Overview
The hybrid workplace: productivity enabler or agent of inequity?
COVID-19 restrictions are lifting - we hope for the last time - including the guidance to work from home where possible.
While there is a consensus that the future of work will be some kind of hybrid, there is disagreement about the details.
There are huge positives from working at home – focus, balance and flexibility - and equally large positives from working in the office – connection, community, dedicated spaces. Surely, we can all have the best of both… can’t we?
That depends on the execution; some argue that the hybrid workplace will be ‘a messy concoction that if left to develop organically will more likely exacerbate inequalities than reduce them’.
In this moment for workplace and facilities management, where we want and need to see effective workplace strategies that give workers choice to work in a way that is best for them, we’ll be exploring the considerations that practitioners need to think about to ensure we can all reap the productivity and social benefits of home and office working environments.
We’ll draw on some of IWFM’s time-series research about attitudes to working in different settings, the latest commentary, and of course the reflections of our expert panel.
Speakers
Simone Fenton-Jarvis
Simone is Workplace Consultancy Director at Relogix and has over 13 years’ experience in FM and Workplace. Simone believes an organisation needs to put people first, and it’s this belief that has driven her initiatives and work within the industry. Simone is an advocate for lifelong learning, has completed an MBA in FM, is a keen reader, and a regular attendee at events. She is also a Fellow of IWFM and the vice-chair of the Workspace Special Interest Group. Her hope is to drive an industry where workplace FM is truly recognised as a key for all businesses.
Maud Santamaria
Maud leads the workplace experience strategy for Mace and has over 15 years’ experience in overseeing workplace experience, connecting effectiveness, technology, space planning and strategy change consultancy to services to create flexible, fit for purpose workspaces. Her experience includes private and public sectors and she has worked as client, consultant and contractor.
Prior to joining Mace, Maud was an advisory services manager with proven abilities in managing large international contracts. Since her appointment at Mace, Maud has implemented innovative solutions to workplace challenges, portrayed excellence in managing client relationships at all levels, and delivered workshops with professionalism and efficiency.
Maud’s passion and experience for what makes a workplace engaging and effective has led to her transforming corporate offices around Europe. From a career that started in office furniture to leading Mace’s workplace experience strategy, creating inspiring workplaces has always been Maud’s ambition.
Jenny Thomas
Jenny has led on IWFM’s Marketing Communications strategy since 2018, helping to define, shape the Institute’s vision and mission and amplify its voice.
She has over fifteen years’ experience developing and delivering insight-led strategic communications campaigns, change management initiatives and stakeholder engagement strategies both in Whitehall and professional body environments.
Neil Usher
With over 30 years in industry as a property, workplace and change leader, Neil has delivered innovative environments for organisations in a variety of sectors, all over the world including Warner Bros., Honeywell, Rio Tinto and Sky. He is now Chief Workplace & Change Strategist at GoSpace AI, innovator of the only dynamic and intelligent workspace management application available today. He leads the advisory arm of the business, providing strategic and practical advice to clients on creating and operating human-centric workplaces in a hybrid world.
He has been actively blogging about work for over a decade. His first book The Elemental Workplace was published in 2018 and the follow-up Elemental Change in 2020. He is a sought-after conference and academic speaker, always bringing a fresh perspective while challenging assumptions and myths.