November 8, 2017
COMMENT: I have to go into the office today as one of our overseas investors is in London and wants to catch up. We could do this over FaceTime to save me the commute but I do still find that face-to-face meetings are worthwhile and help build broader relationships.
Also I’ve been confined to the home office for the last week and am starting to come down with cabin fever!
“Cedric”, my Palmer Capital artificial intelligence assistant, wakes me up early after checking my diary, anticipating that I would be going in to the office on the train and then cross-checking that the trains were running on time. They weren’t, so he wakes me an hour early to get the alternative slower service.
“There is a 78% chance of precipitation at 9.37am,” warns Cedric as I leave the house, but I decide to take the chance and leave the brolly at home. On reaching the station Cedric is pleased that I have already hit 20% of my steps for the day.
I’m heading to our brand-new office, the first in London to achieve the BREEAM “incredible” rating. This is part of our corporate strategy of having a core office with a number of more flexible satellites to expand into, or contract out of, when required. Cedric continuously monitors our core building usage, ensuring a high level of occupancy at all times (including meeting rooms) so that our fit-out of the space remains appropriate for the demand. We started off having too many meeting rooms but they have now been converted to extra office space. Gone are the days of not being able to find a desk on some days while rattling around on others; Cedric’s skills obviate this. He also encourages colleagues to work from home or hold meetings on quieter days to smooth demand.
Admittedly the rent for our super-prime space is higher than it was for our old offices, but the overall costs of occupation are materially lower once you consider our new building’s more efficient use of space (less space required) and lower service charge. Staff wellness, recruitment and retention have also improved since the move, which is a significant productivity savings.
The building identifies my approach through tracking my work phone and so when I walk through the turnstiles, Cedric informs me which desk I will be sitting at for the day and which lift I need to take. I get to my nominated desk, which has already adapted its seating, lighting and temperature conditions to suit my preferences.
Cedric has sat me next to a few colleagues whom he anticipated I need to speak to, as we are currently working on the same projects and they also happen to be in. I then finish off my presentation before my investor arrives.
She arrives on time and because she accepted my diary invite, Cedric will ensure that she is automatically registered at reception and taken to the meeting room. Cedric has already made sure that the audio-visual equipment is ready for the presentation, drinks have arrived and even the investor’s favourite biscuits are in ample supply.
The table is one big monitor screen and we use this to look at some new projects, pulling up maps and floor plans which I annotate with my stylus, before we delve deeper into the supply-and-demand statistics for the business plan and look at competing buildings. Finally we use our virtual reality headsets to do a desktop inspection of the subject building and the competition – walking around and through the space. All the while Cedric has been monitoring the CO2 and lighting levels in the room to ensure that concentration doesn’t trail off – he will pump more fresh air into the meeting room to compensate.
Sitting back at my desk, I find a flashing message from to a colleague who needs to speak with me, so he pops over before I disappear again.
An hour later and Cedric is on my case. I’ve been immobile for that duration and not drunk enough water, so I’m under instruction to head to the kitchenette. Normally I would pop out for a coffee but Cedric informs me that the air quality is bad because of a traffic jam outside, so it is best to wait.
I need a present for my wife – it’s our wedding anniversary soon. Cedric comes up with some questionable choices but one hits the spot and two clicks later the Amazon drone is en route. It’s home time so I log off and head to the roof to collect it when it arrives, just as maintenance arrives at my desk to fix a fault in the fan coil unit. The building fault tracking system had quickly identified a problem that was causing too much power to be consumed, so it is quickly resolved.
As I leave, Cedric informs me that my trains are delayed and that there is a 100% chance of precipitation. I should have brought that brolly.
Author: Steve Wright, head of value-add REIM at Palmer Capital
Link to article: http://bit.ly/2m38t9Q