In this presentation, Andrew Barnes will describe the background to 4 Day Week Global and the growing international four-day week movement, discuss the historical context to working time reduction, how the pandemic has disrupted societal and cultural norms, and in turn turbocharged demand. He will share the latest insights on the 4 day week global pilot program and discuss what this might mean for the future of work.

In today’s world, workplaces face a lot of challenges that can affect both the business and the individual. Unknowns like economic downturns, natural disasters, and pandemics can be stressful and disruptive for everyone. That's why it's essential to build a resilient workplace that can adapt and recover quickly, while keeping the well-being of its people at the forefront. Resilient workplaces support the well-being of their people, enhance culture, and are a genuine return on investment for business productivity and continuity.

This session explores how best to create optimal environments for employees to do their work, examining how cross-functional and human-centred approaches can be leveraged to make the office and greater workplace ecosystem more purposeful. 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?

A significant proportion of workers report being exposed to numerous psychosocial risks at work. Exposure to work risks relates to increased health impairing behaviours, poor mental and physical health, and even death. In addition to their health implications, the annual cost of the burden of serious mental illness in New Zealand is estimated at $12 billion. To improve employee well-being, health, and performance at work, organizational interventions have been developed. However, do they actually work?

At work as in life, relationships are everything. Amid increasingly hybrid and distributed workforces, how can organizations continue to foster healthy cultures of meaningful connection and collaboration? This discussion explores the challenges and opportunities leaders face today and examines the importance of human-centric workplace strategies for building positive cultures, attracting and retaining top talent, empowering employees and fostering organizational wellbeing.

The pandemic threw the typical office environment into stark relief. And the digital fluency / remote productivity of employees threatened its entire existence. Hybrid is the answer, but no one wants to work in a new way in the old space; they need something compelling to return to: they need a Destination, that's what we created at Airbnb, and this talk explores the elements of these spaces that can be recreated and reinterpreted to create the post-covid office all employees deserve.

Senior Associate Interior Designer at Warren and Mahoney Daniel Kempka and Rupert Brown, Director of workplace technology consultancy Experience Design (XD) share how they are leveraging the latest technology in digital collaboration. These new approaches have dramatically reduced design time, improved collaboration between designers and the clients understanding of project outcomes. This fireside chat will explain what the technology is and how it’s being implemented on a current project to design Precinct Properties new headquarters.

In the age of the “anywhere office”, technology will play a more vital role than ever. It is now crucial for businesses to leverage data to understand how people are using workspaces and implement technologies that will keep teams connected, organized, safe and ultimately enhance their experience and productivity. Our expert panel will share how some of the largest and most innovative global companies revolutionise how they use technology to improve their workplace ecosystems and attract and retain talent.

This interactive group discussion offers the audience an opportunity to reflect on content shared throughout the day, discuss with peers, ask questions and gather real-time data.

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in the workplace is critical to worker productivity. However, the feasibility of attaining a sustainable IEQ remains debatable as long as buildings continue to emit carbon and endanger occupants. Environmental sustainability is a concept that has been introduced previously, but it remains amongst the most actively discussed - with few impactful actions in the workplace. Dr Rasheed will share her ideas on what needs to be done now and the latest works of her research group on workplace sustainability.