Dr Harriet Shortt and Ian Rodwell

The pandemic helped many of us realise that where we work affects how we work. And as organisations reconfigured offices and workplaces to facilitate hybrid working, it became even clearer that the material spaces in which we work matter. They have the power to influence our creativity, productivity, emotions and even our sense of identity. In this conversation with Dr Harriet Shortt, Associate Professor in Organisation Studies at the University of the West of England, we explore homeworking, open plan offices, hot-desking and the joy of mundane workplace objects. And, in an organisational world seemingly governed by Zoom and Teams, we discuss why physical space still has a crucial role to play.