How community management can transform workplaces

A changing workplace culture and heightened sustainability demands have transformed how occupiers and their employees evaluate office spaces and community management is emerging as an important driver of occupier loyalty and positive workplace experiences.

For investors, this means rethinking offices not merely as isolated structures but as integral parts of vibrant, connected communities.

Market expectations have significantly changed over the past few years, and occupiers are actively trying to entice talent back to the workplace by offering more than a desk.

"Since 2020, within the office sector, it's all about encouraging people back into the workplace,” says David Woodman, CX Strategy Director at Bewonder*, a JLL company. “A big part of that is providing a community not just for people working in the building, but making sure the building has a positive impact on the local community."

Younger demographics are driving this shift, prioritising social connections and seeking workplaces that offer them a sense of belonging.

"Certainly, the younger demographics coming through, community is really important to them; they want to come to the office and learn and socialize,” adds Woodman.

“They want to have those conversations by the water, by the coffee machine. They want that mentoring, they want to network. And they have much more of a social conscience as well."

As such, investors increasingly recognise community management as a unique selling proposition and the most successful new build offices and refurbishments offer amenities, services and experiences that foster genuine connections between occupiers and their wider communities.

This means buildings equipped with cafés, gyms, auditoriums, roof terraces and even curated events—from yoga and massage therapy to unique experiences like puppy therapy.

"If you come into the office on a Thursday, there's a free yoga class the landlord pays for, massages that are free, or puppy therapy—hugely popular in central London offices.”

This ‘hotelification’ of office spaces, borrowing heavily from co-working and hospitality sectors, ensures occupiers view the office as a place worth commuting for.

But today, as buildings increasingly wear their owners' branding proudly, landlords must ensure their developments contribute to wider social value.

In practice, this includes engaging directly with local communities by offering mentoring programmes with nearby schools, facilitating long-term volunteering opportunities and directly addressing local challenges.

"London Victoria, for example, offers many opportunities for this," says Woodman. “It's very commercial, but there's also deprivation so we create mentoring programmes with local schools that occupiers love to get involved in, enhancing their social impact significantly."

This is just one example of community integration, which not only aligns landlords with the S in their broader ESG targets but significantly boosts tenant satisfaction and loyalty.

Successful landlords now rely heavily on detailed, ground-level customer experience (CX) research to fine-tune their offerings and measure occupier satisfaction with Net Promoter Scores (NPS) and community engagement outcomes informing their offerings.

For example, occupier satisfaction at one major London landlord improved by 32% over five years through community initiatives, well-being programmes and improved communication.

"Landlords investing in community and customer experience get much higher customer satisfaction and Net Promoter Scores—hands down," adds Woodman.

And Bewonder* has launched its own occupier experience index to benchmark the performance of assets confidentially so landlords and managing agents can measure customer satisfaction against similar buildings.

While amenity-rich developments initially took off in Central London, strong growth opportunities now lie in regional cities like Birmingham, Bristol and Leeds, where competition is ramping up. Landlords are looking to differentiate to secure quality tenants and community management means they can deliver environments where occupiers thrive.

"It's now about understanding occupiers' employee value propositions and identifying opportunities to strengthen these, so they can attract the best talent," says Woodman.

Dedicated community managers help to sustain engagement over the long term and the model can be tailored to suit tenant’s varying budgets.

"[They] provide mentorship, access to partners and create a national network of like-minded individuals. We also offer a hybrid model in the regions, mentoring welcome hosts or receptionists, providing strategy, weekly mentoring, and support to manage community activities, which offers a cost-efficient solution."

Investors who prioritise this community-led approach can position themselves ahead in a market where tenant and employee expectations change quickly to create loyalty and ultimately deliver sustainable returns.

If you’d like to discuss a community-led approach further, get in touch.