BusinessConnect. Special Edition. July BUSINESS CONNECT Celebrating 10 Years of Insight

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1 Global Connect Special Edition BusinessConnect Celebrating 10 Years of Insight BUSINESS CONNECT Celebrating 10 Years of Insight July 2018 RESEARCH REPORT How to Catalyze Your Workplace for Growth NEOCON 2018 In Good Company

2 Celebrating 10 Years of Insight Experience. Insights. Sharing. Three powerful concepts came together for Herman Miller Global Accounts at the annual BusinessConnect event. The energy was immediately apparent as the two-day event opened on May 9 at Adobe s vibrant and newly renovated headquarters in San Jose, CA. BusinessConnect 2018 Attendees A DECADE OF GROWTH Malisa Bryant, Herman Miller s Senior Vice President for North America, opened the symposium by welcoming attendees and offering an illuminating retrospective on a decade of sharing and its impact on shaping the Global Accounts experience today. Eleven years ago, our customers wanted to come together to discuss a brand-new product that Herman Miller launched, allowing corporate real estate professionals to completely rethink their space. This product was Vivo, and at that time, it was a disruption to the market.

3 Also discussed during this meeting was change management and what that looked like within their organization, she said. What began as a meeting between three customers has grown dramatically. Bryant described the scope of this year s tenth annual gathering as, over 20 different organizations represented in a forum that allows Herman Miller s largest customers to get together and discuss workplace challenges and corporate real estate issues and trends. Herman Miller continues to bring together forward-thinking customers at BusinessConnect, a forum where customers come together to elevate their knowledge of issues impacting the global workplace. This year featured presentations from some of the most innovative companies, a preview of Herman Miller s latest research, and a tour of Adobe s renowned space. Small table discussions BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE The day kicked off with Michael Fithian, Director of Corporate Real Estate Americas for Daimler/Mercedes Benz, describing the purpose behind the relocation of the Mercedes-Benz USA headquarters to Atlanta, Georgia. The goal of the new site was culture, reflecting the brand, and retention of brain power, he described. The new space had to promote connectivity and collaboration. The new headquarters is reported to focus on collaboration, less me, more we spaces, and accelerate interaction between employees.

4 Explaining how the move from New Jersey was focused on the future of Mercedes, matching the dynamic company with a vibrant environment was the goal for retaining current employees and providing a strong stream of future talent. Fithian shared that the new location was selected via a metric-driven methodology considering everything from airports and public transportation to cultural offerings and higher education, ensuring that the destination chosen would support people s professional and personal needs a vital aspect of engagement and retention. After settling on Atlanta, the Mercedes team started moving executives and other employees to a temporary office in a five-floor occupied building not far from the new final site. Mercedes condensed the move with waves of people relocating from the temporary site to the final site every two weeks. This fasttrack approach allowed them to meet the aggressive move-in date. March, 2018 saw the grand opening of the new three-story headquarters with 200,000 square feet, featuring a glass skin over a steel frame that provides a modern appearance and optimizes natural light. A ceremonial front entrance fits the luxury brand s essence and leads to an open atrium that is the heart of the building, which also has a LEED Silver environmental certification and features locally sourced food. Reaching beyond the basics to keep employees satisfied, the 12-acre campus features a nature trail, coffee bar, 5,000 square foot fitness center, and on-site childcare facility. DEEPER DISCUSSION Next, the day shifted to small table discussions in five areas: wellness and wellbeing, decentralization versus centralization, the workplace as an asset, smart furnishings and data analytic systems, and globalization and connectivity. There was a lively discussion about the growing recognition that space is strongly connected to wellness and wellbeing. Though employee wellness efforts have traditionally been the domain of the HR team, it s now common for the facilities team to play a strong role in designing spaces that promote physical and emotional health. And strong opinions were shared about creating a workplace that functions as an asset. Participants discussed how space could enhance a company s culture and generate a sense of belonging and increased satisfaction and productivity. You don t need a desk and a place to put your artifacts to make you feel valued, said one participant. Another key idea: Interns are not there to be secluded. They are there to network. Innovative designs that support collaboration and connection were praised as part of getting the space right.

5 WORKPLACE TRANSFORMATION During the final session of the day, Joseph White, Director of Workplace Strategy, Design, & Management for Herman Miller presented a report on the company s latest workplace research. The report, How to Catalyze Your Workplace for Growth, compares results before and after Living Office redesigns and includes more than 14 million data points at eight organizations, ranging from small nonprofits to multi-billion-dollar firms. Part of an ongoing worldwide study of the impact of workplace on people, the report quantifies how Herman Miller s personalized, research-based placemaking approach ignites powerful workplace transformations, priming an organization for growth. Joseph White, Director of Workplace Strategy, Design, & Management for Herman Miller presenting on workplace transformation CONTINUED EXCITEMENT The second day began with Greg Bylsma, President of North America Contract for Herman Miller, who provided a preview of the company s strategic direction. He engaged the audience with enlightening information about operations, the dealer ecosystem, and how real-time data can lead to insights that drive toward improved outcomes.

6 Cocktails and dinner at Adobe s terrace restaurant TAKING UP THE CHALLENGE Next up, Brett Hautop, Senior Director of Global Design and Build from LinkedIn, spoke about reconceiving facilities as workplace experiences. In his presentation, titled Quantifying the LinkedIn Workplace Experience, he described how their goal is to act as ambassadors who create spaces and services that define the company culture to deliver a phenomenal workplace experience. Key aspects of the process include quantifying the workplace, a performance methodology that focuses on what matters to people, embracing new modes of working, and a 100% renewable energy pledge that delivers on sustainability including a commitment to reduce carbon by 75% by the year Citing the challenge of such a bold pledge, he said: We just do it.

7 ACCOMMODATING MOBILITY REQUIREMENTS Keeping the energy high, Gaurav Charay, Senior Manager with the Real Estate and Location Strategy practice of Deloitte Consulting, presented the findings of a research collaboration the firm executed with Herman Miller Workplace Mobility Insights is a survey of global real estate leaders on their workplace mobility programs. The results highlighted the adoption of workplace mobility approaches including influences and drivers, the role of co-working and free address spaces, and how mobility is evolving. Three slides captured the takeaways reinforcing the wins and showing areas for improvement. ACCELERATING CHANGE Pamela Jamieson, Architectural Systems & Space Planning Manager at General Motors, rounded out the presentations speaking about the $1 billion transformation investment in Warren, Michigan, as well as the multiple transformation projects that have been completed not only at the Michigan campuses, but globally throughout General Motors. Among other goals, the initiative is about supporting GM s Culture to Win, providing an environment that encourages engagement, collaboration and sense of community, as well as breaking down hierarchical status and promoting real-time problem solving. Pamela s engaging presentation walked the audience through employees sentiments on the workspace environment and the desired culture, outcomes, and behaviors.

8 2018 Herman Miller, Inc.