![]() ![]() ![]() (Side note from Aaron Jodka of Colliers: With the exception of a 100,000-square-foot chunk of space opening up at Tripadvisor’s headquarters in Needham, Boston’s suburban office market seems stable right now.) That’s the highest number since 2004 - when corporate giants Fleet and John Hancock were gobbled up within a 12-month time frame - and the third-highest of any quarter since 1990. The real estate brokerage Colliers reported that companies put nearly 900,000 square feet of office space in Boston on the sublease market for the first time in the second quarter. Sales have surged through the pandemic, although LogMeIn did make some technology available for free to nonprofits and government agencies.Įxecutives at other white-collar companies are pondering similar questions. He does, in fact, sell software geared specifically for this kind of transition: LastPass,, the entire GoTo suite. Going remote can help accomplish all three goals. Companies are under pressure to reduce their carbon footprints, to shave real estate and travel expenses, and to hire more diverse workforces. The increasing acceptance of remote work was already under way, Wagner said. ( He joined LogMeIn on June 15.) While Veldran may get an apartment in Boston, Wagner said he doesn’t expect his right-hand man to have to pick up and move here. Like many other CEOs, Wagner considers the chief financial officer to be the number two job, the top lieutenant. LogMeIn’s interviews with Veldran were conducted remotely. Rich Veldran, the new CFO, fit the bill: He guided the financial information provider Dun & Bradstreet when that company went private. Wagner wanted someone with experience taking a company private to replace Ed Herdiech, whose retirement was announced last fall. LogMeIn is expected to be acquired by summer’s end by two private equity firms, Francisco Partners and Evergreen Coast Capital, in a deal valued at $4.3 billion when it was announced in December. They just need to be in the same time zone.Ĭase in point: the new chief financial officer. And new hires don’t need to move to Boston. In fact, Wagner said his chief of staff, Chris Perrotti, plans to do exactly that: He is moving to his Vermont home. Existing employees might be able to move to another state if they want. The shift also significantly widens the pool of talent available. That’s one reason why Wagner envisions adopting a hybrid model, of sorts. And many say they are more productive now that they no longer spend hours commuting.īut employees still miss the social aspects of office life, Wagner said. People like the flexibility they have now, he said. Of those, only 5 percent said they want to be in the office five days a week. LogMeIn surveyed its 3,700 employees worldwide. Instead, Wagner said he’s keen on letting employees work where they want to work. (A spokeswoman says some savings would be redeployed to help equip home offices.) This isn’t primarily about saving money, Wagner said, even though cost savings could be found. Even harder for Wagner to predict: What will happen to all the lunch places, bars, and other businesses that serve all the workers who used to arrive like clockwork? Wagner said it’s far too early to know what this means for the 230,000 square feet LogMeIn leases in Fort Point - how much he’ll need, how it will be reconfigured. Wagner predicts LogMeIn’s corporate office will become more of a place for team meetings, training sessions, and similar get-togethers and less of a place where people dutifully show up every morning at 9 to grind out another workday. The breakdown won’t be known for months, probably not until a vaccine is widely available. Sure, many colleagues will come in less frequently, but others will be essentially remote workers all of the time. How few? Wagner said he expects 20 percent to return five days a week after the pandemic is over. Only a small portion will work all five weekdays at the main offices along both sides of Summer Street in Fort Point. But some won’t ever return to LogMeIn’s headquarters. All 700-plus of Wagner’s Boston employees work remotely right now - like most of Boston’s white-collar workforce - and they will continue to do so until October. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |