Workplace Geeks

Back for another two part event special, this time the Workplace Geeks spent two days eating Haribo and talking to all sorts of lovely folk from a beautifully branded recording booth at The Watercooler Event at London ExCeL.

Described as 'the leading workplace culture and employee wellbeing show in Europe', the show blends the people angle of workplace (The Watercooler) with the workspace design and management side (The Office). This episode focuses on the latter, and part two, dropping in a few weeks, will pick up some really interesting angles on the former!

Like our previous events specials, this episode features a sequence of mini-interviews, with Chris and Ian reflecting on them as they go. First we hear from Gary Helm, founder of obo, who also very generously provided the Mute Jetson L4 booth for us to record from. Thank you sir! We then speak to Rachel Slade from Baker McKenzie about their four year London office transformation and change journey. What a case study in leading workplace change! Next up it's Saskia Lorrison from Convex Insurance, who shares some reflections on designing workplace experience well. The discussion then pivots in the direction of sustainable workspace design with Vanessa Lopez from Oktra, and then pivots in a human centric direction for our final interview with none other than Simone Fenton-Jarvis, who literally wrote the book on it. Treat people like adults, and other ideas from Eric Berne's seminal work on trasactional analysis. Indeed. 

Some great perspectives, reflections and case study learnings in here.  Workplace Geeks: always caring about your workplace education!

Promo or the RTO L@S report.

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💬 Got an idea, guest suggestion, or workplace topic we should explore?

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Join the conversation using #WorkplaceGeeks
Or email us at [email protected]

Workplace Geeks is brought to you by Audiem ⚡️
Helping organisations make better workplace decisions through AI-powered insight and employee feedback.

Supported by 2468 Group ☕️

🎧 Dialogue editing by David Crackles

📣 Audiem has been nominated for three IWFM 2024 Impact Awards, two in partnership with NatWest. Read the success story here⚡️

In this episode Chris and Ian are joined by Dr Chrystala Psathiti and previous guest Dr Kerstin Sailer. Chrystala is a lecturer in architectural design and theory at Neapolis University in Paphos, Cyprus, as well as a practicing architext and founder of splace Architecture.  Kerstin is Professor of the Sociology of Architecture at The Bartlett School, University College London, co-founder of workspace science and design think tank Brainybirdz, and all round space syntax wizard!

Chrystala and Kerstin co-authoroed 'Adolescents’ positive attitudes towards school: a reflection on the spatial configuration of school buildings' (2024) based on Chrystala's comparative research of two secondary schools in Cyprus, to explore the socio-spatial relationship of school layouts to how students feel about their schools. There's loads in this discussion, including Hiller & Hanson's theory of correspondence and non-correspondence, the transferability from a Cypriot school setting to other educational settings, modern workplaces, and hybrid working, and of course yet more examples of the relevance of Harry Potter and Hogwarts to the (wizarding) world of work.

🤩 Please rate, review and recommend the show to help us spread the Workplace Geeks word - thank you! 🙌🏼

Learn more 🌱🧠

• Link to Cyprus school paper
• Kerstin on LinkedIn
• Kerstin on Mastodon (her preference to Twitter)
• Kerstin at The Bartlett School, UCL
• Brainybirdz website
• Link to Kerstin's paper on Hogwarts
• Link to Kerstin's paper on correspondence theory and workplace issues
• Chrystala on LinkedIn
• Chrystala's architecture practice splace
• Troodos Ophiolite, Cyprus

 Hit Chris and Ian up and follow @WorkplaceGeeks on LinkedIn

...and don't forget to use the hashtag #WorkplaceGeeks 💬

Promo or the RTO L@S report.

📩 Subscribe for new episodes, events and workplace insight from the Geeks community.

⭐️ Enjoying the show? Follow, rate and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps more people discover us.

💬 Got an idea, guest suggestion, or workplace topic we should explore?

Follow Workplace Geeks on LinkedIn
Join the conversation using #WorkplaceGeeks
Or email us at [email protected]

Workplace Geeks is brought to you by Audiem ⚡️
Helping organisations make better workplace decisions through AI-powered insight and employee feedback.

Supported by 2468 Group ☕️

🎧 Dialogue editing by David Crackles

📣 Brand new FREE Audiem webinars featuring special guests | The 7 habits of AI-powered workplace leaders | register here 🤓

The Workplace Geeks keep on trucking, despite their third UK workplace event in three weeks! And this time for something a bit different. Chris and Ian are in conversation with Julien Capraro, researcher, writer and director of National Film Board of Canada documentary, Work Different. The episode is a great counterpoint to the last one with Nick Bloom, essentially taking the same topic of hybrid and remote work, and exploring it from a completely different perspective: Nick using data, evidence and academic outputs, and Julien using peoples' stories and accounts to bring the topic to life in a beautifully crafted visual narrative.

Work Different tells the story of remote working through the voices of a wide range of advocates and critics, exploring the forces influencing its development pre, during and post pandemic. Along the way viewers meet the OG of teleworking (as remote working was originally termed way back in the mid 1970s) Jack Nilles. If you don't know anything about Jack then make sure you also listen to Workplace Geeks episode 4 from season 1, where Chris and Ian also had the privilege of spending some time discussing his work.

Once you've listened to Julien and Chris and Ian's reflections on investigative journalism, storytelling and emotional engagement, you can also watch the documentary for free!

👉🏼 Use the chapter markers in your podcast player to jump to different sections of the episode easily! 🎧

Learn more 🌱🧠

• Watch the Work Different documentary for free
• Follow Julien Capraro on LinkedIn
• Listen to Jack Nilles, the compadre of telework, tell his story

🤔 What do you think of the show? Any ideas, topic or guest suggestions? Hit Chris and Ian up and follow @WorkplaceGeeks on LinkedIn
 
...and don't forget to use the hashtag #WorkplaceGeeks 💬

Promo or the RTO L@S report.

📩 Subscribe for new episodes, events and workplace insight from the Geeks community.

⭐️ Enjoying the show? Follow, rate and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps more people discover us.

💬 Got an idea, guest suggestion, or workplace topic we should explore?

Follow Workplace Geeks on LinkedIn
Join the conversation using #WorkplaceGeeks
Or email us at [email protected]

Workplace Geeks is brought to you by Audiem ⚡️
Helping organisations make better workplace decisions through AI-powered insight and employee feedback.

Supported by 2468 Group ☕️

🎧 Dialogue editing by David Crackles

📣 Audiem has been nominated for three IWFM 2024 Impact Awards, two in partnership with NatWest. Read the success story here⚡️

Drum roll... Workplace Geeks is back! After four workplace event specials, it's time to kick off season 3 in earnest. So in the first full conversation for quite a while, Chris and Ian are delighted to welcome Professor Nick Bloom to the show. If you've heard a credible statistic in the mainstream media about working from home or hybrid working since early 2020, the chances are it was from, or informed by, work that Nick has been involved with. He's the William D. Eberle Professor of Economics at Stanford University in California, and collaborates globally and prolifically.

Now, the Geeks have always wanted Nick on the show (Dr Pinder suggested it before the show even launched) but it was their interview with Jack Nilles (S1E4) that swung it. Nick got in touch to say how much he'd enjoyed the episode... then joined the dots with Jack... and now here Chris and Ian are with Nick. What a lovely global workplace community! Ahhh, bless...

The discussion, actually recorded in November 2023, centres around a paper by Barrero, Bloom and Davis called 'The Evolution of Work from Home', published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives (Fall, 2023). But along the way the discussion references a range of work informing Nick's subject expertise. So remember to boost your knowledge about this topic after you've had a listen, by exploring the many links in the show-notes below.

🤓 Use the chapter markers in your podcast player to jump to different sections of the episode easily! 🎧

Learn more 🌱🧠

• Follow Nick Bloom on LinkedIn
• WFH and Hybrid research at wfhresearch.com
• 'The Evolution of Work from Home' (2023) featured paper
• 'Does working from home work? Evidence from a Chinese experiment' (2015) background paper
• 'How Hybrid Working From Home Works Out' (2022) background paper
• 'Why working from home will stick' (2021) background paper
• WFH is like a Nike Swoosh Economist Article (August 2023)
• Nick's Yale Law School guest lecture slides

🤔 What do you think of the show? Any ideas, topic or guest suggestions? Hit Chris and Ian up and follow @WorkplaceGeeks on LinkedIn
 
...and don't forget to use the hashtag #WorkplaceGeeks 💬

Promo or the RTO L@S report.

📩 Subscribe for new episodes, events and workplace insight from the Geeks community.

⭐️ Enjoying the show? Follow, rate and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps more people discover us.

💬 Got an idea, guest suggestion, or workplace topic we should explore?

Follow Workplace Geeks on LinkedIn
Join the conversation using #WorkplaceGeeks
Or email us at [email protected]

Workplace Geeks is brought to you by Audiem ⚡️
Helping organisations make better workplace decisions through AI-powered insight and employee feedback.

Supported by 2468 Group ☕️

🎧 Dialogue editing by David Crackles

📣 Brand new FREE Audiem webinars featuring special guests | The 7 habits of AI-powered workplace leaders | register here 🤓

In this second of another(!) two part special, the Workplace Geeks are back at Workplace Trends, this time at their flagship 2023 autumn conference, held in London last October. The theme this year was 'the office as a desired destination'... question or statement?! 🤷🏻

With the best community of long-standing supporters on the UK conference circuit, Workplace Trends attracts a diverse range of practitioners, designers, architects, FMs and psychologists... and even some of those HR people people!

This second episode features three short interviews with several guests. Ian pilots the interview mic and Chris flexes his production chops to explore contributions from Sara Edwards and Leah Jones (Government Property Agency), Emily Fiddes (HCG, formerly MCM) and Diego Henriques (Anglo American), and a super special bonus in-person catch up with friend of the show Simon Iatrou (Magenta Associates), seamlessly blended with insights straight from the Workplace Trends stage.

Workplace Geeks: always caring about your workplace education!

💡 Use the chapter markers in your podcast player to jump to different sections of the episode easily! 🤓

Learn more 🌱🧠

• Workplace Trends
• Sarh Edwards, Leah Jones and GPA
• Emily Fiddes, Diego Henriques and Anglo American
• Simon Iatrou and Magenta Associates
• Audiem's Workplace Mix, as mentioned by Chris

 Hit Chris and Ian up and follow @WorkplaceGeeks on LinkedIn

...and don't forget to use the hashtag #WorkplaceGeeks 💬

Promo or the RTO L@S report.

📩 Subscribe for new episodes, events and workplace insight from the Geeks community.

⭐️ Enjoying the show? Follow, rate and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps more people discover us.

💬 Got an idea, guest suggestion, or workplace topic we should explore?

Follow Workplace Geeks on LinkedIn
Join the conversation using #WorkplaceGeeks
Or email us at [email protected]

Workplace Geeks is brought to you by Audiem ⚡️
Helping organisations make better workplace decisions through AI-powered insight and employee feedback.

Supported by 2468 Group ☕️

🎧 Dialogue editing by David Crackles

📣 Audiem has been nominated for three IWFM 2024 Impact Awards, two in partnership with NatWest. Read the success story here⚡️

In this first of another(!) two part special, the Workplace Geeks are back at Workplace Trends, this time at their flagship 2023 autumn conference, held in London last October. The theme this year was 'the office as a desired destination'... question or statement?! 🤷🏻

With the best community of long-standing supporters on the UK conference circuit, Workplace Trends attracts a diverse range of practitioners, designers, architects, FMs and psychologists... and even some of those HR people people!

This first episode features short interviews with three guests. Ian pilots the interview mic and Chris flexes his production chops to explore contributions from Chris Kane (EverythingOmni, Six Ideas, BBC), Jennifer Bryan (ABChange Consultancy), and Ann Beavis (Crown Workspace), seamlessly blended with insights straight from the Workplace Trends stage.

Workplace Geeks: always caring about your workplace education!

💡 Use the chapter markers in your podcast player to jump to different sections of the episode easily! 🤓

Learn more 🌱🧠

• Workplace Trends
• Chris Kane and EverythingOmni
• Chris' book, Where Is My Office?
• Jennifer Bryan and ABChange Consultancy
• Jennifer's research, book and articles
• Ann Beavis and Crown Workspace
• Crown Workspace's circular economy in action
• Audiem's Workplace Mix, as mentioned by Chris

 Hit Chris and Ian up and follow @WorkplaceGeeks on LinkedIn

...and don't forget to use the hashtag #WorkplaceGeeks 💬

Promo or the RTO L@S report.

📩 Subscribe for new episodes, events and workplace insight from the Geeks community.

⭐️ Enjoying the show? Follow, rate and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps more people discover us.

💬 Got an idea, guest suggestion, or workplace topic we should explore?

Follow Workplace Geeks on LinkedIn
Join the conversation using #WorkplaceGeeks
Or email us at [email protected]

Workplace Geeks is brought to you by Audiem ⚡️
Helping organisations make better workplace decisions through AI-powered insight and employee feedback.

Supported by 2468 Group ☕️

🎧 Dialogue editing by David Crackles

📣 Brand new FREE Audiem webinars featuring special guests | The 7 habits of AI-powered workplace leaders | register here 🤓

For this second of another two part conference special, the Workplace Geeks tour bus headed to WORKTECH23, held in London last November. As part of Unwired Ventures, WORKTECH's global conference programme explores work, workplace, technology and innovation, with events from LA to Auckland.

Part two explores three studies of change - one new perspective, and two examples of organisational change in practice. Once again, Ian handles interview duties, while Chris splices the digital VT. First we talk to Dr Valeria Winkworth about EY's new research, developed with Oxford University's Saïd Business School. Next we turn to Rebecca Grindley (Milton Keynes University Hospital, NHS) to explore their locational intelligence pilot initiative. Finally we speak with Anna Taylor and Eddie Twemlow (Burges Salmon LLP) about their workplace change lessons pre, during and post-pandemic.

Workplace Geeks: always caring about your workplace education!

💡 Remember that you can use the chapter markers in your podcast player to jump to different sections of the episode easily! 🤓

Learn more 🌱🧠

• Valeria Winkworth, and EY
• EY and Saïd Business School's research: The future of transformation is human
• Rebecca Grindley, and Milton Keynes University Hospital, NHS
• The Marauder's Map
• 99 Percent Invisible podcast episode: The Blue Yarn
• Anna Taylor and Eddie Twemlow, Burges Salmon LLP
• WORKTECH events
• WORKTECH Academy
• UnWork management consultancy and research

 Hit Chris and Ian up and follow @WorkplaceGeeks on LinkedIn

...and don't forget to use the hashtag #WorkplaceGeeks 💬

🤩 Please rate, review and recommend the show to help us spread the Workplace Geeks word - thank you! 🙌🏼

Promo or the RTO L@S report.

📩 Subscribe for new episodes, events and workplace insight from the Geeks community.

⭐️ Enjoying the show? Follow, rate and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps more people discover us.

💬 Got an idea, guest suggestion, or workplace topic we should explore?

Follow Workplace Geeks on LinkedIn
Join the conversation using #WorkplaceGeeks
Or email us at [email protected]

Workplace Geeks is brought to you by Audiem ⚡️
Helping organisations make better workplace decisions through AI-powered insight and employee feedback.

Supported by 2468 Group ☕️

🎧 Dialogue editing by David Crackles

📣 Audiem has been nominated for three IWFM 2024 Impact Awards, two in partnership with NatWest. Read the success story here⚡️

For this first of another two part conference special, the Workplace Geeks tour bus headed to WORKTECH23, held in London last November. As part of Unwired Ventures, WORKTECH is a global conference platform exploring work, workplace, technology and innovation, with an annual roster of events from LA to Auckland.

This first episode features three variations on the them of cities, buildings and sustainability, and once again Ian handles interview duties while Chris splices the digital VT. First we talk to Dr Ameera Kawash and Dr Shira Wachsmann (Orbital Bloom) about their fascinating digital artwork data dashboard innovation. Next we turn to Edwin Heathcote (architecture & design critic, The Financial Times) to consider the London skyline, street furniture and a handful of French philosophers. Finally we speak to the day 1 conference keynote, Prof Ben Rogers (University of London, LSE Cities) to explore the future of cities in a hybrid world.

Workplace Geeks: always caring about your workplace education!

💡 Remember that you can use the chapter markers in your podcast player to jump to different sections of the episode easily! 🤓

Learn more 🌱🧠

• Ameera Kawash, Shira Wachsmann, and Orbital Bloom 
• Edwin Heathcote and his Financial Times articles
• Edwin's new book On the Street: In-Between Architecture
• Ben Rodgers and LSE Cities
• WORKTECH events
• WORKTECH Academy
• UnWork management consultancy and research
• Unworking: The Reinvention of the Modern Office by Myerson and Ross

 Hit Chris and Ian up and follow @WorkplaceGeeks on LinkedIn

...and don't forget to use the hashtag #WorkplaceGeeks 💬

🤩 Please rate, review and recommend the show to help us spread the Workplace Geeks word - thank you! 🙌🏼

Promo or the RTO L@S report.

📩 Subscribe for new episodes, events and workplace insight from the Geeks community.

⭐️ Enjoying the show? Follow, rate and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps more people discover us.

💬 Got an idea, guest suggestion, or workplace topic we should explore?

Follow Workplace Geeks on LinkedIn
Join the conversation using #WorkplaceGeeks
Or email us at [email protected]

Workplace Geeks is brought to you by Audiem ⚡️
Helping organisations make better workplace decisions through AI-powered insight and employee feedback.

Supported by 2468 Group ☕️

🎧 Dialogue editing by David Crackles

Send the Geeks a message, instantly!

📣 Brand new FREE Audiem webinars featuring special guests | The 7 habits of AI-powered workplace leaders | register here 🤓

Oh how we wish this was a full new episode for you... sadly not. But that's because we've been busy with Mitie, interviewing, writing, producing and hosting their brilliant new Science of Service podcast. It's our first proper narrative documentary style series - and we think a first for the FM sector - so we'd love to know what you think.

Instead, Ian takes the opportunity to tell you what's coming soon, including some amazing interviews and discussions, and conference pods from Workplace Trends and WORKTECH23.

We also signpost new listners to some fantastic past episodes from seasons 1 and 2 that showcase the diversity of workplace research, guests and discussions on the show, including Jack Nilles/the OG of homeworking (S1:E4), Harriet Shortt/photo elicitation (S1:E5), Gabriella Braun/workplace psychoanalysis (S2:E3), and Josh Artus/neurodiversity (S2:E5).

So if you're a newbie to the Workplace Geeks community - welcome, we love you already. Please get involved. 😘

And if you're a seasoned superfan - we love you just as much, and perhaps even a tiny bit more. Pick a favourite episode and share it on LinkedIn, explaing why. 🥰

More comnig soon folks - for now, dive into Mitie's Science of Service.

 Hit Chris and Ian up and follow @WorkplaceGeeks on LinkedIn

...and don't forget to use the hashtag #WorkplaceGeeks 💬

🤩 Please rate, review and recommend the show to help us spread the Workplace Geeks word - thank you! 🙌🏼

Remember to rate, review and recommend the show to help us spread the Workplace Geeks word 🙌🏼

What do you think of the show? Any ideas, topic or guest suggestions? 🤔 Hit Chris and Ian up on LinkedIn, post comments using #WorkplaceGeeks, follow @WorkplaceGeeks, or email us at [email protected] 💬

Workplace Geeks is sponsored by 2468 Group ☕️ and brought to you by Audiem ⚡️To discover how AI-powered data insights can transform your employee workplace experience, get in touch 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼

📣 Audiem has been nominated for three IWFM 2024 Impact Awards, two in partnership with NatWest. Read the success story here⚡️

In this extra special bonus episode, Chris and Ian are joined by the original podcast ponderer, the inimitable and elusive Dr James Pinder, to look back on their most memorable topics and discussions from Workplace Geeks season two.

All Workplace Geeks guests are equal - it goes without saying - but special props in this episode to Dr Dan Wakelin from HCG, Dr Ben Waber from Humanyze, Dr Kerstin Sailer from UCL, Gabriella Braun, Josh Artus from Centric Lab, and Sophe Schuller and Rachel Cassanova from Cushman & Wakefield. 🙌🏼

Series 3 - coming 2023

We'd love to hear from you... Who should we speak to in series three? What topics should we explore? Which workplace events should we be at? Drop us a line to [email protected] or on LinkedIn.

💡 Use the chapter markers in your podcast player to jump to different sections of the episode easily! 🤓

Learn more 🌱🧠

• A teaspoon of Henri Lefebvre's approach to space
• Half a cup of Bill Hillier's legacy syntax legacy
• A quarter pound of Ben Waber's sociometric badges

 Hit Chris and Ian up and follow @WorkplaceGeeks on LinkedIn

...and don't forget to use the hashtag #WorkplaceGeeks 💬

🤩 Please rate, review and recommend the show to help us spread the Workplace Geeks word - thank you! 🙌🏼

Promo or the RTO L@S report.

📩 Subscribe for new episodes, events and workplace insight from the Geeks community.

⭐️ Enjoying the show? Follow, rate and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps more people discover us.

💬 Got an idea, guest suggestion, or workplace topic we should explore?

Follow Workplace Geeks on LinkedIn
Join the conversation using #WorkplaceGeeks
Or email us at [email protected]

Workplace Geeks is brought to you by Audiem ⚡️
Helping organisations make better workplace decisions through AI-powered insight and employee feedback.

Supported by 2468 Group ☕️

🎧 Dialogue editing by David Crackles