REoptimizer^® Blog

Modern office layouts can be an anomaly. They’re both more and less open than layouts of the past. And while many of the benefits of modern layouts have been touted widely, they are more complicated than they initially seem. Done right, a new office layout will serve more employees in fewer square feet while creating a physical space that encourages team work and collaboration. Done wrong, it creates an office where employees feel constantly on display and frequently interrupted. Here are five key points you should know as you evaluate the renovation of your office space: 

Is $6 per square foot operating expenses reasonable? What about $20? As with many corporate real estate questions, the answer depends on many factors, starting with what they're being measured against. Depending on the type of benchmarks you need to set, you can tap into different data sources - both internal and external - to help you figure out whether or not the operating expenses you pay are reasonable.

Most landlords are extremely savvy business people. Many of them also have equally savvy real estate brokers and attorneys working with them. The net effect of this is that your landlord is able to hide secrets in leases and other operations. Many of these secrets are accepted business practice in the industry, but they still cost you money. Here are a few secrets landlords won’t share with a tenant:

Sometimes referred to as the Echo Boom, Generation Y is made up of the children of the Baby Boom. They're a large group - almost as large as their parent's generation - and they live and work in unique ways. Born between 1980 and the late 1990s, Generation Y (Millenials) have a unique approach to the world around them and to the way that they work. Recruiting members of this workforce requires adjustments to corporate real estate strategy. Here's why:

The idea of ephemeralization or the ability to do “more and more with less and less” can be applied to corporate real estate. While any company can squeeze more people into fewer square feet, a few industries have unique opportunities to do more with less space. These rules of thumb also apply to departments within larger corporations as well as they do to firms that have these specific purposes. If you are one of these five business types, you may be able to minimize corporate real estate spending by scaling down your office space:

Assuming that you've been nice this year and you've benchmarked your corporate real estate portfolio, audited all of your CAMs and figured out a way to squeeze in more employees per square foot, it's time to ask Santa (or your boss) for some cool new toys. Unfortunately, post-recession corporate spending levels are still remaining restrained, so you're probably not going to get a G650, or even a budget to stay in Four Seasons properties when you travel for business. In fact, asking for them will probably put you on the naughty list. But here's what you can ask for:

It's possible for any company to land an excellent deal. However, if your company isn't using specialized commercial real estate software, you’re at a disadvantage when it comes to negotiating renewals or new leases. By utilizing the software to manage all the data you have, you will be able to both identify a good deal when you see it and counter the landlord's arguments to get him to improve his offer. Here are five ways that your commercial real estate software can land you a great deal: 

Your company's office space is probably ripe for redesign and refreshing. Changes in the nature of work coupled with different preferences among the Generation Y work force are changing the nature of offices. While these changes are causing tenants to rethink their space, they're also leaving landlords with excess inventory that can make them more willing to do what it takes to hold on to tenants. These two factors together give you an excellent opportunity to use your renewal to significantly reduce occupancy cost.