JLL offers strategies to help businesses and landlords navigate building reentry

by Brianna Crandall — May 22, 2020 — Among the unprecedented issues the world is currently facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdowns, business leaders also face the challenge of preparing their organizations to return to work. To support businesses and landlords as they prepare for reentry, JLL, a global professional services firm specializing in real estate, has released a (re)entry guidebook outlining best practices for transitioning to the “next normal.”

JLL’s (re)entry guidebook provides three pillars for navigating building reentry:

  • (Re)activate space: This pillar addresses how and when people should begin to return to spaces, and how space is structured and used once ready for reentry, while balancing health, safety and financial implications.
  • (Re)spect health and wellness: The second pillar is about prioritizing the safety, security and health of employees, tenants and visitors.
  • (Re)vitalize property and workplace operations: The third and final pillar is focused on making sure properties and workspaces are ready for productive reentry, in adherence with new business and social distancing protocols, as well as government guidelines and requirements.

Sanjay Rishi, Americas CEO, Corporate Solutions, JLL, stated:

We believe that reentry should be a gradual, multiphased journey. While that journey may be nonlinear at times, we’re confident in the eventual return to productive work in buildings and workplaces for employees and tenants. However, to make reentry as smooth as possible, it is important that organizations focus on a few key areas of priority along with their unique business challenges and expertise.

JLL recently conducted a workplace survey on attitudes toward reentry and found that people are generally concerned about returning to work and are worried about office cleaning procedures and the proximity of coworkers.

The reality is, guidance is continuously evolving with respect to reentry, though there are certain protocols and procedures that can help organizations determine the best way forward. JLL advises employers and landlords alike to clearly communicate the alignment between their overall reentry strategy and day-to-day operational practices and critical employee, tenant and visitor behaviors to help people feel as comfortable and confident as possible as they return to work.

JLL President of Property Management Mark Zettl stressed:

As people head back to the office and we enter our “next normal,” our number one priority will be to ensure that we’re welcoming people back to a safe environment. The journey will require agility and resilience, and our professionals are up to the task. Building upon our three pillars of reentry, experts from every part of our business are collaborating with our clients on how to help people flourish in this new world of work.

To learn more about JLL’s (Re)entry: a Guide for Working in the Next Normal, visit the firm’s website.

JLL also offers workspace reentry tools, property and workplace operations tools, and health and wellness tools for building reentry, as well as webinars, research on topics such as lessons from China and changing tenant needs, and other COVID-19 resources on its Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for Real Estate webpage.

JLL Corporate Solutions helps clients create, shape and manage the future of work by enhancing the performance of their workplaces, real estate portfolios and people. Serving occupiers in a variety of industries, the global team leverages data to build, manage and improve spaces that can transform how people work every day.

JLL’s 2,100 Property Management experts in the US provide comprehensive real estate services in more than 1,700 buildings totaling more than 365 million square feet.

JLL operates in over 80 countries around the world and employs a global workforce of more than 94,000.