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THE 2022 FESTIVAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
22 October - 13 November
FoSS and ESRC logos

The future of work: does place still matter….?

My local area theme

Professional audiences

What’s on offer?

In this event we discuss the implications of different hybrid work patterns and explore what this means for employees, businesses and cities. Does place still matter or is the future of work one where we work when and where we like, with traditional offices a thing of the past? What does this mean for cities and how might changing work patterns reshape our local places?

Join us for a 75 minutes evening panel discussion that explores these questions, followed by networking and refreshments to continue the conversations with speakers and peers. 

The event will begin with Dr Matthew Davis sharing key findings from the Adapting Offices research project explaining employee work preferences, what hybrid working means for employee performance, wellbeing and work-life balance, together with how businesses are responding to redesign the notion of “going to work” and their offices.

We then question what these changes mean for businesses and cities through a panel discussion. Speakers will share their experiences in managing the transition to new ways of working from their different perspectives – City Council, Walker Morris [Employer], [Developer] and [Designer/Architect/Tech provider]. The panel will explore what the changes mean not just for employees and their employers, but what the implications may be for the local economy, city centres, district neighbourhoods and wider urban planning. There will be opportunity to ask questions and engage in debate to understand the trade-offs and implications that the future of work may bring.

The session will be held in person in the new state-of-the-art Esther Simpson building at the University of Leeds. The session will be hybrid enabled and guests will be able to join live online and to contribute to the discussions. 45 minutes networking and refreshments will follow the panel session.

Speaker bios here
Dr Matthew Davis, Associate Professor in Organizational Psychology, University of Leeds
Angela Barnicle, Chief Officer Asset Management and Regeneration, Leeds City Council 
Walker Morris LLP [Leeds based Law firm, Employer]
Developer/Property expert [likely JLL]
Designer/Architect/Tech expert [either Atkins, Mott MacDonald or Edge GB - all happy to be involved in events, choice will depend on availability] 
 

What’s it about?

In this event we discuss the implications of different hybrid work patterns and explore what this means for employees, businesses and cities. Does place still matter or is the future of work one where we work when and where we like, with traditional offices a thing of the past? What does this mean for cities and how might changing work patterns reshape our local places?

The event will begin with Dr Matthew Davis sharing key findings from the Adapting Offices research project (https://futureworkplaces.leeds.ac.uk/) explaining employee work preferences, what hybrid working means for employee performance, wellbeing and work-life balance, together with how businesses are responding to redesign the notion of “going to work” and their offices. We then question what these changes mean for businesses and cities through a panel discussion. Speakers will share their experiences in managing the transition to new ways of working from their different perspectives – City Council, Walker Morris [Employer], [Developer] and [Designer/Architect/Tech provider]. The panel will explore what the changes mean not just for employees and their employers, but what the implications may be for the local economy, city centres, district neighbourhoods and wider urban planning. There will be opportunity to ask questions and engage in debate to understand the trade-offs and implications that the future of work may bring.

Who’s leading the event?

Dr Matthew Davis, Associate Professor in Organizational Psychology, University of Leeds
Angela Barnicle, Chief Officer Asset Management and Regeneration, Leeds City Council 
Walker Morris LLP [Leeds based Law firm, Employer]
Developer/Property expert 
Designer/Architect/Tech expert 

Open to

The event is open to all, but will be most relevant to managers and leaders involved in the design of hybrid working policies, office design and management. The event will also be of interest to architects, designers, developers and urban planners interested in the future of the workplace and urban places. 

Of particular interest to

The event is open to all, but will be most relevant to managers and leaders involved in the design of hybrid working policies, office design and management. The event will also be of interest to architects, designers, developers and urban planners interested in the future of the workplace and urban places. 

Event booking deadline

02/11/2022