Madrid, London, Berlin, Paris... when major companies benchmark capital cities
Keeping a close eye on changes in the market, Aude Grant is observing a shift in expectations, with even greater emphasis on work-life balance. How can we make Paris a champion in this area?
How is the Paris Workplace helping SFL to design and fit out its assets?
For us, the Paris Workplace study is an innovation laboratory for creating the buildings of tomorrow. In the context of the 'war for talent', offices are of course part of the equation, and must adapt to the demands of employees. The Biome building in Paris's 15th arrondissement, which offers a high level of interaction between employees, plenty of outdoor space and a high quality of services, is a recent example of this fine-tuning of employee expectations.
The study also enables us to engage in dialogue with our tenant customers, our suppliers and the market, so that we can put property issues at the heart of our strategic challenges.
Why have you decided to focus on 3 foreign cities in addition to Paris this year?
Of course, there's our history with Colonial, our majority shareholder, which is based in Madrid. But it's also a pragmatic choice: today, international companies with high added value are comparing the offerings of different European capitals, they're benchmarking us! So we wanted to broaden our field of vision, because tomorrow, companies currently based in London, Berlin or Madrid may be tempted to set up in Paris.
What does this study tell us?
The study shows, with a few nuances and differences of course, that a kind of homogeneity of expectations emerges, whether in terms of teleworking, preferred neighbourhood or environment. It's also interesting to note that each company, in its own way, responds differently depending on the state of its business park. I'm also noticing a change in career choices. Whereas a few years ago London was seen as an Eldorado for the professional opportunities it offered, and despite a lower quality of life, it seems that criteria have changed in favour of a better balance between professional and personal life. And this partly explains Madrid's appeal.
The score given to the well-being at work of people living in the Paris region (6.9/10) is the highest it has been for 9 years: what does this say about our relationship with the office?
This is a major indicator, because over the years we have seen a correlation between well-being at work and professional performance. So it's a real argument for companies located in Paris or wishing to set up there. Once again, the example of Biome is a good illustration, because if La Banque Postale decides to bring its teams together there, it's to offer them something that the others don't have: centrality, ease of access, a multitude of services... And the first employees to have visited the premises are thrilled.
How would you characterise Paris's expertise in office space: what sets us apart from other capitals?
What differentiates us most is probably the attention to service combined with the quality of the design and architecture. Despite the greater administrative constraints in Paris than in London, we manage to come up with some extremely innovative architectural projects that become showcases for the companies that occupy them. But we must be careful not to rest on our laurels, because the English are at the cutting edge when it comes to services, commercial catering and the animation of the foot of buildings... Paris must retain its appeal, its reputation as the "City of Light", as a cultural capital, while improving the fundamentals of daily life: the quality of transport, cleanliness, safety, to combine a gentler living environment than in London... and the assets of a world city.
