Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2014 | Page 41
Eero Ojala, Marketing and Leasing Manager for Skanska Commercial Development Finland.
line: taken together, the efficient use of space
and the increase in productivity can bring in
savings to the tune of 40 %.
Rooted on Inspiration
The concept of Activity Based Working was
launched already 20 years ago, and Skanska has consistently upgraded the concept as
tools such as cutting-edge information technology have taken hold in the workplace.
ABW addresses architecture and space, but
places significant focus on other things –
ranging from strategic thinking on HR and
technology issues – as well.
At the core of ABW, there is the desire
to create an inspiring environment based on
individual needs; to facilitate meetings and
innovation in contrast to the “flexioffice”
where as many employees as possible are
crammed into the smallest possible space.
Marketing and Leasing Manager Eero Ojala
says that in the workplace today, it’s often a
tug of war between the need to collaborate
and the need to work independently without distractions.
“Presently, we find that there are a lot
of poor compromises out there,” he says,
adding that employees rarely get the most
out of their working day. Ojala observes that
as mobile revolution continues, some will
work from home, others will be almost constantly on the road – and few will remain
by their desks.
“Anyone Using This Chair?”
Nevertheless, international research suggests that if you look at offices around the
world – regardless of size or industry – you
will find that the chairs by the desks are used
only 35 % of the time. This means that workers are already voting with their feet – and
spend almost two-thirds of their office hours
away from their desks. Skanska believes that
the time is right for forerunner companies to
step away from the idea of designated desks
and embrace the new type of work flow.
But what about remote working?
Could the “Office 2.0” become obsolete
very soon, as everybody wants to work from
home or a trendy café? Ojala says that this
is an important question since one can already see that companies are responding in
different ways to this challenge.
“There are those companies who want
their employees at the office and they find
ways to regulate remote working to such a
degree that it becomes inconvenient. That’s
certainly one way to do it. But wouldn’t it be
smarter to make your office so attractive that
the employees really want to come there?”
“Making work more fun” is an important element of activity-based thinking. Ojala speaks about the various possibilities that
the modern office holds: it can be a “basecamp” where you have everything you need
or a “showroom” where you can bring clients and dazzle them with some of the things
you have going on.
Bet on the Best
Jorma Lehtonen is convinced that what the
market wants now is quality offices: either
to use the offices as tenants or to buy them.
With extensive background in real estate investment, Lehtonen knows that when times
get tough, investors bet on premium real estate. One of the strong selling points is environmental issues and Skanska has accomplished a lot in t