From Workplace to Workpoint... Will your firm need 25% less space in five years? Will your workforce change dramatically? If so, you'll need more (a lot more) lease flexibility. And this just may be where corporate America is headed.

According to a recent Gallup poll of corporate real estate managers commissioned by CoreNet Global, "Nearly 40% of the 314 respondents say that 25% or more of their company's knowledge workers -- defined as employees whose primary work roles are white collar, technical or administrative in nature, rather than physical -- will be working remotely, such as from home, a client office or a Starbucks, in 2010.

"And 60% of the respondents said they are willing to pay a premium for flexible leasing terms [today], while 65% said they would be willing to pay such a premium in 2010." (Wall Street Journal, Mar 31, 2004)

Indeed, CoreNet Global's own Vision for Corporate Real Estate 2010 concludes that the networked enterprise of the future will pulsate with change. "Work, itself, will be done by a mix of free agents, part-time workers and full-time employees working independently and in teams across time and space to leverage the knowledge and talent of a global workforce."

So if you're a tenant, what premium would you pay for more flexible lease terms? Conversely, if you're an owner, what premium would you require for more flexible lease terms? Would the two answers be similar? What do you think?

Spread the Word... Many thanks to Shlomo Chopp at Simple Remote for sponsoring this week's Dispatch. Simple Remote helps real estate companies "centralize and manage every document efficiently." If you would like to tell Dispatch readers about your services, please send e-mail or call 415-485-6700.

--Peter Pike