Standing room only at World Workplace Conference in Florida

Workplace Evolutionaries (WE) – a subgroup of the IFMA community which focusses specifically on the workplace – held a suite of popular sessions which were well attended throughout the four-day conference.

MovePlan’s Lisa Dettore was delighted to welcome a packed room at the conference, introducing a session on hybrid working.

The popular session titled The Mosh Pit Goes Live! Hybrid is Here, How are We Driving Change? drew a large audience, keen to hear more about the new hybrid model.

Exploring ideas around how technology and flexibility are driving the effectiveness of the core human-centred focus on the new hybrid workplace, Lisa noticed a “thirst” for information in the wake of the pandemic from facilities managers who attended.

Lisa said much of the focus of the WE sessions at the conference was on choice, flexibility and hybrid working becoming key in the workplace, particularly how to initiate conversations with leadership.

“The pandemic has really changed the importance of the people side of the workplace,” explained Lisa, adding: “They want to hear what their peers are doing and planning and what is enticing people back into the office? There was a definite shift in perspective with the focus now being on people and that was exciting to see.”

She added: “The other theme was there is a thirst from facilities managers on how to broach the conversations of how to engage with staff. I think there’s going to be more focus on the people and the physical location of the workplace is going to be secondary. It is about what people do in the space that will be at the forefront.

“Instead of thinking ‘we are going to build an amazing building’ is will be more ‘what type of spaces do our people want?’ It has to be fit for purpose.”

The WE sessions were designed to empower people to create, lead and implement workplace transformation, something MovePlan specialises in.

“We support all those conversations and guide our clients through that. We give them a roadmap with a focus on the people. There is a definite thirst for that right now and going forward. We have always been at the forefront of this and it’s now really exciting to see other people getting on board too,” said Lisa.

Next year’s IFMA World Workplace Conference is taking place in Nashville, Tennessee, from September 28 – 30 2022.

For more information visit https://worldworkplace.ifma.org.