CBRE is known for having cool offices. Just look at its
Workplace360 initiative, which transformed cubicled offices into collaboration
perfection.

But, CBRE outdid itself when it opened an office in a
repurposed Masonic Temple.

Yes, a
Masonic Temple

Opened in January 2016, CBRE moved into a recently
renovated Masonic Temple in Glendale, California. The new location quickly
became known as one of the company’s most impressive offices, with a strong
emphasis on state-of-the-art hospitality, technology, and wellness amenities.

“The Masonic Temple is unlike any office space we have at
CBRE,” said Cicily Dostalek, the Workplace360 lead for CBRE’s Workplace team
“We occupy 24,000 sq. ft., and the entire space is stunning. The top floor is
two stories, almost 40-feet tall, and there is a cathedral roof.”

Even with its unique design, Glendale encompasses many of
the trademark Workplace360 elements that have helped to catapult CBRE atop the
Forbes “America’s Best Employers” list. These elements include an
activity-based environment, a mix of open and enclosed work space, and superior
service experience and hospitality.

At Glendale, hospitality has been expanded to include
assistance that goes beyond in-office and reaches as far as employees’ “second
shift.”  It is part of CBRE’s overarching
hospitality goal, to give employees back their most valued possession: time.

What
is the Second Shift?

The Second Shift, Cicily said, is the concierge element
“focused on solving what employees need to get done when they’ve finished their
day job.” In other words, “getting gas, making dinner reservations, running
errands – all of those types of activities.”

CBRE thinks those chores can become a real nuisance to
productivity and wellness. “The whole point of the program is to provide more
time for employees to spend with their family and friends, to indulge in a
hobby, or catch up on some overdue work,” explained Cicily.

She added, “We expect a lot of our employees, and we want
to make sure they are satisfied and productive. We want to drive happiness,
productivity, and wellness with our Workplace360 program.”

Unsurprisingly the response has been extremely positive.
“There has been nothing but positive comments coming from the office,” said
Cicily. “Brokers and employees alike are using these services to save time and
achieve a more ideal work life balance.”

Why
the Glendale Office?

In their pursuit to make CBRE an anchor tenant, the Masonic
Temple’s landlord Caruso Affiliated focused on providing an amenity that would
make a solid difference in the lives of employees. This approach aligns
directly with CBRE’s ongoing evolution to attract talent, make going to work
enjoyable, and enhancing workplace performance through hospitality services.
The Second Shift campaign emerged from this new partnership with Caruso.

“At other Workplace360 offices we have rolled out similar
internal concierge programs,” said Cicily. “The program adds a level of
hospitality for everyone in the office — both internal and external.” The
partnership with Caruso Affiliated presented an opportunity to evolve this
service model to the next level. “Caruso Affiliated had already rolled out a
retail hospitality program and was interested in applying it to the office
environment,” said Cicily. “Since we were their first office property, we were
presented with the opportunity to partner with them to create something special
for CBRE employees. It was a no-brainer.”

The possibilities extend beyond CBRE’s own walls. As more
and more organizations seek the best ways to attract and retain talent, they
are looking to CBRE to provide solutions that optimize for experience, not just
space. “What we know from working with hundreds of partners and clients,
including and beyond CBRE, is that experience is top of mind for everyone,”
says Ashley Branca, Director, CBRE’s Workplace team and leader in hospitality.
“Our job is to provide in-office solutions that create delight in the
workplace, make it easier for employees to do the great work that they were
hired to do, and build a community of balance, wellness, and growth.”

The importance of employee experience is particularly true
in a competitive market for talent where an internal culture of hospitality
service helps employees feel valued and keeps them coming back to work. “The
solution was to create a concierge team that could solely focus service
experience for employees, clients and visitors. The receptionist can then focus
on incoming calls and the added responsibility of managing back-end office
support,” said Cicily. 

Can it
scale?

The partnership with Caruso Affiliated provided CBRE with a
unique opportunity to deliver an evolved concierge service. The workplace team
is looking forward to carrying the lessons learned to future Workplace360
offices as well as defining and deploying these types of service models for
clients.

“I am really excited to see where Workplace360 concierge
service goes,” said Cicily. “We want to take what we’ve learned from working
with Caruso and see how we can model it internally at our other offices. I
think it’s just going to keep evolving over time.”

As with the growth of the hospitality approach across CBRE,
Ashley sees rapid growth of CBRE’s external services. “We are well positioned
to push the boundaries of what’s next, and we will continue to define just what
it is to be a “world-class” workplace.”