rhythm and noise, curated collaboration in the open, which all create energy in the space.

Second, flexibility. This is particularly the case in the current economic climate. Companies are nervous about long-term cost commitments. 

What we hear consistently is, “We’re ready to commit. Your hospitality works for us. But we need flexible terms in case things shift.” 

Companies are also becoming more intentional about flexing their space. They identify underused areas and use movable furniture to transform one room into multiple environments, from a morning workshop to an afternoon project huddle or evening social. The goal is to enable the space to adapt to the purpose you identified from the start.

Lastly, hospitality, and not just the kind we provide at WeWork. Across real estate, managed spaces are booming because operators are delivering office experiences that take real expertise to get right. 

In London particularly, we’re seeing traditional landlords lean into this. Think of welcome desks with someone greeting you by name, someone who knows your preferred spot, meeting rooms set up with water and coffee before you arrive or needs anticipated before you even voice them. 

These touches take your physical space and make it an experience. That’s the magic.

Bisnow: What advice would you give businesses, whether they have five or 500 employees, trying to create the workplace you’ve described?

Jans: You’ve got to ask a lot of questions before you start looking for an office. Why do you need an office? What is its purpose? You need to design and build something that answers the why question, operate to consistently deliver a great user experience and then iterate. 

To do this, you need to pay attention to what’s happening in your office. Look at ways to understand how the office is being utilised, which meeting rooms are most in demand, which corners are buzzing and which never get touched. Think about why that might be the case and adjust accordingly. It’s about maximising the space you have, and the culture will come with it. 

A modern office is a living organism within your business. It needs your time, care and attention, and more and more companies are recognising not only this but just how much work and expertise it takes to get this right.

That’s why we’re increasingly speaking with everyone from FTSE 500s to fast-growing SMEs, either advising them on how to succeed or partnering with them directly to provide the space, hospitality and flexibility to create a workplace strategy that lasts. 

This article was produced in collaboration between WeWork and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.