In a survey of corporate executives, more than half (50%) say talent trumps cost (31%) as a driver for real estate decisions. Their sentiment reflects one of the emerging trends we’re seeing this year as a growing number of commercial real estate (CRE) firms develop out-of-the-box ways to improve the quality of work-life and productivity for occupants.

An increasing number of our clients, including firms that lease and build/manage commercial property and employers occupying their space, are exploring Commute Alternatives as a way to impact the people side of real estate.

Here are examples of how they’re affecting talent acquisition and retention goals:

• When a top consumer brand built its new corporate headquarters in Boston, one of the site’s many advantages was its proximity to public transit. Some employees commute from the suburbs to the North Station adjacent to the property, while the balance travel via the South Station a few miles away. To connect this “last mile” to HQ, the CRE firm managing the build tapped WeDriveU to roll out a shuttle.
• A property management company with nearly 2 million square feet of Class A office space in the San Francisco Bay Area is engaging us to expand transportation amenities for tenants. A new Park and Ride and Last Mile shuttle will ease the commute between its campus and a local BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station—a roughly 20-mile commute that can take upwards of 50-60 minutes at rush hour.
• Corporate facilities teams also benefit from these new transportation approaches. For example, our Commute Alternatives program for a technology company includes shuttles that link its new corporate headquarters and satellite campus, plus a Last Mile shuttle to public transit and a long distance employee commute shuttle; all managed at their facility by WeDriveU.

These types of shuttles are a great starting point for companies of all sizes to improve employee convenience and productivity, reduce traffic and parking congestion and bolster sustainability.

It’s an interesting space to watch as firms extend their value through strategic relationships with preferred corporate transportation partners. Like to branstorm a program? Request a custom consultation.

Learn more about our Commute Alternatives and read best practices, including a case study on one of the world’s largest company-sponsored Commute Alternative programs, at www.wedriveu.com.

Source: “America’s Occupier Survey,” CBRE via Workplace Insight