That’s a Wrap

Another year draws to a close and it’s time for a festive break. This year I have mostly focused on research, writing and presenting with a flourish of activity in the last month.

I facilitated a two-day workshop at the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP) WorkLab in Athens. It was my first time presenting to this group of HR professionals and organisational psychologists, who seemed keen to learn how workplace design can impact on wellbeing and performance.

A few of my blogs have been published, including The Psychology of RTO in WORKS magazine. In this article I explain, from a psychological perspective, why mandating a return to the office simply does not work and alienates the workforce. In a previous blog I questioned the increase in ADHD at work following a day at IdeasFest.

I presented my BCO Review of Post-pandemic UK Office Utilisation to the Midland Chapter. I triangulated the data of three studies and found that UK office utilisation as settled at 30% on average but there is quite a range across offices. So, I recommend occupiers make their own measurements rather than use national benchmarks.

Another first for me was chairing a panel on AI at Senator. I was fortunate to be accompanied by experts and I was able to ask basic, maybe naïve, questions. My conclusion is that for now AI can help us with the monotonous tasks, that are mostly  process driven, leaving more time for creative activities and interacting with colleagues.

My next event is a workshop Exploring Acoustics, Gender & Workplace Design for Inclusive Communication. I will be presenting the results of the research I conducted with Paige Hodsman of Saint-Gobain Ecophon. The study was initiated after many discussions on why many women are not heard in the workplace. The survey results were not as expected! To learn more, sign-up for the free session on 9 December.

At my final event of the year, on 17 December, I am speaking on The Evidence Behind Activity-Based Working. The event, hosted by the Belgian Chapter of IFMA, is free so do register here.

Of course, the highlight for me this year was finally visiting Australia after 45 years of cogitating and procrastinating. What a journey, literally and metaphorically, with new work and life experiences. Read about my experience in my blog I Went to a Land Down Under. My advice, make that special trip sooner rather than later.

I hope you had a great year and I look forward to catching up after the holidays.