Sydney Office Update January Leasing Magazine | Page 6

3 | SYDNEY OFFICE UPDATE
WHY INVESTA IS
GOING LONG ON
WELLNESS
Investa is spreading the wellness offering for tenants
far beyond its WELL Certified properties, to A and
B grade buildings, with the launch of a major tenant
health and wellbeing program.
The initiative targets office workers in
eight properties in Sydney, Melbourne
and Perth, with a further 18 properties
set to be involved next year.
The program has been designed in
partnership with healthcare provider
Bupa, and will be facilitated by
Investa’s INSITE tenant portal.
Tenants will be offered a mix of
services, information and on-line tools
to improve staff wellbeing, engagement
and productivity.
Included will be heart health
assessments, meditation classes,
nutrition consultations, healthy
cooking demonstrations and
ergonomic screenings. There will also
be information on managing stress,
exercise, parenting and family health.
Group Executive, Michael Cook
said: “The big learning curve for the
organisation currently is building a
good understanding of what aspects of
holistic health and wellness will most
appeal to different kinds of tenants
and how as a manager of workplace
communities we can facilitate it.”
WELLNESS IS NEW COMPETITIVE
PRESSURE AND OWNERS NEED
TO GET SMART
Mr Cook said that with all the biggest
owners including Mirvac, GPT and
Dexus all moving into the wellness
space, it will lead to competitive
pressure in terms of attracting and
retaining tenants.
MICHAEL COOK
Group Executive
Investa Property Group
Where owners need to be smart is
getting around tenant reluctance to pay
for added wellness features, just as was
the case with sustainability.
At the upper end of the market,
tenants expect that if the they lease
from one of the top six asset owners
the NABERS rating will be great.
“That’s what’s going to happen with
wellness.
“Tenants will want to know they are
in a building where that has been
considered and dealt with.”
Some of the aspects of the program
are around engaging with tenants –
providing health-related services that
they can access quickly and easily in
their building, or running exercise or
yoga classes at low or no cost, where
they can meet their fellow tenants or
have some R & R with their colleagues.”
“It is incumbent on us as responsible
building owners to advise them of all
the things they can and can’t do,” said
Mr Cook.