Tenant expectations are high. They expect top-notch commercial building amenities. What can you offer that your neighboring office parks don’t? What are the amenities that will set your campus apart? As part of our series on the most sought-after amenities, last time we talked about being eco-friendly.

According to Fooda (the mega partner for corporate food service at leading companies like Amazon, GM, Wayfair and Hyatt), the most sought-after corporate amenities for tenants are:

7. Eco-friendly options for going green.

8. Security measures as a fundamental safety concern.

9. Tenant lounges that entertain and build community.

There’s more to this list, but you’ll need to come back again next week as we delve deeper into these topics. This week, we’re talking...

Security Measures

When we hear the term workplace safety, we typically think of places like construction sites and warehouses with OSHA guidelines. Safety is a fundamental concern for every company, though. To ensure tenant safety, well-being, and help their teams maximize productivity, office parks must make their workplaces feel safe and secure. Office security helps keep a business up and running, protects physical assets from theft and damage, and protects the employees populating your buildings.

Show you take the issue seriously, allowing tenants to feel more comfortable in your buildings. Identifiable risks you should be taking to protect include:

• Burglary and theft, of both physical and virtual assets like digital documents and confidential data. Of course, your tenants also need to take steps to protect their own assets, but your property can play a hand in this as well.
• Vandalism can be just as damaging as burglary and theft and may prove to be even more emotionally concerning. Vandals may not just make something ugly; we’ve seen how a few simple words and a can of spray paint can be hateful to an entire community right here in our small-town backyard.
• Unauthorized access can wreak havoc on your campus, putting both people and assets at risk.

We often use the term “triple threat” with athletes or performers in a good way, meaning they have three important skills going for them. When it comes to security, think about treats in relation to the 5 D’s: Deter. Detect. Deny. Delay. Defend. These give you a good framework when it comes to your property’s security strategy.

What can you do to show tenants you’re taking a proactive approach to security?

1. Offer 24-hour security that patrols campuses both during and after work hours.
2. Provide manned checkpoints or security barriers for better monitoring.
3. Deploy keycard systems with smart programming and individualized access codes to control building access.
4. Blanket the property with hi-tech security surveillance that includes night-vision cameras and data recording to aid police investigations.
5. Install intrusion detection systems that include second-layer security.
6. Publish your security guidelines and an emergency response plan. Put your plans into action by holding emergency drills with tenants. Pro Tip: turn these drills into a fun campus-wide event with activities and food trucks, making this something to look forward to doing!
7. Install proper lighting around the building’s perimeter and at all entrances and exits, and happily exceed local fire and safety standards.
8. Stock emergency kits throughout the workspaces and common areas.
9. Provide backup power, emergency power, and standby generators to offer a complete power solution for tenants.
10. Host campus-wide training events for CPR and AEDs, and send some of your property management team staff for certification with both. Be sure to regularly maintain the batteries and pads in your AEDs.