Jeremy explores the evolution of the office from a stern, scientifically managed environment, derived from the industrial factory floor and firmly rooted in time and space, to the current model of working anyhow, anytime and anywhere. He describes the term ‘unworking’ as unravelling how we work, unbundling the assumptions that are baked into the modern workplace, and unlearning the habits, management styles and cultures that have traditionally defined our behaviour at work. The purpose of ‘unworking’ is to reimagine what the future workplace could be like...

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a big debate about the future of the office. Much is still unknown, but there is no shortage of opinions and wild predictions. In his presentation, Juriaan will place the debate in a wider perspective. He will discuss the recent history of the work environment, identify the structural changes and challenges, and distinguish between hype and reality.

The Gensler Research Institute has been monitoring developments in Workplace Effectiveness over 18 years of continuous research through their Workplace Surveys (WPS). Having conducted its last Germany WPS in 2019 - just before the Covid-19 pandemic - their latest research charts what has changed in Germany and which New Work experiences would help to bring more employees back to the office?

Work environments today need to be designed to be inclusive for all. But to be inclusive we need to go beyond to address the nuisances needed to accommodate personality traits, work styles and neurodivergents. Neurodivergents tend to be high energy, out of the box thinkers, excel in a crisis, and be bold problem solvers. Not only is designing to be inclusive the right thing to do, there is a compelling business case for it. Space today needs to reflect the diverse makeup of organization’s as more and more we are becoming a majority of minorities, so we need to design to set all up for success

The recent hybrid working environment has created new challenges for leaders and employees. This session will cover the importance of wellbeing, inclusion and belonging to support productivity in hybrid environments, and will help breaking taboos & removing stigmas on conversations around mental health, no matter the working location of your employees to inspire long-lasting change.

In a hybrid world where employees are split across virtual and physical spaces, many organisations face the challenge of integrating a diverse and inclusive culture deeply into the business. How can you create a truly effective, inclusive workplace? Our panel will delve deeper into what you can do to drive this change, with employee experience, wellbeing and productivity at the forefront.

Other speakers to be announced.

Europe’s largest communications firm, Service Plan, have relocated to its new 40,000sqm House of Communication in Munich. Devised on the concept of urbanism, the city-like HQ has created a distinctive spatial identity for the company, rooted by their ideals of openness and collaboration. Aligning with the needs of the employees, the open-plan design by HENN fosters creativity and activity-based working, bringing employees together in a vibrant community hub. Markus and Katrin share the journey, history and thoughts behind the design.

In this session, GMS and thing-IT showcase a new office project that includes a holistic Smart Building platform, with a variety of use cases and high-end AV technology to enable hybrid communication and create an attractive, enticing workplace for employees. The single most common characteristic that small firms, start-ups and growth companies share with the large corporate employers is an increasing reliance on technology to get work done in the hybrid era. Consequently, investment into technology has never been so crucial and can hugely impact the SME workplace experience if done correctly.

For many businesses, hybrid and flexible working arrangements are here to stay. This fundamental change in how work gets done offers both opportunities and significant challenges. In today’s disrupted workplace, managers must adopt a fundamentally different approach to managing and developing their teams. In this session Eidin and Anjula will reveal Gallup’s latest workplace research, insights and advice for hybrid strategies that address these challenges and enable employees and businesses to thrive.

Good knowledge management must be distributed across many shoulders and optimally integrated into the working methods of all employees. Only in this way can information be reliably kept up to date and the acceptance of all users be kept high. In the presentation, Helge will talk about their experiences, highlights and motivation holes of the project to introduce a new, clear knowledge management at Soluvia Energy Services GmbH.

In the age of the “anywhere office”, technology will play a more vital role than ever. It is now crucial for businesses 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 shares how some of the largest and most innovative global companies revolutionise how they use technology and how they attract and retain talent.

Speakers to be announced.

EDGE Suedkreuz Berlin is Germany’s biggest freestanding hybrid-timber project and one of the largest in Europe. In line with Vattenfall’s corporate strategy, as well as that of EDGE Technologies, sustainability has been imperative from the very beginning of the project. In 2022, the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) designated the project as Germany’s most sustainable building. In this session EDGE, Vattenfall and DGNB elaborate on how the focus on ecological sustainability and wellbeing of employees impacts the future readiness of both corporates and the built environment.

In this session our expert panellists will examine how employers in Germany are innovating their workplace strategies and adopting flexible and remote policies to support hybrid working models. Offering varying perspectives from various industries, our experts will also discuss the obstacles that may impact the ability to innovate and adopt flexible work practices.

Working with Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT), Carlo Ratti Associates new research around communication patterns in remote working reveals how bringing people together from different backgrounds can create innovation. Luca explores whether online working prevents serendipitous conversations and constrains innovation; whether the future of working is, at least in part, in the office; and also reveals patterns in behaviour needed to create the effective office of the future.