Management through engagement

What does a community manager actually do?

Anna Gręda, marketing manager, CPIPG: In a nutshell, the job is to do everything possible to make the tenants in our buildings feel as comfortable as possible. In 2023, CPIPG adopted an ownership management model across our entire portfolio – and a major component of this is the OfficeMe programme, which concentrates on actively and openly engaging with our tenants. My job is to be involved in this kind of management and to build up relations both with and between the tenants. These days, building owners need to offer more if they want to stay competitive while being vigilant and responsive when it comes to tenants’ needs. That is what community management is all about. We support our tenants in many ways and building up a community is the best way to form long-term relations with them. People have a profound need to feel that they belong, so every kind of bond that forms results in a multitude of benefits for everyone – including for the owners, the tenants and their employees.

What specific things do you do?

We organise a variety of many different events – skills workshops, sporting events, blood donation drives, electrical waste collections, bicycle servicing events, tastings and even art exhibitions. We hold many annual events. Each May, we award points to those who cycle to work as part of our BikeMe scheme. Every kilometre cycled wins a point and companies compete among themselves with separate teams – workers can get to know people from other companies and also have a great time. The points awarded can be exchanged for vouchers that may be redeemed in our tenants’ outlets. These include restaurants, drug stores, delicatessens and massage parlours. We have already had the third year of the event and every year it gets more popular. Sending out Christmas cards is another annual event. We set up a postal point in December where workers can choose Christmas cards that we then send out free of charge. Last year, we sent almost 6,500 cards including 1,700 that were sent abroad. Our gift packing points are also extremely popular.

How do such activities support leasing? Do they have a clear effect on the occupancy level?

We see much larger activity in the buildings where we organise such events, which means that what we are doing is meeting the needs and expectations of our tenants. Leasing space used to depend on handing over offices and collecting rents, but nowadays this is clearly way too little. Our OfficeMe programme, which also covers our Myhive brand, is intended to improve the comfort, wellbeing and security of our tenants. We try to make our space something more than just a place to work. Our tenants appreciate this and our leasing and asset management teams tell us that our measures have been very well received.

What kind of support do tenants expect?

Companies often want to highlight the ESG aspects of their operations and we are keen to help them in this. We send out invites to numerous events that we organise with our tenants. We run large events and campaigns to support the environment, health and society, which the tenants can then take credit for.

Are you building up communities to tie workers down to a single place?

We very much want to involve the tenants that are already here. We always work together with them for each event and we try to stress that it isn’t somebody from outside but a company from our family. By running campaigns we also support ourselves internally. But it’s always our tenants who benefit from this.

Which model of work now dominates the office market?

We manage a large property portfolio and we have many different tenants. What we see is that the work model varies by sector. Large corporations have to a large extent moved to a hybrid model but, for example, in the buildings we have that are dominated by the public sector, the stationary work model dominates.

And what for you is the biggest benefit of the stationary work model?

When it comes to my work, being physically present in the office keeps me in permanent contact with my colleagues. A lot of ideas come up when we talk over coffee in the kitchen and in the corridor. These are places where information is exchanged, which is so important in my line of work. As a result, I stay up to date and know when a tenant needs something. I can react quickly, help and coordinate our response.