Gensler has been measuring how people work, space effectiveness, and what employees value in workplace experience since 2005 across 14,000 office workers in 10 countries and 3 continents. Philip will uncover some interesting shifts in how people are working and their expectations for the workplace moving forward to help us unravel how employers should best enhance their workplace to enhance employees back into the office.

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. A significant majority of the workforce today express a desire for flexibility. More companies believe that supporting and enabling flexible work should be a priority. Matthew draws on stories and evidence from around the WORKTECH Academy network to present a picture of what is happening inside organisations and office buildings around the world.

The world is transforming. From shifting industries and remote work to social unrest, economic uncertainty and drive for sustainability. How are these global megatrends impacting workplace in the Nordics?We’re seeing more flexible working, shorter working weeks etc. What impact does this have on workplace design? How can architecture and interior design inspire and enhance working practice. Using recent cases from DFDS and Implement Consulting Group, Anne and Anna-Carin share their inspiration and vision of future Danish workplace design.

In this session, Maja as a strategist with 16 years of employee engagement, stakeholder management & organisational effectiveness expertise will emphasise the importance of futureproofing organisations amidst constant change. She sheds light on the strategies and initiatives undertaken by Adidas to adapt and thrive in the face of evolving trends. And examines her current focus of creating a consistent workplace experience across offices, distribution centres, and showrooms.

What should a fully integrated and effective global wellbeing strategy look like? This session explores:
- How can employers effectively support employees on their health and wellbeing
- How do you know if your wellbeing strategy is the right one and future proof
- How should data (or lack of it) inform your decision making, and
- Why personalization is the future of wellbeing.

Our expert panel will discuss how we create diverse, equitable,
inclusive, human-centred workplaces. Covering subjects such as 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 corporate real estate (CRE), human resources (HR), and information technology (IT) to deliver it?

This session examines the evolution of agile workplace and offers invaluable lessons about the relationship between design, emotion and business success. For Burges Salmon, success initially hinged on recruiting the right talent and securing profitable work. Office design mirrored traditional legal models with hierarchies and specialized practice areas; the need for a more agile setup became evident but met with resistance. The pandemic led a transition to remote working and despite high productivity, it was apparent culture would suffer without the office and human connection.

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 will discuss emerging technologies and trends set to re-shape enterprise and the way we work.

Speakers to be announced.

New hype around ChatGPT and generative AI contributes to a renewed focus on AI and future of work. We are wholly conscious of Generative AI’s ability to transform the way we work across every industry and job role. Leaving science fiction stories and hypothetical scenarios as a thing of the past, this session examines the implications for organizations, how to define strategy and take action.

Daniel provides a framework for how people should think about AI (especially Generative AI), with entertaining examples and anecdotes. He argues that whilst these technologies are incredible at creating growth and streamlining operations, for companies to stay innovative they need to use AI to unlock the creative capacity of their workforce. Daniel will also cover the macro impact these technologies may have over the coming decades and suggests that it's within the gift of enterprise to make a better future for everyone.

Echo leads this debate with Daniel and Susana on the ways in which AI will and won’t transform the workplace, aiming to cut-through the dialogue about chat-bots and artificial intelligence and get to the specifics of how these technologies affect us all.
Covering topics such as sustainability, AI ethics, the impact of new technology on the jobs market and setting AI in-context with other major technology trends, they will provide an overview into where AI is going in the next few years and how we can best prepare for the transformations it will bring.

This session explores how architecture has responded to the renewal of collective life post-pandemic and the commitments of combatting climate change. Quay Quarter Tower in Sydney is an upcycled, outmoded 70s skyscraper which on reaching the end of its usable lifespan, rather than tear it down and start over, the project team set out to reuse as much of the existing building as possible retaining over 65% of the original structure and 95% of the original core, resulting in an embodied carbon saving of 7.3 million kilpgrams.

Luca shares a perspective from renowned figures, the Chair of the Economics Department at Harvard and the Director of the Senseable City Lab at M.I.T. They predict a transformative shift in cities, transitioning from productivity-focused to pleasure-driven environments. Although many offices remain underutilized, cities can thrive without them. Liberated from traditional work setups, cities can fulfill their core purpose of uniting people and ideas. Integrative urban power is crucial amid social, political, and economic divisions.