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LABOR/SITE SELECTION
Locations That Promote Employee Health and Well-Being Coming to the Forefront As workforce location preferences have evolved over decades, one thing has remained constant: individuals want to work and live in locations that foster their physical as well as mental and emotional health. By Peter Miscovich, Managing Director, JLL Strategy + Innovation
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he pandemic has been a game-changer for employee and employer attitudes concerning wellness, well-being, safety, health, and hygiene. Many — if not most — organizations are doubling down on wellness in the workplace. Some are going so far as to incorporate health and well-being into their corporate site selection and location criteria. A focus on wellness in the workplace has become not just a “nice to have,” but a necessity to keep employees safe and healthy, and to enhance human performance. Health and well-being are among the new employee priorities that are now equal to — if not more important than — compensation as motivations for working for an organization. What happens inside the office is important — but outdoor air quality, community values, access to nature, and general quality of life are beginning to matter as well for the next generation workforce.
The Broader Meaning of Wellness Health — encompassing physical, social, and mental well-being — has become employees’ third-highest priority in the workplace, according to JLL’s June 2021 Workforce Barometer survey.1 In a September 2021 survey focused on well-being,2 JLL research found respondents are increasingly holding their employers to a higher standard across all areas of wellness, with 75 percent saying they expect to feel safe at work, whether that means employers providing advanced hygiene protocols and flu shots or allowing employees to express their difficulties in managing their workload or other stress. Wellness in all its dimensions has become a critical factor in talent re-
cruitment and retention. The concept of wellness has shifted from a focus on physical well-being, achieved through exercise and nutrition, to something broader and more inclusive of how people think and feel. Wellness encompasses nearly anything that promotes physical, mental, spiritual or emotional health and well-being including happiness — or merely good feelings.
Shifting Location Strategies With the shortage of talent in so many industry sectors, location strategy in recent years has been tilting toward the needs, preferences, and availability of the workforce. Offices have evolved — or should evolve — to more closely address worker needs, desired amenities, and preferences. Location preferences for corporate offices have been shifting as
AREA DEVELOPMENT | Q1 2022
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