Editor’s Note: The “Future of Work” is a WRAL TechWire series, supported by commercial real estate firm JLL and other partners. Each week, WRAL TechWire will interview subject matter experts on LinkedIn Live to delve deep into the themes discussed throughout the series. WRAL TechWire’s LinkedIn page is here. Molly Glasgow and Courtney Fain of JLL joined WRAL TechWire reporter Jason Parker to discuss the future of work, what workers want, and how companies are responding to a changed economy and labor market earlier today. Next week, WRAL TechWire will sit down with Matt Winters to discuss how investors, developers, and companies are thinking about land.
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RALEIGH – Companies are facing a labor challenge right now, and that’s true nationally as well as in the Triangle, where there are an estimated 60,000 job openings, according to the latest WRAL TechWire jobs report.
With the changes to the economy following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, today’s workforce is expecting, and in many cases, demanding, new and different standards from employers, Molly Glasgow, executive vice president at JLL, told WRAL TechWire’s Jason Parker this morning in a LinkedIn Live session.
And as the labor market has shifted, companies are looking toward a future of work with some uncertainty, with many indicating they’ve yet to set firm policies around work place or work space.
What’s happening
Still, one thing does appear to be certain, said Glasgow. We’re observing a “flight to quality” in the commercial real estate industry, and that’s occurring across all sectors of the market.
And workers, as of right now, appear to have made one thing abundantly clear to current and prospective employers: flexibility is a must.
People will join a company because a firm promises flexibility, transparency, trust, and opportunity, Courtney Fain, vice president, workplace planning & strategy at JLL, explained during today’s LinkedIn Live panel.
But they’ll only stay if companies deliver on those promises, Fain noted.
With the future of work in flux, we’ve entered a period of time that may best be thought about as a prolonged experiment, said Glasgow.
“We’re embarking on the greatest experiment of work right now,” said Glasgow. “And it’s going to take years for the data to tell us what’s happening, but what we do know in talking to organizations, is that there is not one-size fits-all.”
Special report: Employers making ‘flight to quality’ decisions to attract, retain employees (Q&A)
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This editorial package was produced with funding support from JLL and other partners. WRAL TechWire retains full editorial control of all content.
More from the series
Special report: The future of the Triangle’s economy hinges on its spaces
Special report: Space in high demand, even as future of work remains uncertain
