Over the past hundred years, the office has been integral to the development of modern society. It has shaped the architecture of our cities, the behaviour of our organizations and the everyday movements of millions of people. In 2020, however, the global pandemic brought our attendance in the office to an abrupt halt and triggered a complete re-evaluation of the purpose of the workplace. Philip will advance a manifesto for 'unworking' - unlearning old habits established for an outdated office and creating new ones fit for an age of digital technology, innovation, and diverse workforces.

During the global pandemic, companies learned to live in an almost-suspended state of uncertainty. As the industry now regroups and prepares for the next wave of innovation, real estate leaders are moving away from traditional metrics and looking for insight in unexpected places. Join Lewis Love, SVP and Head of Visa Corporate Services in conversation with Caroline Quick of Cloudflare on the continued transformation of workplace and solving for the unknown.

Amid recurring layers of disruption, one constant now illuminates the world of work and workplace. This is a consistent line of travel towards flexible working, including its hybrid and remote variants, in the aftermath of the global pandemic. In this session, WORKTECH Academy Development Director Matthew Myerson draws on stories and evidence from around the Academy network to present a picture of what is happening inside organisations and office buildings around the world.

Where and how our workforces get their work done every day has changed. That’s why Suni created Marqeta’s “Flexible First” policy, empowering employees to create an inclusive workplace. Suni can share how this work-from-anywhere structure encourages employees to be more productive and helps with employee recruitment and retention.

We are hardwired for connection, yet we are living and working in the most disconnected era in modern history. Eight in 10 people feel alone and unengaged at work, costing organizations $406 billion every year in low productivity, high turnover, and poor wellbeing. At work as in life, relationships are everything. Building more connected groups is the greatest differentiator for organizations who want to keep and grow their talent. A healthy organizational culture is a healthy group, at scale. The future of work is ours for the making. It's time we start living better by working better togethe

Dr. Agustin Chevez walked in isolation for 42 days from Melbourne to Sydney expecting to incubate a unique idea about workplace design. Over a million steps later, his pilgrimage delivered unique insights which he refers to as Signposts – named for their promise to point to a better place to work for both, organisations and the people who inhabit them. In his talk, Agustin will take us in a journey that revisits our assumptions about the way we use space to host the ever-evolving notion of work – an expedition leading not only to better workplaces, but a better version of ourselves.

While employers increase investment in employee engagement and collaboration tools, landlords face a market with rising vacancy, underutilization, and opaque health metrics. In this conversation, we will look at the trajectory of the commercial office over the last five years in light of changing employee demands, and how in-office hybrid work, co-working, and tech-enabled landlords will play interconnected roles in the office ecosystem of the future. And we will look forward at what a community and experience driven future can look like given today’s investment in workplace modernization.

The road to hybrid work is filled with twists, turns and a lot of uncertainty. What’s the right return to office policy for workers? How can enterprises create an environment that supports the needs of both work from home and return to office, while driving employee engagement and productivity? Hybrid Work is more than just a technology issue and more than an IT project. Using a framework based on global Workstyle Research can help you drive discussions and position you as a champion for Hybrid Work in your organization.

The age of the “anywhere office” has accelerated multiple workplace transformation trends that were already well underway before the onset of COVID-19. Workplace trends such as smart workplace technology integration, human experience enablement as well as the emergence of diverse ‘hybrid workplace’ behaviours – these workplace trends have now rapidly gained greater adoption, but many questions remain. Our panel will explore the emerging “Intelligent + Experiential” Workplace and what we can expect for the near term and longer term as we shape the future of enterprise workplace ecosystems.

In the wake of the world’s forced experiment with remote work, employers everywhere are asking big questions about how to address modern workplace needs. Especially in today’s competitive market, employers are searching for solutions that make the most of workplace investment, optimize productivity, and, most of all, foster employee happiness. Join this case-study on SERA Architects’ answer–their recently opened headquarters in Portland.

Join the leaders working on Visa Mission Rock for a journey to their new headquarters in downtown San Francisco, including their scoping and design development process; operational planning for return to office; and participation in larger conversations about SF’s post-pandemic recovery.

In the wake of the pandemic, Atlassian is embracing what could be the new norm, the office as a cultural hub. Committed to a hybrid work model and with a work force across the globe, the company prioritized social connection in their new workspace. The design of the 150,000+ SF office in Austin is people-centered, with spaces that support both in-person and hybrid collaboration and amenity spaces that encourage employees to connect face to face. A wide spectrum of flexible workspaces, adaptable collaboration areas and focus rooms empower workers to curate their own day-to-day journey.

This session explores how best to create an optimal environment for employees to do their work. How do we measure what is great? How do we successfully work across functional real estate, human resources (HR) and information technology (IT) to deliver it?