Work Life by Design

Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force Lao Tzu

Ever wondered what it would be like for your life to feel completely effortless? Like you just breezed through your days, without hustling, striving, or pushing? Like you just moved with ebb and flow of the world around you, yet still got to where you want to go?

Embracing the quietness of the festive break, I had the space and time to reconnect with myself and realign my actions with those of the life I want to lead. A truly liberating thought.

Each year at this time I work my way through my Live a Life by Design workbook, checking in with my life plan and correcting course. I also use this time to set an intention for my year ahead. A word that anchors me to the state that I want to embrace for the year ahead.

This year my word is FLOW.

Whilst it came so effortlessly and easy this year, the layers of what this word means to me run far deeper than you might think. For me it's a new way of living and an experiment for the year ahead.

One that embodies joy, embraces the cyclical nature of the world around us and within us and acknowledges our own unique design.

LINKS Get your copy of Mel's new Book "The Next Workplace; Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential"

BOOKS Do Less by Kate Northrup Essentialism Greg McKeown Effortless Greg McKeown

Connect with Mel

Email | Insta | LinkedIn | Website | Website | Whitepaper

I wrote a book!!! "The Next Workplace: Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential" is only a few short weeks away from being out in the world.

I have been writing this book for the past 4 years and researching it my whole career. Workplace design and the role that our environments play in enabling us to live our best lives is a conversation that I am incredibly passionate about and I am so thrilled to finally be able to share this passion with the world.

Writing a book is not for the faint hearted, and as you can probably tell from the fact that it has taken me 4 years to write this one, it hasn't been a smooth and easy process. But it's also something that I knew I needed to do to ensure that every business leader knew the opportunity that lay before them when embarking on the creation of a new space for their people.

And to help me share this journey with you, I've invited my coach Michelle Broadbent to turn the tables and interview me! Michelle jumps in and asks all the pointy questions form why I decided to write a book, through the process of writing, who helped me to get this done and of course, what the book is about and who it's for.

I'm so excited to be launching this book and I'd love you to come help me celebrate! I'll be hosting book launches in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne [dates below] and would love to see you there!

And don't forget to grab your copy of the book HERE!

Brisbane March 22nd | Melbourne March 29th | Sydney April 5th

LINKS Get your copy of Mel's new Book "The Next Workplace; Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential"

Connect with Michelle;

Website

Connect with Mel

Email | Insta | LinkedIn | Website | Website

When I got the opportunity to sit down with Paul Edwards the General Manager of Strategy and Customer at Mirvac, I couldn't just end our conversation only having explored one aspect of what is a very large business! So welcome back for Part 2 of our conversation, The Art of Placemaking.

Mirvac is one of Australia's largest commercial landlords, with their offering covers Retail, Office, Industrial and Build-to Rent.

The COMUNiTI team and I have recently completed the new workplace for APA, occupying 4,500sqm in Mirvac's 80 Ann St building. This is an impressive building and one that I believe encapsulates many of the principles associated with the art of placemaking.

Placemaking is the idea that the spaces, buildings, precincts, neighbourhoods and city's we create, form the heart of a community. It's the idea of strengthening the connections between people and place instilling shared values. It's the concept of creating a place that enhances user experience, delivering on physical, cultural, and social needs to establish a sense of belonging, connection and the further evolution.

So, to get the opportunity to speak with Paul about what inspired the design of 80 Ann St and its connection to place, was one I couldn't pass up. Encompassing the heritage marketplace, the building is "quintessentially Queensland", employing ground plane laneways and pathways, local art, whilst actively supporting homeless community engagement.

In addition to exploring this precinct, Paul also shares the journey that they have taken in creating their South Everleigh precinct in Sydney. Formerly an old railway yard, Mirvac has transformed this place into a thriving hub, embracing its heritage with a Blacksmith operating from the site, and an indigenous rooftop farm whilst considering the future sustainability with its use of solar. Paul shares with us their Place Manifesto covering the 6 Themes of ;

1. Everything Connects
2. Big Picture Thinking
3. Creating Common
4. Human Scale
5. Be of the past
6. Be for the future

As businesses choose where to locate their workplaces and with whom they are going to partner, these principles of delivering more than just a place for people to work, are only going to continue to become of greater priority as we strive to attract the best talent to our organisations. And I believe that considering these wider benefits is critical to our continued success and business performance, by enhancing our employee experience.

LINKS Get your copy of Mel's new Book "The Next Workplace; Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential"

Connect with Paul & Mirvac;

Website | LinkedIn | Mirvac Whitepapers

Connect with Mel

Email | Insta | LinkedIn | Website | Website

Experimenting with what the workplace needs to look like as we navigate a new frontier, is an idea that many organisations are hesitant to embrace. It means doing something different, stepping outside the norms, creating a space that has not been proven and fronting up a fair bit of cash to do it. All of which sit quite outside the comfort zone and risk mitigation strategies that many businesses are prepared to accept.

Which is precisely why Mirvac, one of Australia's largest commercial landlords, decided to take the first step within their own workplace and develop a pilot space to experiment with new ways of working, and lead the way for their customers, with their Adaptive Workplace.

Mirvac has been researching the future of the workplace long before COVID, through a series of Whitepaper Publications exploring everything from the Super Experience through to the Omni-Channel Worker. This research culminating in the concepts and principles they've implemented in their Adaptive Workplace.

Today's guest is Paul Edwards, Mirvac's General Manager of Strategy & Customer, and instrumental in the development of this progressive Pilot. Paul leads a team that set strategy, identify, and form strategic alliances, lead customer experience and transformation, build brand and deliver marketing for the Integrated Investment Portfolio business at Mirvac. The team, work across developments and existing assets, delivering services to the business which include foresight research, end to end design, customer experience design, brand programming, digital strategy, communications, and marketing.

This conversation takes us behind the scenes of;

• what lead to Paul and the team creating this progressive pilot space,
• the people that they engaged with on the way,
• the ideas, theories and concepts that they were hoping to test by creating the space
• the feedback, insights and learnings to date
• what the next steps are for this pilot space

As organisations grapple with what the future of the workplace will look like, this is a conversation that sheds some light on the possibilities before us and the role that data plays in informing our next steps.

This is the first part of my two part conversation with Paul, as I couldn't give up the opportunity to make the most of my time with him and find out more about Mirvac's approach to their property portfolio. In the second part of this conversation Paul and I discuss The Art of Placemaking, discussing two of their developments, 80 Ann St in Brisbane and South Everleigh in Sydney.

LINKS Get your copy of Mel's new Book "The Next Workplace; Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential"

Connect with Paul & Mirvac;

Website | LinkedIn | Mirvac Whitepapers

Connect with Mel

Email | Insta | LinkedIn | Website | Website

2.5years ago, in the beginnings of a pandemic, I decided that I should launch my podcast. 100 episodes on and here we are! 🎉

A LOT has changed in this time. We've lived [and are living] through a pandemic, completely turned our idea of work upside down, questioned why we even need a workplace and battled so many more questions than we'd care to answer!

Over the past 100 episodes this podcast has been an integral part of my own journey in navigating this tumultuous time.

It has seen me transform not only my ideas on design, the workplace and the role that we play in supporting our clients on this journey, but it has also transformed me personally. I have grown, developed, and expanded my personal work style, my leadership, what I view success to be, and my depth of understanding on, what is culture, what it really means to embrace wellbeing, the relationship of brand and culture and even the extent to which our environments impact and guide our performance.

So in today's episode I'm distilling the core learnings I've gleaned from these 100 episodes. What's inspired me, changed my thinking, and set me on a new path.

I've captured them in three core themes;

1. Wellbeing is embedded and holistic

It's something you can see in a business, and it can be financially measured

1. The Role of Our Environment

It impacts our behaviour and performance far more than I had truly understood

1. It's an inside job

Leadership, happiness, success. It all starts with you.

This podcast has given me the platform to engage with some incredible people who are the best in their field and each of them have left their mark.

Here's to the next 100 episodes!

Until next time,

Mel

LINKS Get your copy of Mel's new Book "The Next Workplace; Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential"

Book a Discovery Call

Connect with Mel

Email | Insta | LinkedIn | Website | Website

I am taking a quick break for a couple of weeks and I wanted to share with you some of the listener favourites from the back catalogue.

If you haven't had a chance to listen to this one previously, or you're new here, I hope you enjoy this one!

I will be back with fresh new episodes in a couple of weeks!

Our environments have a HUGE impact on how we feel. This is the whole business that I'm in, designing and delivering workplaces that enable the strategic goals, vision and operational performance of a business. But it's not just limited to our corporate workplaces. When you apply that same philosophy to any environment around you, consider what it is enabling? How does your environment make you feel?

Different spaces invoke different feelings and shift our ability to concentrate, collaborate or be creative. But it's not just our physical environment that we need to be conscious of….

In today's episode I'm sharing with you 5 ways that our environment influences us and our sense of Calm and what you can do to use your space to regain your sense of Calm each day.

We explore;

How your physical space influences your energy, your ability to focus and to be creative and how to choose wisely The impact of getting outside into nature and how as little as 40 secs can make a difference The additional mental load that a messy space has on your cognitive load and how to clear it How to use ALL our senses to instil calm in our environment How our internal environment is just as important as our external

This episode is a little insight into the recent 5 Days from Chaos to Calm challenge, I hosted, where over 5 days I share with you daily microhabits to integrate into your daily life to regain your calm.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to experience the whole 5 days of Calm, head over to the website, where you can still join the Challenge. https://www.melissamarsden.com.au/calm

I am taking a quick break for a couple of weeks and I wanted to share with you some of the listener favourites from the back catalogue.

If you haven't had a chance to listen to this one previously, or you're new here, I hope you enjoy this one!

I will be back with fresh new episodes in a couple of weeks!

------ A new year awaits us, and it's how we purposefully and intentionally step into that year to achieve what we want that matters. Every year I spend a couple of days planning out the year ahead; what I want to achieve and where I want to focus my precious energy. Last year was the year I began to walk my own path and shrugged off notions of success of others that I had been carrying around and trying to live up to. But I'll be honest; at the end of 2021, I was drained and completely exhausted. So, this year I have mapped out my activities and intentions but designed a way to achieve my goals without completely depleting all my energy. In this episode, I cover; My process for establishing focus and intentions for the year ahead. How I was able to look forward by looking back Understanding self-care, protection and boundaries Why I fell out of love with goal setting Doing more with less My 'word' for 2022 and why it resonates Unpacking intentions and my 5 intentions for the year ahead. I hope you enjoy this episode and find motivation to step into the new year with purpose and intention, as well as a focus for looking after your energy and wellbeing as we continue to live in difficult environments. Don't forget to sign up for the Work Life Lounge because in the next Masterclass, I'll be taking you through my whole process for planning and goal setting, along with all the strategies and resources you'll need to set yourself up and stick to it. Join me on February 10 at 10am AEST to set your intentions and map out your 2022! www.melissamarsden.com.au/worklifelounge

I am taking a quick break for a couple of weeks and I wanted to share with you some of the listener favourites from the back catalogue.

If you haven't had a chance to listen to this one previously, or you're new here, I hope you enjoy this one!

I will be back with fresh new episodes in a couple of weeks!

-----

There has been a lot of conversation in the media of late about organisations handing out wellbeing days and rolling out new initiatives to combat The Great Resignation. However as you'll hear in today's chat, it's not as simple as adding a few extra days of leave to the calendar; it takes careful, long-term planning and material change at an organisational level.

Jessica Sharpe is the Chief People Office for Entain Australia, a FTSE 100 company that is one of the world's largest sports betting and gaming groups operating in the online and retail sector. You may be familiar with them as the local home of Ladbrokes and Neds. Jess has spent her career establishing and enhancing the HR functions into numerous businesses across multiple industries and as she reflects in this episode, whilst it has at times been a challenging path, it is one that has equipped her well in running lean and effective teams and learning how to influence and educate stakeholders on the value of investing in their people. When Jess isn't at work, influencing and optimising human behaviour, she's at home attempting to do the same with her three boys! Myself and the team here at COMUNiTI have had the great pleasure of working alongside Jess and her leadership team over the past 12mths, supporting their workplace transformation as they navigated the challenges of operating in a COVID world. We have been very privileged to have been able to witness first-hand the practices that have been implemented to see Entain leading the way in workplace flexibility, health & wellbeing and leadership that has enabled them to roll out Entain Day. In this chat, we also cover; Jess's career journey to date and how she came to be the Chief People Officer at Entain How the organisation has evolved in response to the global pandemic Entains mission to drive diversity & inclusion, not just in the technology sector but globally And Jess's own personal practices to support her living her own work life by design Jess is a warm, engaging and thoughtful leader and the opportunity to glean her insights in how she has supported Entain to move forward with such a bold workplace initiative is truly inspiring. Work Life Lounge – sign up for free thanks to COMUNiTI!

www.melissamarsden.com.au/worklifelounge Jessica Sharpe LinkedIn Melissa Marsden Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook

Taking a future focused approach is a central part of the work that I do in guiding organisations in reimagining their next workplace. Observing the current state, understanding the businesses strategic objectives, and then overlaying their brand and culture, we develop the blueprint for their workplace that will enable them to achieve their goals.

And where does this all start? Typically, with the question "What do we do?"

So, in today's episode, I'm sharing with you my Workplace Predictions for 2023, based on the conversations that I've been having with my clients, my observations of what's happening in the market and the outcomes that created from the process. And these three predictions are;

1. Exploration of the questions "What do we do?!?!" - What does my workplace need to do? What does it look like? How much space do I need?"
2. Consolidation & right sizing of Workplaces
3. Our workplaces are becoming "Creative Coworking" environments

As we take a look at each of these three predictions, we'll look at;

• What are some of the questions that you need to start exploring in your business
• The impact of your workspace on relationships, communication, and the energy of your people
• The value of consolidation and the impact on the energy of your business
• Why all collaboration is not equal, and the variety of spaces required to support your teams
• Why our workplaces need quiet spaces, even when we can WFH
• The pursuit of the "holy grail" of tech

If your organisation is navigating any of these challenges or beginning to start this conversation, this is an episode, you'll want to tune into. It will get you thinking and arm you with some points to start the conversations in your organisation.

Thank you so much for re-joining me here on the podcast after my break! Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year! See you in 2023!

And… don't forget if you LOVED this episode, please share with just ONE person so that we can continue to elevate our whole experience of work!

LINKS Get your copy of Mel's new Book "The Next Workplace; Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential"

Book a Discovery Call

Workplace Dynamics Blueprint

Connect with Mel

Email | Insta | LinkedIn | Website | Website

"We know that our workplace isn't working, but we don't know what to do to change it…"

This is one of the most common statements I'm hearing now when it comes to organisations starting their journey to rethinking how their workplace… works.

Organisations are wanting to understand how they can create a better experience of work for their people using their space. How they can create a place that people want to be, and one that enables them to perform.

Unfortunately, there is no quick or easy answer to this question. It is nuanced and very specific to each business, but what I can tell you is that the answer lies in your employee experience.

And when it comes to the design our workplaces, there are three layers to designing your workplace experience, and it's important that each of these are addressed equally.

1. It's an employee's experience working with your company
2. It's an employee's experience of the physical workplace environment
3. It's an employee's experience of change

In today's episode we're going to explore these three layers with a view to understanding how you can begin your journey.

• Why defining your employee experience is the foundation
• How to infuse your employee experience into the physical environment
• How the alignment of the heart, body and mind of your workplace enables your workplace to perform
• Why guiding change in your workplace is the key to success

This is a BIG conversation, and with numerous contributing elements that need careful consideration. This episode will help you to uncover your starting point, so that you too can begin to design the experience that you want for your employees.

LINKS Get your copy of Mel's new Book "The Next Workplace; Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential"

Book a Discovery Call

Seqwater Onboarding Video

Gallups Employee Experience Framework

Connect with Mel

Email | Insta | LinkedIn | Website | Website