Future of Work Forum: The Evolved Office

Welcome to the Future of Work: The Evolved Office Forum. To kick off the forum we will start with an open and honest discussion to chat through the challenges and opportunities in navigating hybrid working model(s), the expansion, and the heightened importance of HR’s responsibilities as a result of the pandemic, and other hot topics. This will be conducted under Chatham House Rules.

Join us as we open the event and go over key trends.

As companies have been forced to reckon with questions ranging from what kind of benefits and support it wants to offer employees to what lessons leadership is walking away from the pandemic with, these queries have largely fallen to HR. In this session, hear from Marissa Andrada, chief diversity, inclusion and people officer at Chipotle Mexican Grill as she expands on what new roles and responsibilities have been placed on Human Resources as a result of the pandemic and how this change is shaping our workforce.

The pandemic demonstrated that productivity is not impacted in the majority of industries by employees working remotely. As the country begins to open back up, how are companies thinking about a return to in-person versus a virtual office? What type of support are they preparing to offer employees who are still remote? How does that differ from in-person? In this session, hear from Kathleen Procario, vp of Human Resources at Bacardi North America share her perspective.

As the country continues to recover from COVID- 19, experts predict employees can return to the office as soon as September. With the option to return to a commuters’ lifestyle on the horizon, employers are sifting through what work can sustain a hybrid approach. In this session, hear from Thas Naseemuddeen, CEO of Omelet, on what kinds of work are best conducted collectively, in the flesh, what is more efficient if done remotely, and how a new approach can lead to agency innovation.

Before the pandemic, the dynamics of the office and the physical working space were always part of the conversation – even if on the backburner. But, now that backburner topic is front and center with more attention than ever focused on employees’ relationship with the office. How are employers planning for the new normal? In this session, join us as we talk with Sheila Murty, executive vice president of people and culture at Oregon-based dairy cooperative, Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA), about the dos and don’ts of preparing for the in-office return. What have companies decided their offices will look like? How will employees use the spaces when they return? Will we even need all this space? What about the kitchen area? What are the pros and cons of in-office, virtual and/or hybrid models – and can they co-exist? How can we foster culture and connection in this new workplace model? Join us to unpack these topics and more as we discuss what it means for employers and employees today.

Like politics, health was a big no-no to discuss in the office. But the pandemic upended such taboos and forced society to have conversations about our health and wellbeing everywhere we turned. As we return to in-person activities, what are the new challenges and opportunities corporations are facing as we return to the office? How are corporations thinking about the health and wellbeing of employees? Vaccine requirements? Mental Health support? After more than a year of talking about health, how do we go back? Do we? In this session, hear Serra Bicak, general manager of UK & Ireland at Reckitt Hygiene provide a business perspective on the challenges and opportunities around returning to work.

Tune in for the final round-up of the most important themes and trends of the event.