New Office Service To Help Landlords Modernise Their Offering

The U.K. office sector is witnessing a rapid transformation. Growing trends toward coworking and experiential office design are changing the way workers use these spaces. As the industry continues to evolve, property managers and landlords need to stay one step ahead of the curve. 

Property management and building consultancy firm Workman LLP is bringing the theme of innovation to the office market with the launch of Welcome-Workman Offices, an office-focused property management service designed to improve the occupier experience. 

Workman launched this service as a result of several industry changes. The team witnessed a general shift from a business-driven to a consumer-led approach, and noticed a trend in customer service and collaboration. But many larger offices have not kept up.

“There is a shift happening in terms of expectation from occupiers and landlords,” Workman partner Gavin Halliday said. “Coworking brands now provide attractive services to startups and small organisations. What we’re doing is looking at larger companies that are in a traditional leasing structure, but want a nontraditional property management service. They want the service standards that they might get from the WeWorks of the world, so we are giving them the best of both worlds.”

Workman has spent the last 18 months conducting research and piloting the program across more than 1M SF of property in London. Now, its office services arm is building on its success and rolling the program out across the U.K. 

As Workman continues to expand this property management offering, the firm has introduced several experiential services to enhance the occupier experience and improve the relationship between property managers and occupiers. One of the first priorities is to facilitate ongoing face-to-face relationships between occupiers and property managers in some of these larger office buildings. To make this happen, property managers are available on-site at Welcome buildings, providing a more personalised experience for occupiers. Property managers hold monthly occupier meetings that focus on specific themes, like building security and safety. They also hold occupier drop-in sessions, which can help alleviate any tension or confusion between property managers and the people who occupy their buildings. 

Workman also collaborates with occupiers in buildings to host an organised events program, with each gathering customised for the specific building and its occupiers. These events encourage various companies in the building to socialise and engage with one another, while forming positive relationships with their building’s management team. 

“With the blending of personal and work life ever increasing, people expect more from their place of work,” Halliday said. “They expect it to offer some of the benefits they would expect at home, so this gives them a touch of a more premium experience.”

This feature was produced in collaboration between Bisnow Branded Content and Welcome – Workman Offices . Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.