Five questions we asked Lynn Sim, Pacific Global Accounts Director, WeWork

Lynn Sim recently joined our WeWork Pacific team as Global Accounts Director, having spent the last nine years at Standard Chartered Bank. Kathleen Hartigan, VP of Enterprise Sales, WeWork asks Lynn five questions about what she considers are the key monumental moments that have shaped the real estate ecosystem in Pacific as well as her views on the future of work and how the new workplace can marry business needs with employee expectations.
November 2021

Kat Hartigan: Looking over the span of your career, what are the instrumental moments that changed the Pacific/Global Real Estate ecosystem?

Lynn Sim: I can recall a few moments that majorly affected the industry; the Asia financial crisis sticks in my mind. I was a junior leasing executive in Hong Kong, working for one of the biggest developers when the economy collapsed. Ultimately, it forced developers and landlords  to change their approach to marketing and leasing, shifting to target small and medium sized businesses instead of international enterprises. The SARS outbreak was also monumental; China experienced explosive growth for the 5 years following as it was fairly insulated from global financial recession, which happened around the same time. As domestic market demand in China picked up, these businesses were then exported to the rest of the world. Lastly and quite obviously, the Covid-19 pandemic which has transformed the future of work and placed flexibility and employee autonomy at its core.

Kat: What do you think are the major challenges for businesses navigating this new era of work?

Lynn: There has been a huge shift in how we work, and moving forward this could create a number of challenges for businesses of all sizes that require thought and care to solve. Most notably, business leaders must create progressive workplace policies that marry employee expectations with business needs – providing employees with choice, while strengthening company culture post-pandemic. In a hybrid era, part-time remote working is here to stay and businesses may find difficulty in managing an international office footprint as it will prove more difficult to predict headcount in the office on any given day. This is where flexible turnkey workspace solutions come into play.

For business leaders, hybrid working will not only empower their team, but will enable them to stay competitive in the ongoing war to attract and retain top talent.

Kat: What do you see as the key advantages of a hybrid work model?

Lynn: For employees, hybrid working provides greater choice over how, when and where they work; something that has grown in value since the start of the pandemic. Employees can create a work-life balance that’s right for them, while having the flexibility to meet up and reconnect with colleagues in the office or find a quiet corner for some heads down focused work.  For business leaders, hybrid working will not only empower their team, but will enable them to stay competitive in the ongoing war to attract and retain top talent. It also allows companies to explore more flexible cost-efficient workplace solutions that will help future-proof their business model in this era of greater uncertainty.

Kat: Since joining WeWork, what have you found Enterprise members value most in a WeWork membership?

Lynn: Today, being nimble is key for any business – no matter its size. WeWork’s space-as-a-service platform and agile workplace solutions are proving invaluable for enterprise members who are looking for a turnkey solution compared to the long-term commitments of more traditional real estate. Whether an established financial services company is looking to adopt a hub-and-spoke model, or a fast-growing fintech is hoping to build presence and attract talent in new cities, flexibility and a global footprint is important and that’s where WeWork comes in. I’m also so impressed with the scalable space WeWork offers, which allows large companies to grow within one location with maximum ease and minimal disruption.

Kat: Of the key work trends that have emerged since the pandemic, which of them are here to stay?

Lynn: I think a lot of the emerging trends we have seen over the last year and a half are here to stay. Employee-centric real estate is certainly one; there has been a longstanding mismatch between what end users want and what has been available to them. The pandemic has created an opportunity to realign this mismatch, placing employees’ needs and expectations at the core of business and real estate decisions. Then there’s flexibility and employee autonomy. Something that employees have always wanted is greater choice and control over their schedules, both personal and professional. This is something that will continue to be a top priority for employees when looking for new opportunities. Companies must meet this appetite to find and retain key talent. Lastly, I would say the growing demand for purpose-driven office space – that caters to all working styles and needs – demonstrates the long-term shift towards a more diverse and flexible approach to working; something that has been on the cards for a while, but has been accelerated by the pandemic.