A Human in the Loop with Eric Kerr

As we begin to see parts of the world rapidly returning to normal and the priority of getting employees back to the office takes center stage -- Do we run the risk of letting everything we’ve learned this past year being left behind? 

Were all the grand declarations about the future of work and the commitments companies made to Diversity Equity Inclusion and anti-racism work all just performative? 

What happens when company priorities shift, the hashtags stop trending, and people begin to opt-out of DEI work when they realize that it is, in fact, work?

Guests
Kim Crowder, Founder & CEO of Kim Crowder Consulting, is one of the country's leading certified anti-racism, diversity, inclusion, and equity speaker, coach, trainer, and consultant. 
Her deep knowledge of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism (DEIA) is informed by years of executive-level DEIA practice and consulting in advocacy and implementation. Kim’s mission is to provide transformative, customized solutions, cultivate equitable workplaces, and harness the power of diverse input to foster innovation, inclusion, and forward-thinking within organizations and industries overall. 

She has been featured for her expertise by The New York Times, Business Insider, Forbes, and on Hubspot’s podcast, The Growth Show, among others. Kim has been named A Top 10 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Expert by All American, and Top Influential African-American Business Women To Follow by LinkedIn.

Sabrina Meherally is an inclusive design thought leader, and the Founder of Pause and Effect - a humanity-centered design consultancy that helps organizations build customer and workplace experiences where people from all walks of life feel seen, reflected, respected, and valued. Sabrina is the daughter of refugee and immigrant parents from Uganda and Pakistan. 

Sabrina’s interdisciplinary background in UX, Product Management, and People and Culture informs the holistic and tangible approach that Pause and Effect take when building strategies for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism – honoring the complexity of systemically enforced problems, and prioritizing the voices of the most marginalized communities.

She and her team work across industries including multinational entertainment companies, tech organizations, credit unions, and social media influencers – supporting their growth through coaching and consulting in product and workplace design.

Sabrina is also the host of the Inclusive Design Podcast, where she explores and discusses ways in which responsible innovation is creating a better world for everyone.

Complete Episode Transcript

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Episode 8
As companies begin to shape and define what the future of work will look like, it’s clear that the path ahead isn’t clearly paved. Some companies that were quick to declare their destination early on have already begun to shift course. Some hope that following someone else’s map will get them where they need to be,  while other companies have started to backpedal to the familiarity of how things used to be instead of braving the challenges of the uncharted terrain.

Now that the romanticization of hybrid work has dwindled and the real work has begun, how do we ensure that we take the time to work together and be intentional about the direction we’re headed and the path we’re creating along the way?    

In this episode, I am joined by Kate Lister and Sam Fisher as we explore how companies can propel themselves forward by slowing down and being intentional.  

Guests:
Kate Lister is a recognized workplace thought leader and president of Global Workplace Analytics, a research-based consulting firm that has been helping communities and organizations optimize flexible and distributed workplace strategies for more than fifteen years. She has written or co-authored five business books including the U.S. chapter of “Telework in the 21st Century” (Edward Elgar, 2019), a multi-country peer-reviewed study on remote work.

Her perspectives on how COVID-19 will change the way people work have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and dozens of other respected news outlets. In July of 2020, she was one of only three witnesses invited to testify before a U.S. Senate committee on the expansion of telework in government post-COVID-19.


Sam Fisher is the Head of Dynamic Work at Okta, where she leverages her diverse background across design and construction, associate services, technology, sustainability, and marketing and communications to bring a people-centric lens to Okta’s Dynamic Work framework. In her role, Fisher is focused on enablement for both productivity and connectivity, and partners with cross-functional teams to re-imagine workplace design, activate the use of workplace data, explore workplace technologies, and amplify the employee experience.  

Focused on enablement for both productivity and connectivity, and partners with cross-functional teams to re-imagine workplace design, activate the use of workplace data, explore workplace technologies, and amplify the employee experience.

CTA: Practice grace with yourself, your family, your friends, and your colleagues.  We are all doing the best we can.


Complete Episode Transcript

Product Mentions: 

• Neat 
• Owl Labs 

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Episode 7
More names are being added to the list of companies who are declaring that a hybrid and more flexible approach to work is here to stay. Although it's still too soon to say what this future will look like, it does look promising. The talent pool has gotten a lot bigger and people won't be forced to live near an office, but where they actually feel like they belong.

If the future of work becomes a blend of both remote work and time in the office, how do we ensure that what we're creating is an inclusive experience for employees, no matter where they are.

In this episode, I am joined by organizational psychologists and culture strategist, Angela Howard, as we discussed the need for leaders to prioritize employee wellbeing and belonging, as we create the blended workplace.  


Guest:
Angela R. Howard is an organizational psychologist and culture strategist working to build human-centric workplaces, better leaders, and thriving communities, along-side growth-minded leaders. She's a trusted advisor and coach to owners, founders, and CEOs interested in shaping and “actualizing” their organizational cultures for the collective good of their organizations, employees and the communities they serve. Her mission is to re-invent the role of “HR” and create more human-centric workplaces that enrich the lives of a diverse workforce and inspire them to do good for the world.

www.angelarhoward.com  @arosehoward

Humanly Possible Podcast: Future of Work Conversations

 



Full Episode Transcript

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Episode 6
Creativity and disruptive innovation have become hallmarks of the tech industry; and it’s clear, that the longer we’re apart -- unable to tap into the collective creativity that comes from shared spaces and shared experiences -- the more innovation will take a hit.

But before we go rushing back to the offices of memory, we must acknowledge that we are at a pivotal moment when work, as we know it, is ripe for disruption.   

In this episode, I am joined by Kay Sargent and Julian Philips as we explore how past lessons can guide us to future innovations as we embark upon this new era of work.

Guests:
Kay Sargent
With 35 years of experience, Kay is a recognized expert on workplace design and strategy issues and an award-winning designer. Kay is Global Co-Director of HOK’s WorkPlace team and sits on HOK’s Board of Directors. In 2020 she was named ASID’s Designer of Distinction.

Call to action:
“We are witnessing the evolution of workplace, and design can be a powerful tool in that endeavor. What designers have always done well, the art of design, is being enhanced with the emerging science of design. By creating environments that support wellbeing, inclusivity and inspire those within them, we can drive powerful outcomes and create spaces that reflect our humanity. We need to design with courage to define the next generation of great places to transform the way we work, live, learn and play. We are no longer just designing environments. We are designing the experience.”



Julian Phillips leads the experiential environments and workplace transformation business at global technology company, AVI-SPL and prior to the merger was EVP at Whitlock for a decade. Julian served on the board of AVIXA for 7 years and was Chairman in 2018, Kay is now also on the board of AVIXA! He was inducted into the SCN AV Hall of Fame in 2019. He is the founder of the Global Presence Alliance (GPA) and now a co-founder of Work is the Answer. A Brit, living in Pennsylvania, he became a grandpa in 2020, but due to the pandemic has yet to hold his grandson who lives in Stockholm, but at least there is Zoom!


Referenced  Media:

• WORK IS THE ANSWER
• David Pearl “Will There Be Donuts?”
• Sir Ken Robinson TED TALK - "Do schools kill creativity?" 
• The Soaring Twenties by Julian Phillips

Episode Transcripts

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Episode 5
2020 will forever be known as the year that all was revealed. It exposed all the cracks and flaws. Made us see the injustices and inequities that we weren’t willing or able to see. It forced us to focus on what really matters. 

But as we move into this new year, with the impact of 2020 still very much with us, how do we take this new perspective and awareness and move forward? 

In this episode, I invite you into a round table discussion that I recently had with 3 industry peers - Morgan Flannery, Seth Moore-Brown, and Elfreda Chan.

Guest Bios:
Morgan Flannery
With a background as a designer within high-end hospitality and workplace, Morgan now uses this experience to drive her role within workplace strategy and is passionate about the power of design to create holistic environments that are beautiful, functional, healthy, and inspiring. She is also the proud parent of 18 new house plants all added during 2020.

Seth Moore-Brown
Seth is a Business Development Manager with Teknion in their San Francisco office. He started building furniture at 17 and is now providing furniture and architectural product solutions bringing the journey full circle. His passion for people and relationships is a driving force in his work.

Elfreda Chan
Elfreda has worked on large scale architecture and master planning projects since 2004 and joined M Moser’s global strategy team in 2010. Her background and experience offer valuable insight into the planning and design of effective workplace environments. Together with the project team, she works closely with clients to develop workplaces with optimized strategies that align to both business objectives and people’s needs. She prioritizes understanding clients first, before exploring ideas and developing solutions with them to ensure that the built environment is the most appropriate for the business and impacts people’s lives in the most positive and productive way possible.


Complete Episode Transcript


Articles/Studies:

• 3-2-2 Work Week
• Work/Life Boundaries
• University of Chicago remote work study 

Movie References:

• Working Girl 
• Being John Malkovich

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Episode 4
The dynamic relationship between workplace and hospitality has a long history. From business trips and working lunches to in-office amenities and even workplace design, we've seen the line between work and leisure become more blurred.

If work can happen in cafes and hotel lobbies, how can offices become an exciting destination that fully immerses employees in a unique and memorable experience, that makes them want to keep coming back?

In this episode, we explore how the hospitality industry might hold the answers to creating the future of work.


Guests:

Rob Polacek
Founder + Creative Director, Rob Polacek oversees the diverse interior architecture, design, and brand identity practice of RoseBernard Studio, contributing a unique vision to the firm’s interdisciplinary consulting mission. With a degree in architecture, Rob is recognized for his ability to understand the interactions between the user and the built environment, creating aesthetically and functionally successful restaurants and hotels that visually reflect a brand’s culture. 

Connect with Rob on LinkedIn

Felipe Gomez-Kraus
As President of Raise Commercial Real Estate, the world’s first Tech-Enabled, full service commercial real estate brokerage, Felipe Gomez-Kraus is tasked with leading the multi-faceted brokerage team, in addition to being a trusted real estate advisor to many of today’s most prominent technology companies and occupiers.

With over a decade in the industry, spanning The CAC Group and CBRE, to Raise Commercial Real Estate, and with extensive management experience in luxury hospitality with Four Seasons and Rosewood Hotels, Felipe has created a foundation uniquely suited to rethinking the brokerage business from the ground up.

Connect with Felipe on LinkedIn


Complete episode transcript 

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Episode 3
This year many companies were forced to come to terms with the reality that work can happen outside the 4-walls of the office. 

This forced acceleration and adoption of remote work has had it’s challenges - with the blurred separation of home and work leading to burnout. But even with the promise of vaccines on the horizon in the coming year, there is definitely no going back to the way things used to be. 

If the future of work is distributed -- giving employees the choice to work from anywhere -- how can we ensure that what we're creating is inclusive and sustainable? And what role will technology play? 

I am Eric Kerr and this is a holistic workplace experience podcast. In this episode, I am joined by Josh Khanna and Ryan Anderson as we discuss the future of distributed working.


Guests:
Josh Khanna joined the Corporate Real Estate team in 2014 and is Regional Lead for the Expedia, Inc. Campus in Seattle, WA. Her responsibilities have included the site development and construction, from campus master plan to management of the site and planned amenities.
Previously, Josh was the Regional Lead for the Asia Pacific region for Expedia, Inc. She has 15+ years’ experience in domestic and international corporate real estate including planning, strategy, design, construction, and facilities coordination.

Josh has participated in panels at CoreNet Tech Symposium 2019, CoreNet Global2017, CoreNet/CREW event 2017 FutureOffices 2017- all in Seattle.
Josh holds a BFA in Applied Arts (College of Art, New Delhi), BTech in Interior Design (Chelsea School of Design, London), and a Professional Designation in Interior Design (UCLA).
Expedia, Inc., operates more than 200 travel booking sites in more than 75 countries worldwide across its portfolio of online travel brands including Expedia, Hotels.com, Orbitz Worldwide, Hotwire, Travelocity, Egencia, HomeAway, Inc., Trivago, and Wotif Group.

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn


Ryan Anderson serves as Vice President of Global Research and Insights at Herman Miller,
where his team focuses on gaining and sharing insights to help Herman Miller and its customers thrive. Previously, Ryan was Vice President of Digital Innovation at Herman Miller.

With over twenty-five years of industry experience, much of Ryan’s work has centered on how technological and social changes have enabled new ways of working and living, and how the places we inhabit can support positive productive experiences. Ryan regularly speaks about Herman Miller’s research and has been featured in Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, Wired, Fast Company, NPR, the BBC, and beyond.

Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn


Complete Episode Transcript

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Episode 2
It has been 8 months since we said goodbye to the places where we worked. What has this time apart taught us? The workplace before covid was far from perfect, but it did serve a purpose. Collaboration, knowledge sharing, company culture - have all taken a hit. 

But will rushing back to the offices we left in March solve these problems? 

On this episode of A Holistic Workplace Experience podcast, I am joined by Corinne Murray and Chris Good, as we examine the places where we work and what the future office experience needs to be.  

Guest Info:
Corinne Murray is the Director of Workplace Strategy at RXR Realty’s Digital Lab. With a focus on Experience R&D, Activity-Based Workplace, Change Management, Culture Strategy, and human-centered design, her goal is to make the experience of work a good one for as many people as possible. 

Christopher Good is Creative Director at One Workplace. Previously, he has worked with IDEO and Michelle Obama’s Office of the First Lady as a Build Partner for the Teachers Guild. And has served as a design thinking specialist for the Unreasonable Group, a business accelerator geared towards high-growth global entrepreneurs.

Complete Episode Transcript

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Episode 1
A company's most valuable asset is its people. What have we learned this year about how people work and what people need to thrive in the workplace? As we create the future of work, what should companies consider to ensure that they are creating an environment and culture that supports their people?

In this episode of A Holistic Workplace Experience podcast, I am joined by Claire Rowell and Cristina Herrera, who share some fantastic insights and call out the need for companies to reevaluate how they operate to ensure that they are putting their people at the center of the experience. 


About our Guests:

Claire Rowell, Workplace Strategist, and User Experience Researcher

Claire leads the User Experience Research practice at Lattice, an HR software company that helps companies embrace the future of work and people management. Previously she was on WeWork's Enterprise Experience team, advising large companies on transforming their organizational culture and employee experience, and started her career as a Workplace Anthropologist at a design consulting firm. She believes everyone has the right to meaningful work and is passionate about making work more people-positive through social research, design thinking, and human change methodologies.

Connect with Claire on LinkedIn


Cristina Herrera, Change Enablement and Workplace Strategy Consultant (US)

Cristina is the founder of a consultancy that guides organizations to realign their people strategies to their corporate strategy, develop data-driven workplace strategies and behavioral change management plans. She advocates for people-centered approaches, leads with empathy, directs with honesty, and manages with agility.

Connect with Cristina on LinkedIn
www.cristinaherreraconsulting.com

Complete Episode Transcript


Resources:

• Organizational Debt (article)
• No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions At Work (book) by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duff

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Transcript:

Hi, I'm Eric. I help companies unify people place in technology, helping to improve employee experience and create human-centered workplaces that emphasize wellbeing, safety, and mental health. There's a lot about the future we can't be sure of, but I do know that the future of work must be built together.

So I'm bringing together industry experts and thought leaders to talk about all things workplace from HR to facilities management, diversity, equity, inclusion, to InfoSec, architecture, and design to hospitality. I'm going to get all of them talking to each other. It's to make sure the future we're creating puts people first.

It's going to be a fun ride, and I hope you'll join me. Subscribe today to a holistic workplace experience wherever you find your podcasts.

I promise to ask the tough questions and challenge our ideas of what work can be. It's gonna be a fun ride. I hope you’ll join me. 

Subscribe today to A Holistic Workplace Experience wherever you find your podcasts!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ahumanintheloop.substack.com