Workplace Geeks

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In this final episode of the series, Chris and Ian are joined by… erm… Chris and Ian?!

Let’s try that again. It’s the last show of season two, so in an exciting plot twist, Chris Moriarty and Ian Ellison hand the interviewer reins over to seasoned reflection section guest and friend of the show, the wonderful Esme Banks Marr. This is so they can dig deep into the ideas and theory behind their most recent conceptual paper ‘A new hope: A holistic framework for understanding workplace experience’, co-written with Dr James Pinder, and published summer 2022 in Corporate Real Estate Journal (volume 11, number 4).

Esme steers the discussion from the power of language to influence our diverse understanding and experiences of workplace, through the theories underpinning the different but interlinked elements of the framework (namely people and culture, work locations and spaces, work technology and tools, and the resultant business performance impacts), and finally to its potential value and applications. There’s an obligatory visit to the Frank Duffy Appreciation Society along the way, a pithy explanation of ‘ontology’, and at least two explanations for why ‘A new hope’ is key to the title of the paper. Pay attention, young workplace grasshopper.

👉🏼 Contact Ian Ellison or Chris Moriarty directly if you would like a copy of the paper - links below

This episode is on the longer side, so in another surprise twist, the Geeks will be back for one last bonus episode very soon, featuring the elusive ponderer Dr James Pinder himself, to revisit their favourite discussions of the season. Subscribe so you don’t miss it when it drops.

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

Learn more 🌱🧠

• Corporate Real Estate Journal Volume 11(4)
• IN Magazine article exploring the new framework
• The Workplace Mix as used by Audiem (scroll down)
• Audiem blogs focusing on key messages from the paper
• Frank Duffy interview transcript from Lives Retold
• A bit more from Theory Hub on socio-technical theory

 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⚡️

Chris and Ian are joined by Rachel Casanova and Sophie Schuller from global commercial real estate giant Cushman & Wakefield. Rachel is Senior Managing Director of Workplace Innovation based in the firm’s Midtown Manhattan office, and Sophie - alongside her ongoing PhD research at the Technical University of Eindhoven, Netherlands - heads up C&W's 'Living Lab' to research, in her own words, 'what really happens when we go to work'.

The conversation revisits one of the pieces of work featured in part 1 of our Workplace Trends special (season 2, episode 9). We wanted to dig deeper into how they are using a technique called organisational network analysis (or ONA, for short) to 'reality mine' software use and workspace occupation data to measure the impact of ‘whether’, ‘how’ and ‘where’ we work together. Strong ties... weak ties... the role of the office? Trust us, it's revealing stuff!

The Geeks are then joined by former guest Dr Dan Wakelin for the reflection section, and much discussion about doctoral floppy hats. Which are called 'velvet tams', incidentally...

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

Learn more 🌱🧠

• Living Lab research report > look for the LIVING LAB APPLIED RESEARCH box on the page, and click DOWNLOAD REPORT
• Rachel on LinkedIn
• Sophie on LinkedIn
• Dr Dan Wakelin on LinkedIn

 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

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

Chris and Ian are joined by Katherine Templar Lewis, co-creator of Uncertainty Experts, with Sam Conniff (Workplace Geeks guest on episode 8, back in series 1). Katherine is a cognitive scientist, a prolific science communicator, and is involved in all sorts of different projects and ventures, including her own Kinda Studios – a ‘neuroaesthetics studio’ which unities neuroscience with creative arts projects to explore the human experience.

The conversation revisits the groundbreaking interactive documentary experience that is Uncertainty Experts, and digs deeper into both the neuroscience that lies behind it, alongside the challenges of measuring the impact of a project (or 'intervention', in social science terms) like this... and much more besides. This enlightening discussion was seriously fun (just like Uncertainty Experts itself, which both Chris and Ian have completed)... and to top it all off, we're joined once again by the one and only Esme Banks Marr from BVN for the reflection section.

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

Learn more 🌱🧠

• The report: Uncertain Times: a guide to transforming uncertainty into positive change
• Katherine on LinkedIn
• 🌟 RESERVE A PLACE on Uncertainty Experts using code GEEKS for 20% off🌟
• Turning fear of the unknown into superpowers talk at TEDxNewcastle
• Katherine's Kinda Studios
• Katherine's own website
• Esme Banks Marr on LinkedIn

 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⚡️

Chris and Ian are joined by Becky Turner from  Claremont Interiors, one of 2023's top 50 workplace leaders (as announced at The Workplace Event, April 2023) to discuss their recent industry research paper 'The Workplace Oooh!', and Becky's own role as organisational psychologist at a workspace design and build organisation like Claremont.

The conversation considers the importance of six feelings in the workplace - feeling inspired, valued, connected, supported, included and proud - and explores the extent to which workspace can infludence employee feelings, beyond the arguably more typical function (use) and aesthetic (looks) design priorities.

And as if that wasn't just amazing enough, Magenta Associate's Simon Iatrou is also back from Canada for a welcome return to the reflection section.

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

Learn more 🌱🧠

• Becky on LinkedIn
• The Workplace Oooh! research report
• Claremont website
• Link to Magenta's communications paper referenced  in the reflection section
• Simon Iatrou on LinkedIn
• Magenta Associates website

 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 a two part special, the Workplace Geeks get in amongst it at the Workplace Trends Research Summit, held in London this April. For many, the best UK conference on the workplace circuit, Workplace Trends attracts a diverse community of practitioners, designers, architects, psychologists... and even those people people from HR!

This second episode features two very different pieces of research, showcasing just how diverse and fascinating Workplace Trends' content can be. Ian is back on the interview mic with Chris in the production hotseat, to explore the sessions from Jaime Blakeley-Glover (Orientate) and Dr Jonathan Rhodes (Imagery Coaching), alongside former guest of the show, the lovely Dr Harriet Shortt (UWE and Bibo).

Chris and Ian also take the opportunity to chat with Maggie Procopi, founder of Workplace Trends, alongside compere (and former guest of the show) Nigel Oseland about what the conference is all about, what makes the events so special, and what's in store for this October.

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

Learn more 🌱🧠

• Workplace Trends
• Jaime Blakeley-Glover and Orientate
• Jonathan Rhodes and Imagery Coaching
• Harriet Shortt and UWE / Bibo
• More about Harriet's dens research, and also a blog about it here

 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 a two part special, the Workplace Geeks get in amongst it at the Workplace Trends Research Summit, held in London this April. Arguably the best UK conference on the workplace circuit, Workplace Trends attracts a diverse community of practitioners, designers, architects, psychologists... and even those people people from HR!

This first episode features three research studies exploring hybrid working from different angles. Ian mans the interview mic and Chris channels his production skills to explore contributions from Lorna Landells (Remit Consulting), Kasia Maynard (Gensler Research Institute) and Sophie Schuller (Cushman & Wakefield), seamlessly blended with insights straight from the Workplace Trends stage. 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 🌱🧠

• Workplace Trends
• Lorna Landells and Remit Consulting
• Remit's return report (free sample available)
• Kasia Maynard and the Gensler Research Institute
• Gensler's UK Workplace Survey
• Gensler's Global Workplace Comparisons report:
• Gensler's Climate Action Through Design report 
• Sophie Schuller, her own website, and Cushman & Wakefield
• Rachel and Sophie's research presentation

 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 🤓

Chris and Ian are joined by Dr Dan Wakelin, director at workplace strategists HCG, for a fascinating chat about his doctoral thesis, 'Employee engagement in the post-Covid workplace'. The discussion explores both the topical content of Dan's research, and also the doctoral journey towards both his practical and theoretical 'contributions to knowledge'.

Key theories about transgressions (from human geographer Tim Cresswell) and the production of space (from French Marxist philosopier, Henri Lefebvre) take the stage, as Chris and Ian learn how post-pandemic hybrid working affects the design intentions and lived experiences of 'activity based working'.

So is Dan a heretic or a visionary? Join Chris, Ian and Dr Pinder in the reflection section to find out!

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

Learn more 🌱🧠

• Dan on LinkedIn
• HCG website
• Dan's readable articles about his research findings
• 'A critical introduction to Henri Lefebvre' book
• A nice short Workplace Insight article by Ian about Henri Lefebvre
• Tim Cresswell at The University of Edinburgh
• Tim Cresswell's book about transgressions etc.

 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⚡️

Chris and Ian are joined by Dr Ben Waber, co-founder and president of behavioural analytics firm Humanyze, and visiting scientist at (and alumni of) MIT Media Lab. The discussion explores how Humanyze combine wearable sensor analytics and organisational systems data to unlock performance improvements, and focuses on a specific research paper Ben co-authored in 2010 with Daniel Olguin, Taemie Kim, and Professor Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, called ‘Productivty through coffee breaks: changing social networks by changing break structure’

The episode demonstrates how new data collection and analytical approaches are at the frontier of better organisational decision making. Treating coffee breaks, hybrid working and other socio-technical workplace elements as management tools, coupled with an appetite to test, learn and change, can unlock dramatic organisational performance improvements.

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

Learn more 🌱🧠

• Ben on LinkedIn
• Ben on Mastodon
• Humanyze website
• Link to coffee breaks paper
• Link to Ben’s first book, People Analytics (he literally wrote the book on it!) 
• Professor Alex 'Sandy' Pentland
• MIT Media Lab website
• MIT Connection Science website

 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 welcome back workplace health and wellbeing expert Dr Jo Yarker, Reader in Occupational Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London, and Managing Partner of Affinity Health at Work, for the second part of their deep dive into neurodiversity. Chris and Ian explore 'Physical Workplace Adjustments to Support Neurodivergent Workers: A Systematic Review' (2022) co-authored by Jo, with Clara Weber, Beate Krieger, Eunji Häne, and Almuth McDowall.

The purpose of the paper was to explore and evaluate the evidence to date for workplace changes and their link to work-related longevity, performance, and health and well-being for neurodivergent workers. Using a systematic process, Jo and her colleagues essentially sort the wheat from the chaff to surface robust empirical evidence, rather than suggestions or claims. To wit - there isn't that much yet.

To conclude our two-part journey to learn more about neurodiversity and the implications for work and workplace, the amazing Esme Banks Marr joins Chris and Ian to reflect on both this and the previous episode, featuring Josh Artus from Centric Lab.

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

Learn more 🌱🧠

• The physical workplace adjustments paper discussed
• Access to work (UK government resource)
• Lexxic neurodiversity consultancy
• Genius Within neurodiversity consultancy
• Jo on LinkedIn
• Jo's academic profile at Birkbeck, University of London
• Jo's Affinity Health at Work consultancy
• The Affinity Health resource library
• Esme Banks Marr on LinkedIn

 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

Chris and Ian are joined by Josh Artus, co-founder and director at Centric Lab, a research lab, which - in their own words - uses neuroscience and environmental data to identify how biological inequity contributes to poor health outcomes in neighbourhoods and peoples that have been racialised and marginalised. Centric Lab were the lead authors of a British Council for Offices report published May 2022, called 'Designing for Neurodiverity', and Josh and was a key part of both the research project and the output, supported by PLP Architecture.

This episode is part 1 of a two episode focus on neurodiversity. In all honesty, whilst this is a hugely important topic, Chris and Ian weren't expecting such an inspiring and principled perspective, framing neurodiversity as a movement. Testament to Josh, Centric Lab and BCO for such an insightful report!

No reflection section this week. Instead, the Geeks are joined by the uniquely wonderful Esme Banks Marr to talk about both this and part 2 (with Dr Jo Yarker) next time!

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

Learn more 🌱🧠

• Josh on LinkedIn
• Link to BCO report 'Designing for Neurodiversity'
• Report lead authors, Centric Lab
• Supporting authors, PLP Architecture
• The British Council for Offices: BCO
• Esme Banks Marr on LinkedIn

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