Workplace: The User Experience Conference

Exploring The User Experience, Employee and Community Engagement, Space Utilisation, Productivity and Wellbeing at Work.

Workplace is in a constant state of evolution, more so now than ever before. Join us for a day of enlightenment, inspiration, and connection that’s not to be missed.

This conference is a convergence of expert minds and an invaluable platform to explore the future of work and workplace. It’s an event for all workplace professionals who design, manage, and nurture modern, attractive, productive, and healthy workplaces, and this year’s event promises to be one of the most captivating yet.

The day closes with our customary drinks social where the conversation continues.

With thanks for the support of our 2024 sponsors and media partners.

Who’s Attending

Join around 150 fellow workplace professionals this 15th October – workplace directors and managers, designers, specifiers, architects, consultants and facilities managers.

Agenda

Registration, Exhibition, Coffee & Pastries (9.15)

Welcome and Introduction (10.00)
– Nigel Oseland, Workplace Unlimited, Morning Moderator

Nigel is an environmental psychologist, workplace strategist, change manager, researcher, author and international speaker. Nigel works with his clients to redefine their workstyles and create cost-effective and space-efficient workplaces that enhance concentration, collaboration, creativity and business performance.

Where appropriate he helps design and implement sustainable agile working environments. Nigel’s approach to consulting is to apply his knowledge, obtained through both academic research and practical experience, to workplace strategy and design.

He is a firm believer in evidence based design and delivering unique workplaces that support the occupying business. As a psychologist he campaigns for workplaces that cater for all personality types.

Nigel’s book, “The Workplace Zoo: Humanising the Office” was published in autumn 2021. His next book, “A Practical Guide to Post-Occupancy Evaluation and Researching Building User Experience” was published in September 2023.

People, Productivity, Planet: Reinventing Work for a Digital Age (10.10)
– Dr Nicola Millard, Principal Innovation Partner, BT Business CTO

The future world of work was already being redefined by digital technologies before the pandemic hit. Now, as old, and new ways of working collide, we have a unique opportunity to rethink things to make work work for people, productivity and the planet, whilst harnessing the best of both real and digital worlds.

Nicola is BT’s Principal Innovation Partner. She is a presenter, writer and researcher on people-centred innovation in customer experience, digital workplace and the future of work within BT.

Nicola has had a range of roles, including futurology, research, usability, customer service, marketing, and business consulting. She was involved with a number of BT firsts, including the first application of artificial intelligence into our call centres, our initial experiments with home working, and helping to develop our ‘net easy’ score; a new way of measuring customer experience. She is currently looking at innovation in both employee and customer experience.

Towards a New Relationship-Based Design Model (10.35)
– Mark Catchlove, MillerKnoll Global Insight Group

Until recently, supporting activity-based work was considered cutting-edge workplace strategy. How much people valued their workplace depended upon how well it supported their everyday work activities.

However the value of the workplace today is more nuanced. Desk-based workers can successfully perform many of their tasks almost anywhere, but relationship-building is much less effective at a distance.

And in survey after survey, we see the growing importance of relationship-based work. So rather than creating a series of spaces that are tailored to certain work activities, a relationship-based work model asks us to consider who needs to be supported and the nature of their interactions.

This includes everything from interactions that prioritise production, helping move specific work forward, to interactions that prioritise information exchange or personal reflection, helping build culture and a sense of belonging.

To support this range of interactions, this session will propose taking a neighbourhood planning approach. This entails designing a collection of neighbourhoods within the workplace, with distinct characteristics that respond to how different people cycle through various types of interactions through any given workday focusing on individual, group, and community. Our speaker will explore how organisations can apply this new relationship-based design model to improve employee wellbeing, facilitate connection, and navigate change in their workplace.

Realities of Office Space Utilisation (11.00)
– Hodan Aden, Empire AI

In this presentation, Hodan shares key insights from analysing 160,000 data points on office space utilisation in Norway and Sweden. Her findings reveal a significant disconnect between perceived and actual office space usage, highlighting that 64% of office rooms remain unoccupied during work hours. Additionally, while 78% of meetings involve four or fewer participants, only 28% of meeting rooms are appropriately sized.

These insights will be valuable for anyone involved in workspace planning, demonstrating the importance of data-driven decisions to improve productivity, well-being, and resource efficiency.

Hodan Aden has a strong background in strategic workspace planning, having worked as both a CEO and workplace consultant. She has collaborated with some of Norway’s largest public and private companies, as well as major landlords, to develop their office real estate.

As the CEO of Empire AI, Hodan leads a software company dedicated to developing innovative tools that are crucial for creating better and more sustainable office spaces.

Morning Break (11.25)

Making Space: How Can Commercial Real Estate Offer Greater Support to Community Groups? (11.55)
– tp bennett

The way we use offices has changed drastically, shaped by technological advancements and the adoption of remote working since the pandemic. As many organisations embrace hybrid working, figures show that office utilisation is at an all-time low. At the same time, real estate in major cities such as London is becoming more expensive, making it increasingly inaccessible for some sectors such as charity organisations and cultural groups. Is there an opportunity to adapt the role of the office to offer greater support to community groups?

This presentation will discuss the findings of our recent report investigating the opportunity for office occupiers and landlords to collaborate more closely with community groups and charity organisations. It will unearth how businesses can make their workplaces more accessible to other groups; what community groups really need; the barriers to implementation; and how the future workplace could be adapted in order to facilitate a more community-led approach to office spaces.

The Impact of Workplace Lighting on Health and Wellbeing (12.20)
– Ulysse Dormoy, Atrium, Bob Fosbury and Glen Jeffery, University College London

Innovation in lighting over the past twenty years has focused almost exclusively on energy efficiency. This has resulted in much needed improvements in energy savings that are contributing to the fight against climate change.

However new scientific research suggests there is a hidden human cost. Have we lost sight of the quality of light that people need for their health and wellbeing?

We delve into the science of light, how it affects our bodies, and its impact on design. This session includes research and resulting recommendations on:

• The link between light deficiency and health issues
• The importance of near-infrared light for mitochondrial function
• Strategies to integrate human health into lighting design

Just one example of many potential benefits of the right lighting – in the UK we spend £9bn a year on treating Type 2 Diabetes, when a simple intervention of the right kind of light (free if you go outside) has been shown to reduce blood glucose levels.

This presentation follows a spring masterclass from Workplace Trends, Atrium and UCL. Much discussion and questions ensued at the time and therefore we have lengthened this session to allow ample time for Q&A and debate. 

Lunch (13.00)

Welcome Back (14.00)
– Chris Moriarty, Audiem, Afternoon Moderator

Chris is co-founder of workplace experience analytics engine, Audiem, and co-host of the Workplace Geeks podcast.

He has been involved in some of the sector’s most important conversations about the future of work, the workplace and the facilities profession’s role within that. Former Director of Insight at IWFM and UK MD for Leesman, Chris is often asked for his commentary and insight into the latest workplace trends and how organisations can embrace them.

Hearing Women in the Workplace (14.05)
– Paige Hodsman, Saint-Gobain Ecophon

It is often said that men and women have different verbal communication styles, including differences in the types of communication they use, and how they use language. For women, however, the differences may have profound implications, especially in the workplace. Countless published research papers and popular press articles verify that women struggle to be heard in the workplace, particularly in meetings and in the boardroom.

Paige will present the findings from a recent literature review and interviews which have identified four key reasons behind this and will also share potential solutions.

Future-Proofing the Workplace (14.30)
– Paragon Workplace Solutions

It is estimated that in 2024, Gen Z will outnumber Baby Boomers in the workplace and by 2030, Gen Z will make up 30% of the workforce. What do we therefore need to consider when future-proofing the workplace?

Paragon and their research partners unveil new findings of the expectations of younger of office workers. Followed by a discussion panel with expert workplace designers, FM leaders and recruiters.

Case Study (Public Sector): details coming soon (14.55)
– TBC

Afternoon Break (15.20)

From Legacy to the Metaverse: Transforming the workplace experience for Audemars Piguet (15.50)
– Key Kawamura, STUDIO BANANA

Over the years Studio Banana has supported Audemars Piguet, an almost 150 years-old family-owned Swiss watchmaking firm, delivering future-proof working environments aligned with the company employer branding policy. During the different projects, we set a testing ground for new ways of working that reflected the brand’s legacy and attachment to the region and delivered forward-looking resilient workplace strategies that helped boost the future of the company.

In this presentation we will share key learnings from the strategic roadmap carried out to build a successful employee experience that helped amplify the AP brand for talent attraction, loyalty and development. This case study presents the range of projects, approaches and strategies deployed at multiple sites as well as how an industrial company has adapted to a post-Covid world of work.

Key Kawamura is co-founder of STUDIO BANANA, home of design-driven transformation, and an international expert in the Future of Work area, where he helps change-seeking organisations such us EY, The International Olympic Committee, McCann, Lozinger Marazzi, Nestlé, Johnson & Johnson, and NTT, evolve towards innovative and collaborative ways of work.

He has edited the book Think Work out of the box that gathers insights developed after years of researching and creating workplaces of multiple types – from corporate headquarters to start-up accelerators, from research and development centres to trading hubs. Collecting conversations with industry leaders from companies like Microsoft and Cushman & Wakefield, the book breaks design-driven transformation down into 13 core principles that have the power to make a substantially beneficial contribution to the production of future work environments.

Key is often invited as charismatic speaker: TedX, Stanford University, Harvard University, Guggenheim Bilbao, Tokyo Designers Week, Global Entrepreneurship Week, Creative Mornings, IE Business School Madrid, Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar, Global Youth Summit among others; and his work has been published, awarded and exhibited globally: MoMA New York, Triennale di Milano, Transmediale Berlin or Fondazione Pistoletto Biella.

Workspace? Easy! (16.15)
– Kursty Groves and Neil Usher

How easy can creating workspace be?

If we believe what we read, it’s impossible. So many questions, so few answers. But what if you had a clear, simple, logical and jargon-free guide to how to create a fantastic workspace? No empty promises. And no radical concepts, new panaceas or paradigm shifts. Or surveys.

Because that’s just what Kursty and Neil have created. The ultimate ‘how to’ manual. It’s been the book everyone has needed and yet no-one had attempted. And it’s what they’re going to talk about. You’ll hear why this guide is needed, how the authors’ struggled to demystify an industry, and be entertained by some of the things that went wrong along the way.

Kursty Groves is a leading workplace strategist and professor with over 25 years’ experience in workspace innovation and design. Author, professor, podcast host and international conference speaker, she’s known for her insightful approach to creating inspiring work environments.

Neil Usher is an internationally experienced workplace creator and change leader with over 30 years’ senior-level client-side and advisory experience. He’s the author of several books, a prolific blogger and a regular speaker, known for bringing a fresh perspective while challenging assumptions and myths.

Moderator’s Summing Up, followed by Drinks Social (16.40 approx)

Limited numbers of super-early bird tickets are available. Register now to secure your seat.

Your registration fee includes:

• Day ticket to the conference
• Access to a live list of your fellow delegates
• Video recordings and PDFs of presentations filmed on the day
• Catering, including our post conference drinks social
• Certificates of Attendance for CPD purposes.

With thanks for the support of our 2024 sponsors and media partners.