Organizations are dealing with unprecedented levels of change that are uprooting workplace norms and changing expectations about work: how it gets done, what gets done by whom and where it all happens. The influence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution was a key focal point for discussion among CEOs and other attendees at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
At the center of those changes sits the workplace. Real estate is no longer a static expense to review every five years. It’s a strategic driver of organizational transformation. Organizations that fail to address the fluctuating demands of the new, more agile workforce will find themselves falling behind and risking their very existence.
JLL hosted a panel of CEOs and senior-level executives in Davos to discuss how organizations are adapting to prepare for the future of work—and specifically, how their physical workplaces are changing. While each organization faces a unique set of challenges, the panelists found common ground around four key themes that will be critical to shaping the look and feel of their future workplaces:
Theme #1: Get comfortable with change
“You should be super scared if your company isn’t changing right now,” said an executive with a Fortune 500 workforce solutions company. Other panelists echoed the sentiment that change is the new normal.