Synopsis of Study to be Presented
What will the workforce of the future look like? How will they work? What technology will they find critical? In what type of work environment will they be most productive? These are the questions at the forefront of the minds of many corporate executives today. In fact, the CEO of a major telecommunications company said recently, “The thing that keeps me up at night is the ability to attract top talent in the future.” The topic of trying to figure out the intricate relationship between what makes the workforce of the future tick and how the workplace can have an impact is one that has created quite an intellectual challenge. Researchers and leading industry minds have often tried analyzing trends from the current workplace to predict how workforces of the future will be working. The problem with these methods is that reality of how fast workforce needs and wants change has outpaced trend lines. Researchers in the Georgia Tech real estate practicum proposed an alternate solution. Instead of researching current workforces to predict how the workforce of the future will work, it would be substantially more accurate to study how the workforce of the future is working today. Operating under this theory, the students at Georgia Tech undertook a 3 month study on the Georgia Tech campus analyzing students’ technology use, work location choices, and thoughts about the work they will be doing. The output of the research contains many insights and provocative suggestions for corporate real estate professionals to apply to their workspace today.
Georgia Tech Real Estate Practicum
The Georgia Tech Real Estate Practicum is a cross-disciplinary group of Masters and PhD students with areas of study ranging from Architecture to Business Administration. Starting in Fall 2009 under the vision and direction of the late Skip Beebe, the Practicum has undertaken a host of research focusing on varying subtopics of real estate’s role in affecting knowledge worker productivity. The GT Real Estate Practicum works in a partnership with the Workplace Strategy Group at CBRE.
Presenters
Sage Hirschy is a recent MBA graduate of Georgia Tech. Since graduating Sage has joined the Workplace Strategy Group at CBRE as an Associate. Prior to pursuing his MBA, Sage graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Finance and worked in commercial real estate development, construction, and retail management.
Jennifer Clopton is a member of the Georgia Tech full-time MBA class of 2013 with concentrations in finance and operations. After earning her undergraduate degree in economics from Auburn University, Jennifer chased her dream of a career in real estate, working in the commercial real estate. There she worked with national office and retail clients while heading up the marketing and operations departments of her firm.
Ryne Raymond is a member of the Georgia Tech full-time MBA class of 2013. Ryne graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Finance. After graduating from UGA, Ryne worked as a special assets analyst for a commercial bank before pursuing his MBA at Georgia Tech.
Nat Estes is a member of the Georgia Tech full-time MBA class of 2013. Nat graduated with a degree in Economics from Washington & Lee University where he also played Varsity Tennis. After graduating from Washington & Lee, Nat worked for a technology sales company as well as an environmental sustainability company before pursuing his MBA.