Adapting offices for the future of work

Dr Matthew Davis and Dr Helen Hughes, Associate Professors at Leeds University Business School, talk about what office space might be like post-pandemic, asking questions such as whether the office is dead, how different sectors will respond, and whether employers will use this as an opportunity to re-think what office space should be for. 

This project - Adapting offices to support COVID-19 secure workplaces and emerging work patterns - is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), as part of UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to Covid-19. Visit the webpage www.bitly.com/adaptingoffices 

This podcast episode was recorded remotely in March 2021. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available at: https://business.leeds.ac.uk/downloads/download/225/podcast_-_episode_22_transcript

What will the office look like post-pandemic?

Hannah Collis and Dr Matthew Davis discuss how organisations can make the most of the disruption caused by the pandemic, and the need for employers to continually check-in with employees on their return to the office. 

This project – Adapting Offices for the Future of Work – is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), as part of UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to Covid-19. 

This podcast episode was recorded remotely in June 2021. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available at:  https://business.leeds.ac.uk/downloads/download/236/podcast_episode_30_-_transcript

 
About the speakers: Dr Matthew Davis is an Associate Professor at Leeds University Business School, a Chartered Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. His research centres on how people interact with their environments, the impact of different office designs and how businesses engage in CSR, particularly to address sustainability and modern slavery. 
Hannah Collis is a Researcher in Occupational and Organisational Psychology at Leeds University Business School and a Member of the British Psychological Society. Her research explores individual differences and wellbeing at work, specifically looking at how the workplace interacts with and influences personality and wellbeing over time, and what this means for work behaviours and performance.

Preparing for a change of mindset as well as a change of office space

Is air conditioning enough to ventilate a room? And is an open window better than an electric fan? In this episode of Leeds University Business School’s Research and Innovation Podcast, Dr Matthew Davis is joined by Professor Cath Noakes and Professor Simon Rees to discuss the importance of good ventilation in buildings, particularly as people begin to return to the office after lockdown. 

This project – Adapting Offices for the Future of Work – is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), as part of UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to Covid-19. 

This podcast episode was recorded remotely in July 2021. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available: https://business.leeds.ac.uk/downloads/download/237/podcast_episode_31_-_transcript

About the speakers: Dr Matthew Davis is an Associate Professor at Leeds University Business School, a Chartered Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. His research centres on how people interact with their environments, the impact of different office designs and how businesses engage in CSR.  
Cath Noakes is Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings at the University of Leeds and is on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) committee. Her research expertise is in building physics and environmental engineering and she leads research into ventilation, indoor air quality and infection control in the built environment. 
Simon Rees is Professor of Building Energy Systems at the University of Leeds. His research interests are in the field of Building Engineering Physics and geothermal heating and cooling systems. These interests can be summarised as sustainable building design, energy simulation and dynamic thermal modelling methods, room heat transfer, thermal networks and geothermal systems.

The importance of good ventilation

Hannah Collis is joined by Antony Hylton to discuss how to create an ergonomic workspace for those returning to the office after the Covid19 pandemic. 

This project – Adapting Offices for the Future of Work – is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), as part of UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to Covid-19. 

This podcast episode was recorded remotely in August 2021. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available.

About the speakers:  

Hannah Collis is a Researcher in Occupational and Organisational Psychology at Leeds University Business School and a Member of the British Psychological Society. Her research explores individual differences and wellbeing at work, specifically looking at how the workplace interacts with and influences personality and wellbeing over time, and what this means for work behaviours and performance. 

Antony Hylton is Ergonomics Director at Zoinomics. Antony is a Chartered Physiotherapist of 20 years and has worked in a variety of settings, treating necks, backs and various other physical ailments. He also has almost 10 years of experience working in the field of office ergonomics and has a wide knowledge base as it relates to the conditions that afflict those that are mostly desk-based in their jobs and the products and furniture that can help improve comfort and reduce risk of injury.

Creating an ergonomic workspace for those returning to the office

Dr Matthew Davis and Hannah Collis discuss their recent survey results, showing where office-workers want to work, and how they want to use different workspaces. Matthew and Hannah talk about the need for a whole-system approach when creating a flexible and adaptable office space. 

This project – Adapting Offices for the Future of Work – is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), as part of UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to Covid-19.  

This podcast episode was recorded remotely in October 2021. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available.   

About the speakers: 

Dr Matthew Davis is an Associate Professor at Leeds University Business School, a Chartered Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. His research centres on how people interact with their environments, the impact of different office designs and how businesses engage in CSR, particularly to address sustainability and modern slavery.  

Hannah Collis is a Researcher in Occupational and Organisational Psychology at Leeds University Business School and a Member of the British Psychological Society. Her research explores individual differences and wellbeing at work, specifically looking at how the workplace interacts with and influences personality and wellbeing over time, and what this means for work behaviours and performance.

What do workers want, and need, from an office space?

Dr Matthew Davis, Leeds University Business School, is joined by Professor Simon Rees, School of Civil Engineering, and Mike Burton, Director at AECOM. They talk about how developers and designers are making changes to offices for new ways of working. This includes: better ventilation, different technology for hybrid working, making the office more attractive for those used to working from home, and designing offices to be more accommodating for neurodiverse people. 

This project – Adapting Offices for the Future of Work – is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), as part of UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to Covid-19.  

This podcast episode was recorded remotely in January 2022. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available.   

About the speakers: Dr Matthew Davis is an Associate Professor at Leeds University Business School, a Chartered Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. His research centres on how people interact with their environments, the impact of different office designs and how businesses engage in CSR, particularly to address sustainability and modern slavery.  

Simon Rees is Professor of Building Energy Systems at the University of Leeds. His research interests are in the field of Building Engineering Physics and geothermal heating and cooling systems. These interests can be summarised as sustainable building design, energy simulation and dynamic thermal modelling methods, room heat transfer, thermal networks and geothermal systems. 

Mike Burton is Director for AECOM Building Engineering and also Director of the British Council for Offices Board of Management, a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of CIBSE.  Mike has designed many award-winning international offices for both developers and occupiers and is currently leading the environmental design on a number of the next generation of sustainable, smart and healthy buildings. Mike has co-authored many key workplace publications including the 2019 RIBA Future Office book looking at trends in people, technology, procurement and materials, and published industry guidance documents on sustainable refurbishment, mothballing buildings and reopening the workplace.  Mike is currently a regional RIBA judge and national BCO judge, CIBSE Building Performance Engineer 2022 finalist, shortlisted for BCO NextGen Inspirational Leader of the Year 2020, and the 2021 winner of WICE Mentoring Awards.

How is office design changing to accommodate hybrid and new ways of working?

Dr Matthew Davis (Leeds University Business School) is joined by Professor Simon Rees (School of Civil Engineering) and Duncan Hurd (Avnet) to discuss how Avnet has adapted its Premier Farnell office and distribution facilities in Leeds during the pandemic and in response to new ways of working. As an international organisation, Duncan talks about the need to consider different cultural requirements as well as the requirements of functional teams and the preferences of employees when adapting office spaces. 

This project – Adapting Offices for the Future of Work – is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), as part of UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to Covid-19.  

This podcast episode was recorded remotely in February 2022. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available.    

About the speakers: Dr Matthew Davis is an Associate Professor at Leeds University Business School, a Chartered Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. His research centres on how people interact with their environments, the impact of different office designs and how businesses engage in CSR, particularly to address sustainability and modern slavery.  

Simon Rees is Professor of Building Energy Systems at the University of Leeds. His research interests are in the field of Building Engineering Physics and geothermal heating and cooling systems. These interests can be summarised as sustainable building design, energy simulation and dynamic thermal modelling methods, room heat transfer, thermal networks and geothermal systems. 

Duncan Hurd is Senior Director, Global Real Estate & Indirect Procurement at Avnet. He has over 20 years’ experience working in large, complex, blue-chip organizations in public and private sectors across Procurement, Supply Chain and Property sectors. Avnet is a global leader of electronic components and services, guiding makers and manufacturers from design to delivery.

Adapting offices for the future of work: A case study with Avnet

Dr Emma Gritt (Leeds University Business School) is joined by Babak Tizkar (Head of Building Information Modelling at Atkins) to talk about the role of technology in supporting hybrid working. Babak shares insights from Atkins on the approach the company has taken towards hybrid working during lockdown and as we’re coming out of the pandemic. 
This project – Adapting Offices for the Future of Work – is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), as part of UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to Covid-19.  
This podcast episode was recorded remotely in April 2022. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact  research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available.   

About the speakers: 
Dr Emma Gritt is a lecturer in Information Management, and Programme Director for the Undergraduate Business Management programmes. Her research interests focus on the role of digital technologies in organisations. 
Babak Tizkar works for Atkins as Head of BIM across their multi-disciplinary Building Design practice. He leads a dedicated BIM team whose mission it is to develop and deploy existing and emerging digital strategies and technologies to enhance the design development and delivery process, streamline production workflows and guide project teams to adapt and deliver more efficient and better-quality building projects using advance technologies.

Utilising technology to support hybrid working

Dr Emma Gritt (Leeds University Business School) welcomes back Babak Tizkar (Head of Building Information Modelling at Atkins) to discuss how to make hybrid meetings more effective. They talk about how to: encourage engagement, ensure that the right tools are used, and provide appropriate training. 

This project – Adapting Offices for the Future of Work – is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), as part of UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to Covid-19.  

This podcast episode was recorded remotely in April 2022. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk.  A transcript of this episode is available.   

Read the report: "Where is your office today?" https://futureworkplace.leeds.ac.uk/ao_report_052022/

About the speakers: 

Dr Emma Gritt is a lecturer in Information Management, and Programme Director for the Undergraduate Business Management programmes. Her research interests focus on the role of digital technologies in organisations. 

Babak Tizkar works for Atkins as Head of BIM across their multi-disciplinary Building Design practice. He leads a dedicated BIM team whose mission it is to develop and deploy existing and emerging digital strategies and technologies to enhance the design development and delivery process, streamline production workflows and guide project teams to adapt and deliver more efficient and better-quality building projects using advanced technologies.

How to make hybrid meetings effective

Leeds University Business School’s Research and Innovation podcast brings you insights from our expert researchers. From the future of work, to disruptive technologies; green behaviours to emerging markets, we’ll be covering a wide-range of topical issues and novel ideas. 

Listen to the podcast to find out more about our research and how it’s inspiring business managers, informing policymakers and influencing society.

If you have any comments regarding any of these episodes, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk.