Does your headquarters reflect your company brand?

Your headquarters can have an enormous impact on your brand, your people, your shareholders and your company’s future. At the same time, it’s a major investment of your firm’s financial and human capital. You want to feel confident you’ve secured the optimal solution.

Unlike traditional leasing and property investments, headquarters house vital operational and cultural implications within real estate’s steel and glass. A building’s external design or image may impact your brand, but it’s the creation of magic housed “inside the box” that will make or break the success of a headquarters project.

9 key questions to ask yourself

Each headquarters comes with a unique array of options, cost considerations, flexibility needs and inherent risks. When the stakes are high, collaboration between the C-suite and corporate real estate is the cornerstone to efficient and effective decision-making. Consider these questions with your team:

Corporate culture: How will a new HQ experience encourage relationship building among leadership, enhance communication, drive innovation and create a unified corporate culture?

Consensus building: How will internal constituents and the corporate agenda connect to develop a “win-win” HQ solution?

Talent capture: How will the HQ location, amenities, attributes and access to labor enable recruiting and retention of HQ-caliber talent?

Workplace evolution: How will a new HQ solution be a catalyst for change? How will it improve collaboration and productivity across multiple generations?

Brand and image: How will the HQ enhance the brand and external image of the company while improving linkage with customers?

Cost reduction: Where will the organization achieve significant structural cost savings (space efficiencies and flexibility, operating costs, government incentives) in its HQ location?

Sustainability: How will the HQ support the mission to build and work in a healthy, sustainable environment?

Technology and innovation: How will the HQ location enable the desired technology infrastructure and accelerate productivity and creativity?

Operating efficiency: How will HQ proximity to key markets, operations and collocation of functions improve operating efficiency?

Different stakeholders, different concerns

A headquarters relocation or renewal can be a disruptive experience for both employees and the business. The visibility it generates adds to the risks. The internal change from the status quo is often highly politicized and filled with emotion.

Each decision-maker brings a unique perspective to the challenge. This creates a situation where a wide variety of concerns need to be addressed, risks mitigated and an objective plan created. This way, all stakeholders can buy into the ultimate decision.

The workforce, customer, shareholder, brand, leadership, political and cultural implications all need to influence your real estate plan. Their interests must be incorporated into your headquarters strategy and execution must support the agreed-upon roadmap to ensure success.

It’s more than just real estate

Headquarters changes can be transformational. With a sound, strategic plan and savvy real estate partner, a headquarters project can serve as a catalyst and enabler for cultural change, workplace and business efficiencies and brand identity. With enhanced communication, productivity, flexibility and employee recruitment and retention, your business gains a critical competitive edge.