Everyone in an office building may live vastly different lives, but they all share one commonality: they work in the same place. They have the same dining options, shoe shine person, conference room, lounge area and so forth. These similarities that link customers together are also what could enhance their everyday lives; it is something of a human desire to want community.
In Chicago, Irvine Company’s on-site operations teams work to create programming that not only brings customers together, but adds excitement to their WorkLife. Whether common spaces are being utilized, or more private settings like conference rooms, the teams are hard at work prioritizing customer engagement in each building (71 South Wacker, 300 North LaSalle, One North Wacker).
Events like Wine Down Wednesday at 71 South Wacker exemplify what it means to take advantage of the resources in your building, while simultaneously meeting other people doing the same. At this event, Nina, KINETIC’s yoga and karate instructor, spoke to customers about the benefits of mindfulness at the Tap Room in The Exchange. Emma, the building’s concierge, reflected, “The attendees were very interested in learning about how they can be more mindful in their everyday lives.” With this positive feedback, KINETIC is now introducing a free five week mindfulness program that benefits all customers in the building.
The on-site ops teams value customers’ comments and requests because that is what drives programming. Katrina, a property manager at One North Wacker, started a book club a few months ago to see if anyone in the building would be interested. Attendance started with a modest few, and only grew with each meeting. Katrina said, “It’s been a great opportunity for relationship-building with some customer contacts as well as customers we might not have had the opportunity to meet otherwise.” Not only does the relationship between customers grow, but the customers feel closer with on-site staff, the people they see every day.
The opportunity to experience community in a large building that offices many different companies makes people feel eager for work. Whether you have the chance to take a group meditation class mid-day on the Riverwalk at 300 North LaSalle, or attend a Speaker Series event at 71 South Wacker at the end of your workday, knowing the option to meet new people or just enjoy free programming is available to you each week improves the WorkLife experience.
