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The pandemic and restrictions measures have sparked debate about the future of residential and corporate environments. In the article “The future of residential environments after COVID-19” we brought the perspective of the developers regarding the new residential spaces. Likewise, office spaces have undergone a reevaluation. Several companies have already signaled that the transformations during the crisis tend to remain in the post-covid period. The term “home-office” has never been more valued. Will the home-office work really dominate the corporate format from now on?
Raoul Thomas, CEO of CGI Merchant Group, a private equity firm in Miami, understands that working in the home office, as expressively as it was implemented during the pandemic, is not sustainable. “We do not believe that working from home is sustainable in the long term, especially when it comes to individuals with families, in addition to the potential for declining efficiency levels,” explains Thomas in an interview with Miami Herald.
Thomas believes there will be changes, but the office environment will remain. “We believe that companies will present an increasing demand for satellite offices, offering their employees the option of working in flexible workspaces, closer to their homes.”
The idea of creating decentralized offices, in addition to bringing practicality and flexibility, also removes employees and collaborators from large centers, regions that bring high rates of infection and contagion in times of pandemic.
For companies, there is yet another big advantage: low maintenance cost. Central neighborhoods in big capitals offer high rents, among other costs above average. Outlying regions can bring significant savings to the corporate world.
The implementation of satellite offices in suburban regions is already a trend in Asian countries, the first regions to be affected by the pandemic.
Coconut Grove and other suburban areas in Miami in the sights of major developers
In Miami, neighborhoods like Downtown and Brickell are now the financial center of the city. Before the coronavirus crisis, they were the neighborhoods most desired by major brands and offices. They are also the regions with the highest demographic density, problems related to traffic and also with more agglomeration focuses. Thomas understands that opportunities in the corporate segment of Florida, in the post-covid period, tend to move away from these large centers, which have experienced high rates of infection and contagion. Neighborhoods like Coconut Grove and Weston are already in the sights of major Miami developers.
Satellite regions and the suburb of Miami also offer excellent quality of life. These areas have the best rated schools and the lowest crime rates.
Brazilian investment company XP Investimentos made headlines in the newspapers by announcing a new style of work, in which it assesses the possibility of adopting remote work on a permanent basis. The company created an E-book for its employees with a practical guide on how to work from home. In the guide, there is even a policy for reimbursing expenses related to the purchase of computer equipment and office supplies, which would be subsidized by the company.
XP also announced that it intends to create satellite offices and support points for its employees, collaborators and customers.
It seems that the future of corporate environments was definitely impacted by the pandemic. It is not yet possible to state that the Home Office will be implemented intensively in companies. The fact is that the modality is being increasingly valued, within a new dynamic of work, more flexible and that prioritizes the quality of life and protection of employees and collaborators.
