Office landlords offer amenities to reel in employees

In Manhattan, where just 15 percent of workers have returned to the office, landlords are getting frustrated competing with employees’ couches.

So they’re offering amenities ranging from on-site child care to dry-cleaning pickup and parking discounts — anything to bring back employees, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Tishman Speyer, for example, is dangling free use of a new co-working space, an app to book services ranging from manicures to grocery delivery, newly installed picnic tables and even free tarts.

Such services aren’t necessarily new. Apple, Google and other tech companies in a war for talent have provided amenities to their employees for years. But now the pressure is on to lure workers back to the workplace.

Related Companies is rolling out an outdoor space equipped with wifi and power outlets. Employees also can receive free Covid-19 testing and babysitting.

Silverstein Properties has introduced parking discounts, Uber and Lyft credits and, for those still unwilling to come in, virtual fitness classes to stay connected.

Still, some don’t see the new offerings bringing back employees.

“The ice cream socials are appreciated but not a factor,” Jonathan Wasserstrum, CEO of SquareFoot, a commercial real estate broker based in Manhattan, told the Journal.

[WSJ] — Sasha Jones