The value of the social workspace (2015)

The 2015 presentation examined how changes in corporate organisation, workforce expectations and technology-enabled work had affected workplace design and real-estate strategy. Despina Katsikakis argued that offices had needed to move away from fixed, efficiency-led layouts toward flexible, networked and activity-based environments. The deck described coworking and other on-demand formats as ways for organisations to expand flexibly, reach external talent and provide a broader mix of spaces, amenities and events. It presented the “social workplace” as a model centred on connectivity, community and choice, with physical space serving collaboration, knowledge exchange and organisational culture alongside focused work. Examples from banking, technology, hospitality and commercial property illustrated changing interiors, workplace services and experience-led environments. The presentation also connected workplace design with employee wellbeing, discussing active design, wellness amenities, access to nature and WELL certification. It concluded that real estate had needed to operate more like a service than an asset, and proposed performance measures based on engagement, collaboration, productivity, wellbeing and work-life balance rather than space efficiency and cost alone.

Key findings

• The deck described coworking and on-demand space as tools for increasing real-estate flexibility and accessing innovative talent.
• Activity-based workplaces were presented as evolving mixes of settings and amenities that supported both collaboration and concentration.
• The presentation proposed measuring engagement, collaboration, trust, wellbeing and productivity rather than focusing only on space efficiency and cost.

Presented at Coworking Europe 2015