Introduction & Purpose
- Explored the evolving role of the office in a post-COVID, hybrid working environment
- Aimed to address the growing gap between organisational expectations and employee experience
- Focused on how workplace strategy can better support engagement, collaboration, and performance
- Set out to challenge the idea that office attendance alone drives value
Overview of Discussion
- Reflected on how office spaces were historically designed for presence and desk-based work
- Discussed how hybrid working has shifted employee expectations around flexibility and autonomy
- Highlighted the increasing need for the office to offer a clear and meaningful purpose
- Explored the tension between leadership-driven return-to-office strategies and employee sentiment
- Considered the role of workplace design in shaping behaviour, interaction, and productivity
Collaborative Insights
- Participants shared common challenges around underutilised office space and disengagement
- Recognition that many employees experience little difference between working at home and in the office
- Discussion around the importance of intentional use of office time rather than default attendance
- Shared experiences of balancing business needs with employee expectations
- Acknowledged that workplace strategy, culture, and communication must be aligned
Key Takeaways
- The office must offer clear value beyond being a place to work
- Attendance should be driven by purpose, not policy
- Collaboration, connection, and learning need to be actively designed into the workplace experience
- Small, practical changes can significantly improve how space is used
- Organisations should regularly review how their workspace supports modern ways of working
- The key question: why would employees choose to come into the office?
Conclusion
Session closed with a reminder that creating value in the office is an intentional and continuous process
The role of the office continues to evolve and requires ongoing reassessment
Organisations that focus on experience, not just expectation, are more likely to drive engagement
Workplace strategy should be treated as a business and people priority, not just an operational one