Workplace Geeks

Are we still asking the wrong questions? | Workplace Leaders 2026 #3

The workplace profession has spent years debating how often people should come to the office, how much space organisations need and which new technologies might help. But are these the questions that will actually move us forward? In the third episode of our Workplace Leaders series, Chris Moriarty speaks with Loren Cooper Gold, Saskia Lorrenson, Steve Henigan, Chiv De la Hoyde and Chris Coathe. Across five conversations, they explore the distance between workplace data and genuine understanding, the struggle to explain why people should gather in person, and the strange persistence of supposedly new workplace debates. Along the way, they reflect on their own unconventional routes into the profession and offer advice for the people who will lead it next. From an activity-based-working presentation that survived both eight years and a pandemic, to the boardroom calculations still built around a five-day week, this episode asks whether workplace teams need more answers or the courage to reframe the problem. Workplace Leaders is produced by Workplace Geeks in partnership with Rhino Interiors Group. 📩 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

• Chapters

S5 | E5 - We Can’t Solve a How Problem with a Where Solution with Amanda Schneider

For years, much of the workplace debate has focused on one question: where should people work? Amanda Schneider thinks there’s a more important one underneath it. How should work actually work? Amanda is the founder and president of ThinkLab and author of Work for What’s Next. Her research explores what happens when human expectations begin to outgrow the systems and structures built around them. As she puts it, we’re operating with “analog era rules in a digital speed world”. In this conversation, Chris and Amanda explore why generational differences can be more useful as signals than stereotypes, and what Gen Z might reveal about changes that will eventually affect all of us. They get into “phygital” work, the difference between genuinely digital-first experiences and simply digitising old ones, trust across different forms of communication, and why employees increasingly experience manager culture rather than company culture. But one idea keeps bringing the conversation back to workplace strategy: moving people doesn’t necessarily change how work happens. Or, in Amanda’s words, “We can't solve a how problem with a where solution.” Perhaps the next phase of workplace thinking starts there. 📩 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

• Chapters

S5 | E4 - The Headlines, the Hype and the Reality of Work with Brian Elliott

The headlines tell us work is broken. One week it’s return-to-office mandates. The next it’s artificial intelligence. Then it’s another study claiming to have found the answer. But what happens if the headlines are only telling part of the story? In this episode of Workplace Geeks, Chris Moriarty is joined by Brian Elliott, CEO of Work Forward and publisher of the Flex Index, one of the world’s most widely referenced sources of data on workplace flexibility. Together they explore why so many workplace debates become polarised, why leaders need to look beyond the headlines, and how organisations can make better decisions in a world where AI, hybrid working and employee expectations are all evolving at the same time. Along the way, they discuss: Why research should start conversations, not end them What leaders often misunderstand about hybrid working How AI is changing organisations beyond simple productivity gains Why there are very few universal answers in the future of work How organisations can balance flexibility, trust and performance What the best leaders do when the world refuses to stand still If you’ve been following this series, Brian’s conversation builds naturally on the ideas explored with Dave Coplin, Julia Hobsbawm and Margaret Heffernan, shifting the discussion from why work is changing to how organisations can respond. 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

• Chapters

From Experimentation to Expertise | Workplace Leaders 2026 #2

Five workplace leaders. Five very different sectors. One surprisingly consistent message: the future belongs to organisations that never stop learning. Sponsored by Rhino Interiors Group, this is the second episode in our special series celebrating the Workplace Leaders Top 50 2026, bringing together conversations with some of the people shaping workplaces across technology, banking, telecommunications, higher education and health & safety. From Salesforce to Mastercard, VodafoneThree, the University of Salford and Sage, these conversations explore how leaders are adapting to a world where artificial intelligence, hybrid working and changing expectations are rewriting the rules faster than organisations can keep up. Along the way, we get into: How AI is disrupting the traditional route to expertise Why experimentation is becoming a core leadership skill The challenge of developing people in a rapidly changing world How universities are rethinking the purpose of their estates The hidden impacts hybrid working continues to have on organisations Why curiosity, connection and continuous learning matter more than ever The advice today’s leaders would give the next generation Featuring: Elaine Du Preez, Salesforce Catherine Murphy, Mastercard Scott Wilson, VodafoneThree Fiona Stewart, University of Salford Claire Goody, Sage 📩 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

• Chapters

S5 | E3 - Willful Blindness, AI and the Crisis of Leadership with Margaret Heffernan

What makes a good leader? It’s a deceptively simple question. We often talk about vision, communication or decisiveness. But beneath all of those sits something more fundamental: judgement. At a time when organisations have access to more information than ever before, making good decisions should, in theory, be getting easier. Yet leaders are navigating growing uncertainty, increasingly complex organisations and a wave of technologies promising to remove ambiguity altogether. So what happens when certainty itself becomes the goal? In this episode of Workplace Geeks, Chris Moriarty is joined by Margaret Heffernan, entrepreneur, author of Willful Blindness and one of the most thoughtful voices on leadership, decision-making and organisational behaviour. Together they explore why smart people still make poor decisions, how power can distort judgement, why organisations have become increasingly uncomfortable with uncertainty and what leaders risk when they outsource thinking to machines. The conversation also examines the growing role of AI in leadership. Not as a debate about the technology itself, but as a discussion about trust, legitimacy and accountability. If a leader cannot explain how a decision was reached, why should anyone have confidence in it? Along the way, Margaret reflects on creativity, storytelling, learning from failure and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who are prepared to challenge your thinking rather than reinforce it. It’s a wide-ranging conversation, but one that continually returns to a simple idea. Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating the conditions to make thoughtful decisions when certainty simply isn’t available. 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

• Chapters

S5 | E2 - The Nowhere Office, AI and the Future of Work with Julia Hobsbawm

The pandemic felt like a moment of reckoning for work. Almost overnight, organisations were forced to rethink where work happened, how it happened, and the relationship between employers and employees. Long-held assumptions that had survived for decades suddenly looked open to challenge. For a while, it felt as though everything was up for debate. But changing work has proved harder than many expected. Before we'd really settled on what the future of work might look like, AI arrived and introduced a whole new set of opportunities, risks and questions. Alongside geopolitical uncertainty, demographic shifts and changing expectations of work itself, leaders now find themselves navigating a landscape where multiple forces are reshaping organisations at the same time. In this episode of Workplace Geeks, Chris Moriarty is joined by Julia Hobsbawm, author of The Nowhere Office and one of the most thoughtful commentators on the changing nature of work. Together they explore why the debate was never really about offices, how the pandemic accelerated wider questions about work and society, the pushback that followed, and why understanding the future may require us to revisit some of the assumptions we've inherited from the past. It's a wide-ranging conversation covering workplace culture, technology, leadership, AI, organisational design and the challenge of creating organisations that are fit for an increasingly uncertain future. 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

S5 | E1 - AI is your co-worker. What changes? with Dave Coplin

AI is rapidly moving from something we use to something we work alongside. As tools become more capable, more autonomous and increasingly embedded in our working lives, organisations face a fundamental question: if AI becomes our co-worker, what changes? In the opening episode of Season 5 of Workplace Geeks, Chris Moriarty is joined by author, speaker and technology strategist Dave Coplin to explore the impact AI is having on work, learning and organisational transformation. The conversation goes far beyond the technology itself. Dave argues that many of the challenges organisations face with AI today are remarkably similar to those they faced during the rise of flexible and hybrid working. The technology may have changed, but the human challenges remain familiar. Together they explore why AI can amplify both good and bad behaviours, the growing importance of judgement in a world where knowledge is increasingly abundant, and why the most complicated part of digital transformation is often what Dave describes as "the interface between the keyboard and the chair". This episode explores: Why AI should make us more effective, not just more efficient The difference between knowledge and wisdom in the age of AI Why technology adoption succeeds or fails because of people What organisations can learn from the flexible working revolution How leaders can prepare for a future where AI becomes part of the team Whether you're excited by AI, sceptical about the hype, or trying to work out what it means for your organisation, this is a thoughtful and practical conversation about the future of work. 📩 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

• Chapters

From Blue Coats to Boardrooms | Workplace Leaders 2026 #1 Live from the NEC

Five workplace leaders. Five completely different career journeys. One industry still trying to figure out what the future of work actually looks like. Recorded live at the NEC during Workplace Leaders Top 50 2026, this special episode of Workplace Geeks brings together conversations with some of the people shaping the modern workplace across technology, banking, FM and workplace experience. From a Pontins Blue Coat who ended up leading workplace experience at Lloyds Banking Group, to stories spanning LinkedIn, Pinterest, Hubstar and OCS, this episode explores the human side of workplace leadership and the very different paths people take into the industry. Along the way, we get into: Why “return to office” might be the wrong conversation now The growing pressure on workplaces to earn the commute AI’s impact on how offices are designed and managed Experience-led workplaces and the rise of hospitality thinking Why hybrid working still feels unfinished The challenge of balancing cost, culture, flexibility and performance And what future workplace leaders should actually focus on Featuring: Joe Harris, Hubstar Sarah Tait, Lloyds Banking Group Chloe Baum, LinkedIn Sam Wharton, Pinterest Katherine Horton, OCS Plus a preview of what’s coming up in Series 5 of Workplace Geeks, including our opening episode with Dave Coplin. 📩 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

• Chapters

Workplace Geeks needs you! 🫵🏼 (to take our listener survey)

💬 Take the survey 🗳️ Four seasons, 67 episodes, and countless workplace conversations later, we thought it was time to turn the microphone around. This isn’t a regular episode, but it's an important request, nonetheless. We’re running the first ever Workplace Geeks Listener Survey, and we’d love your input. Whether you’ve listened to every single episode, or only one (you heathen) your feedback will help us understand what you value most about Workplace Geeks, what we could do better, and what you’d like to hear more (or less) of. It takes about five minutes to complete, and you’ll have the chance to enter a ✨🎁prize draw✨ to win a box of exclusive Workplace Geeks merch, including some swag we ususally only hand out to guests. Tell us what you think, help us plan the future, and make sure the geekery only gets better. Thank you 📩 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

2025 Workplace Leaders Top 50 #4 LIVE! | Emma Armstrong, Paul Hammond, Gurtake Singh & Simon Hilton

The Workplace Event’s Workplace Leaders Top 50 awards are now in their third year, and once again the Geeks were honoured to sit down with winners to hear their stories. Across this four-part mini-series, we’re asking each guest the same questions and then letting the conversation unfold, uncovering how they arrived in the workplace sector, what’s shaped their journey, and what advice they’d share with others. This episode is coming to you LIVE from the swanky London celebration, where Chris joined the party, soaked up the speakers, grabbed some BBQ, and sat down with four more of this year’s inspiring leaders. The collective theme? Career paths. Some expected. Some bizarre. Some accidental. Some not as planned. It’s a common thread in our sector — and maybe every sector — but what shines through is just how many different routes can lead here, and how everyone is united by a shared mission: making work better. In this episode you’ll hear from: Emma Armstrong, Founder at Empro Paul Hammond, Global Workplace Ops at Pinterest Gurtake Singh, Principal at Gensler Simon Hilton, Head of Business at Spica Technologies These are candid conversations full of twists, turns, and personal reflections — showing that there’s no single way into the world of workplace, but plenty of reasons to stay and make a difference. 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

WORKTECH25 London preview | Full-spectrum leadership, self-driving orgs & spatial legibility

We're back with a WORKTECH Events special, this time previewing one of our favourite workplace events of the year: WORKTECH London, taking place this year on 18 and 19 November 2025. We'll be on stage too, back by (surprisingly) popular demand with our 'Workplace Geeks Mock the Workplace Week' panel show. Yay! ✨Workplace Geeks listeners - save 20% off tickets to both events using code GEEKS2025 at checkout! 🎟️ WORKTECH Events bring together the brightest minds in work, workplace, technology and innovation across a global calendar, and we’ve got an exclusive preview of three cracking sessions coming your way this November: First up, Nicholas Janni, co-founder of Matrix Development talks to us about his professional life's passion, full-spectrum intelligence, a approach that integrates body, heart, mind, and soul. In a western world that seems to celebrate intellect above all, how can we adapt our leadership to better deal with the systemic challenges that face us? Next up, futurist, urbanist and author Greg Lindsay challenges our appreciation of the future of work and asks, as we advance towards self-driving vehicles and a world of autonomous everything: what will AI agent-powered self-driving organisations look like, and what will that do to work as we know it? Finally, Tim Fendley, founder and creative director of Applied Information Group invites us to consider the idea of spatial legibility, and it's role in both our efficient navigation of complex space, and our sense of belonging. So, if these three short chats are anything to go by, it's going to be a cracking event! See you there... The Workplace Geeks - always caring about your workplace education... 🧠 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

• Chapters

2025 Workplace Leaders Top 50 #3 | Emma Swinnerton, Maddie Hayes, Sophie Robson & Christy Smith

The Workplace Event's Workplace Leaders Top 50 awards are in their third year, and the Geeks were honoured, once again, to speak to the winners. Each of this year’s four special episodes feature small but perfectly formed chats with four winners. We start with the same questions for each guest and then see where the conversation takes us, learning about their career, how they got into the workplace sector, how it's changed, what it could do better, and what advice they have for new folks and those aspiring to advance their workplace careers. These are human stories, personal anecdotes and revealing conversations into what these amazing workplace champions are thinking. This third episode of the mini-series turns to the corporate side of things, featuring winners from corporate real estate, HR, and FM. The theme of customer and employee experience underpinning all the chats, in different ways. First, Emma Swinnerton from Cushman & Wakefield shares experience insights from a coworking and shared workspace and coworking perspective. Second, Maddie Hayes from JLL talks about embedding an experience culture througout delivery teams. Third, Sophie Robson from Sky explores how systemic DEI approaches can benefit the experience of all, and finally Christy Smith from IEM enthuses about the value of great FM! Huge thanks to Matt Fogg and MAKO Commercial Interiors for providing the booth at the show to enable us to record there. 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

• Chapters

The Watercooler Event 2025 | Part 1: ESG, Four-Day Weeks & Culture Change

Back at London ExCeL for another two-day special, the Workplace Geeks hit record from the heart of The Watercooler and The Office event, an event double-header focused on workplace wellbeing, culture, and space design. This year’s conversations dig even deeper. Chris and Ian bring you mini-interviews and reflections featuring fresh voices and provocative perspectives across workplace ESG strategy, new work models, and transformative culture design. In this episode: Matthew Blair, Principal at BVN Architecture, explores the big tensions and opportunities in ESG-led design, from embodied carbon and governance complexity to the subtle power of human-centered approaches. Maud Santamaria, Global Workplace Lead at GWI, offers a real-world look into a four-day week trial across global offices – from measuring team productivity to managing client expectations and communicating change. Paula Brockwell, founder of The Employee Experience Project, argues for a revolution in how we think about culture: not as a fluffy perk, but as a lever for strategic, behavioral transformation. Like past episodes, we’ve mixed fast-paced interviews with our own reflections to capture the buzz of the show and the ideas we encountered. 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

Return of the (workplace) Jedi | with Rob Harris

After the two event specials showcasing 2025's Workplace Leaders Top 50 winners, the Geeks are back in the studio with a guest who - with 40 years of professional practice under his belt - is practically part of the UK workplace lore. Author, consultant and workplace historian Dr Rob Harris returns to share insights from his latest book: A History of the Office and Office Work: From Castle to Condominium (Routledge, 2025). Rob first joined us just over a year ago to talk about London’s global office economy. This time, he takes us even further back... all the way to the 17th-century in fact, with the Great Fire of London, the insurance deals of London's coffee houses, and the financial revolution that shaped modern business. From clerical factories to corporate skyscrapers, digital revolutions to today’s networked era, Rob charts how office work, economics, and urban life have co-evolved across centuries. In this wide-ranging and fascinating conversation, we explore: Why the office is an overlooked but essential part of economic and urban history How events like the Great Fire of London and the rise of insurance reshaped work The evolution from market-era offices to corporate empires and the digital age Bureaucracy, the management “demiurge” and the rise of white-collar culture Why generative AI and hybrid work are forcing us to rethink what offices are for And whether the future of workplace has come full circle, back to collaboration and social connection No reflection section guest for this one, but listen out for the winners of the S4E5 competition, where MillerKnoll's Mark Catchlove gave us three reprint copies of Robert Propst's classic treatise from 1968, The Office: A Facility Based on Change Oh, and a little Workplace Geeks mystery too... 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

• Chapters

2025 Workplace Leaders Top 50 #2 | Krisztina Foster, Andy Daly, Sharon Slinger & Dana Pavel

The Workplace Event's Workplace Leaders Top 50 awards are in their third year, and the Geeks were honoured to, once again, speak to the winners. Each of this year’s four special episodes feature small but perfectly formed chats with four winners. We start with the same questions for each guest and then see where the conversation takes us, learning about their career, how they got into the workplace sector, how it's changed, what it could do better, and what advice they have for new folks and those aspiring to advance their workplace careers. These are human stories, personal anecdotes and revealing conversations into what these amazing workplace champions are thinking. This episode turns towards the virtuous side of work and workplace, with a third sector and EDI focus, featuring the brilliant Krisztina Foster from World Animal Protection, the inspiring Andy Daly from Social Enterprise UK, the aspirational Sharon Slinger from Constructing Rainbows, and finally the driven Dana Pavel from Amnesty International. To help you dig deeper, here's the remote working network Kriztina mentioned, Running Remote, Duarte that Ian mentions, and the Workplace & Facilities Charity Network LinkedIn group that Dana chairs. Huge thanks to Matt Fogg and MAKO Commercial Interiors for providing the booth at the show to enable us to record there. 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

• Chapters

2025 Workplace Leaders Top 50 #1 | Pleun van Deurssen, Toyin Aderiye, Fionnuala Byrne & Cat How

The Workplace Event's Workplace Leaders Top 50 awards are in their third year, and the Geeks were honoured to, once again, speak to the winners. Each of this year’s four special episodes feature small but perfectly formed chats with four winners. We ask each guest the same questions to learn about their career, how they got into the workplace sector, how it's changed, what it could do better, and what advice they have for new folks and those aspiring to advance their workplace careers. These are human stories, personal anecdotes and revealing conversations into what these workplace leaders are thinking. To kick things off, we’ve got one academic I’ve never met before, Pleun van Deurssen, one I’ve known for almost 10 years, Dr Toyin Aderiye, one leader who’s spent almost 20 years at one of the most influential tech companies on the planet, Fionnuala Byrne, and finally one who’s involvement in the workplace sector is more peripheral, but whose own workplace embraces some radical ideas, Cat How. Huge thanks to Matt Fogg and MAKO Commercial Interiors for providing the booth at the show to enable us to record there. 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

• Chapters

WORKTECH25 New York & San Francisco preview | Flourishing, flexibility & delight

We're back with another WORKTECH Events special, this time previewing not one, but two brilliant upcoming October 2025 conferences: WORKTECH25 New York and San Francisco. ✨Workplace Geeks listeners - save 20% off tickets to both events using code GEEKS2025 at checkout! 🎟️ WORKTECH Events bring together the brightest minds in work, workplace, technology and innovation across a global calendar, and we’ve got a sneak peek at some of the most thought-provoking sessions coming your way, with three conversations with featured speakers from both events: Co-founder of Future Forum, and Work Forward CEO Brian Elliott explores the data behind the Flex Index, the world’s most comprehensive look at how companies are actually implementing flexible work. With a clear-headed, evidence-based take, Brian reveals why the most extreme models - whether fully remote or fully office-bound - are the hardest to implement succesfully, and what well-considered hybrid can look like in practice. Prof. Gail Brager from UC Berkeley discusses her new book Experiential Design Schemas, co-authored with architect Prof. Mark DeKay. Together, they propose a 'design-strategic approach' to help workplaces move from generic experience toward delight, positivity and sensory richness. Geniant's CXO for Space, and returning WORKTECH favourite, architect David Dewane shares the latest evolution in his three-part series on workplace transformation. In this instalment, he explores the potential of measuring individual human flourishing — and how doing so could radically shift how we define, design and deliver workplace experience at team and organisational level. The Workplace Geeks - always caring about your workplace education... 🧠 🎧 Dialogue editing by David Crackles 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

• Chapters

Who's responsible for the cubicle? | with Mark Catchlove

Following a cracking chat with MillerKnoll's Ryan Anderson in the last episode, this time the Geeks sit down with Mark Catchlove, genuine workplace gentleman and Director of Insight at MillerKnoll, for a fascinating dive into the work and legacy of Robert Propst — Herman Miller’s pioneering Director of Research during the 1960s. Design polymath Propst’s seminal 1968 book, The office: A facility based on change, was ahead of its time. Designed as a field manual for workplace change, it tackled everything from change, human-centered design, visual display, privacy and involvement, conversation and interaction, health and movement, the role of technology, and leadership culture. And all in a surprisingly slim volume. In this educational chat Chris, Ian and Mark explore: How Propst became Director of Research for Herman Miller Mark's involvement in bringing Propst's legacy back to life Why The Office is still essential reading for anyone shaping workplace experience What today’s workplace strategists can learn from Propst’s provocations What a gorilla has to do with expression and personalisation Whether it's fair to call Propst 'the inventor of the cubicle' or not... And to top it off, Dr Dan Wakelin from Isovist is back with Ian on reflection section duties. Yay! Want to read it for yourself? The office isn't available digitally, and physical copies are increasingly hard to find. Good job that we have three free copies available for you lucky listeners, courtesy of MillerKnoll. YES! What do I have to do to get one? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Go to the Workplace Geeks page on the iPhone or the desktop app, then scroll down to rate AND review the show. Lemon squeezy. Winners will be selected and announced in a future episode. 🎧 Dialogue editing by David Crackles 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

Relationship-based workplace wisdom | with Ryan Anderson

Four episodes in and the Geeks are cooking on gas! For this one, we're joined by the wise and insanely amiable Ryan Anderson, VP of Global Research and Planning at workplace furniture giant MillerKnoll, home of Herman Miller, Knoll, and a host of other iconic design brands. Ryan has lived and breathed workplace for over three decades in a wide range of roles. It's no surprise then that his thoughtful, considered perspectives on workplace design, strategy, experience and technology step beyond conventional wisdoms and overtraded ideas. We caught up with Ryan to talk furniture, industry research, post-pandemic strategies and how MillerKnoll's new concept of Relationship-Based Work developed after some recent research with Workplace Unlimited (and Audiem!) called Enticing Office. Highlights include: The Grand Rapids, Michigan furniture legacy and how it shaped Ryan’s career What the sector got wrong pre-pandemic, and how to do better now The problem with trying to solve complex workplace challenges with cookie-cutter solutions Key insights from Dr Nigel Oseland and Gary Raw’s Enticing Office research The importance of place-attachment for the 'return to office' Why 'life stage' and 'career stage' might be better thinking tools than generic generational classifiers Designing for meaningful human interaction, not just work activities Also featuring a rich Reflection Section with the always-fabulous Esme Banks Marr (BVN Architecture) exploring age demographics, the sociology of workplace interaction and motivation theories, with a healthy level of constructive critique! 🎧 Dialogue editing by David Crackles 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

• Chapters

One size misfits all | with Kay Sargent

Three episodes into season four and we're deep into important territory. In this episode the Geeks sit down with internationally renowned designer, researcher, and workplace changemaker Kay Sargent, director of thought leadership and interiors at global architecture firm HOK. Kay has spent the past eight years co-ordinating a major research initiative, culminating in a brand new book, Designing Neuroinclusive Workplaces: Advancing Sensory Processing and Cognitive Well-Being in the Built Environment. What began as a curiosity-led research project has turned into a transformative design movement grounded in neuroscience, empathy, and research evidence. We caught up with Kay in person at HOK’s London office to explore her story, the book, and what it means to design workplaces that work for the full spectrum of human neurodiversity. In this fun and thought-provoking conversation, we learn: How one client question triggered eight years of global research and co-creation Why it’s time to stop designing for 'the average', because no one is average What hyper- and hypo-sensory experiences mean for workplace design How sensory gradients, zoning and choice can help people feel in control Why this issue must transcend competitive advantage Featuring a reflection section with returning guest Josh Artus from Centric Lab, connecting Kay’s insights to brain science, lived experience and the real-world barriers to inclusive change: "Kay's work, alongside our BCO report, show why employers and managers, alongside designers, developers, and landlords, need to come to terms with the lived experience of neurodivergent people and urban corporate work life. Understanding this will yield an intelligent and measured approach to a complex situation. And when you really understand the problem, the solution can be very straightforward" 🎙️Dialogue editing by David Crackles 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 hello@workplacegeeks.org 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

• Chapters