Evaluating the benefits of amenities in and near an office building

There's the steak and then there's the sizzle, right? But sometimes the sizzle is what makes the steak worth the extra bucks. When it comes to amenities in office buildings, amenities can play an important role in attracting and keeping quality employees. They can also play a role in making those employees more productive during their working hours or making their lives a little easier.

What kind of amenities are most often available in an office building? In order of popularity I would say:    1. Parking  2. Cafeteria/Restaurant/Coffee Shop  3. Bank/ATM  4. Sundry Shop  5. Concierge   6. Health Club  7. Day Care  8. Dry Cleaner  9. Shoe Shine  10. Car Wash  11. Office Supply  12. Beauty Salon/Barber  13. Post Office/Mail Handling Shop

Now think about the employees you have, or want to have. Would having any or all of the above amenities in or near your office be advantageous? How about on inclement days when you don't want to leave the building? How much time could your employees save by staying in the building versus going out for lunch over the course of a year? Think about all the convenience of having these facilities at your building so employees don't have to go running around wasting valuable time during the work week for goods and services they need.

Of course, an argument could be made for avoiding leasing office space too close to clothing stores, sporting goods stores or any "non-essential" stores where employees could wind up browsing and wasting valuable work time. There is a line between the types of stores that can help or hinder your employees productivity.

Overall, amenities usually cost the landlord some expense which is passed along in the form of rent to the tenants. If you are comparing equal quality buildings and one has a good complement of amenities and the other doesn't, it wouldn't be a surprise to find the one with the amenities to be at a higher rental rate. If the difference is less then ten percent, it maybe a no brainer. More then ten percent and you have to think about the value to your organization.