5 Key Takeaways from WORKTECH London 2024

We were lucky enough to grab a ticket to WORKTECH‘s London event on November 18th to 20th. The event brought together workplace and real estate leaders plus some very insightful experts from the likes of JLL, Booking.com, IBM and more. 

Here are our top five takeaways from the event. 

1. Workplace technology is both a project and and product 

Most workplace leaders have gone through cycles of deploying workplace tools and employee experience apps but are still waiting to see meaningful results. All the insightful presentations shared a common theme as to why this is happening, and that’s the lack of holistic thinking. 

JLL’s Andy Targell shared some sobering stats around the consequences of not thinking holistically: 

• 40% of CRE teams lack confidence in their technology programs.
• Employees spend 180+ hours a year switching between apps, highlighting inefficiencies in disconnected tech ecosystems

The presenters  emphasized the need to move from “project thinking” to “product thinking,” focusing on continuous improvement and customer value – much like a product manager would. 

Successful workplace leaders align their technology strategies with three principles:

1. Clear, measurable business goals.
2. Agile and adaptable technologies.

Just because something is digitised doesn’t mean it’s been digitally transformed. And in a workplace context, holistic thinking and digital transformation means cross-departmental collaboration – something we’re only recently starting to get the hang of. 

2. Workplace innovators are using the relatively new discipline of workplace science to boost workplace wellbeing. 

Workplace design has a substantial impact on a person’s mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. Even if employees are spending a day or two in the office every week, those hours really add up. Connections made and experiences had during those hours spent in the office carry over to employee wellbeing outside of work. 

In a value-packed 15 minutes, GSK’s Christopher Higgins presented a new approach to workplace science that quantifies what was previously unquantifiable. By measuring how workplace design and technology impact memory, decision making and distractability, GSK has created one of the healthiest workplaces in the world, which many attendees had the pleasure of visiting.  

For example, the team found that circadian lighting boosted decision-making by 32% and curved monitors improved working memory by 17%.

But workplace science is more than just another employee survey. Harnessing it to create a healthier workplace requires starting change management early, communicating the benefits to employees and deciding on metrics to measure success long before changes are implemented. 

3. Track Metrics That Align with Workplace Goals

And speaking of metrics, there’s no one size fits all for every workplace. That’s because each workplace has varying definitions of what success looks like, and varying definitions of what matters most to the employee base and CRE teams. 

Team collaboration, knowledge sharing and relationship building matter most to employees, while portfolio optimization, cost savings and boosting office utilisation matter most to CRE teams according to CBRE studies over the last year. But to create more efficient and effective workplaces, organizations have to introspect. 

Even with differences in work patterns and preferences, the following are all good metrics to start from for a better workplace:

• Desk and meeting room utilization rates
• Amenity utilization rates
• Space occupancy trends by day of the week

Interestingly, the UK boasts comparatively high utilization rates at 58%, leaving us in a privileged position to experiment with workplace design and tech to see what works and what doesn’t. 

4. There are right ways – and wrong ways – to involve employees in workplace design. 

Taking a holistic view of workplace tech and design means seeing things from the employee perspective. And that’s going to be pretty tough without the right ways to get feedback. 

Employee surveys have their time and place, even though they’ve been done to death. Multiple presenters and panelists highlighted that people aren’t going to answer honestly unless they’re certain leadership will act on employee feedback. And if making certain changes is impossible, leadership should transparently explain why that’s not possible as a bare minimum. 

Before seeking out employee feedback, it’s crucial to decide what quantitative and qualitative data points you’re looking for, and what you actually intend to do with the feedback. 

Kicking off a feedback finding mission when you’re not on solid ground run the risk of alienating employees, getting inaccurate feedback and getting rock bottom adoption levels when you eventually roll out new shiny new workplace tech or redesigns. 

But there are ways to avoid these risks, including: 

• Listen actively: Use focus groups, surveys, and sensor data to understand needs and preferences
• Test innovations: Prototype changes and pilot them with small groups of employees before rolling them out across the entire portfolio
• Follow through: Act on feedback to build trust and encourage ongoing participation.

For example, Booking.com used employee focus groups and even a psychologist  throughout the design and prototyping stages of their stunning Amsterdam HQ. They highlighted three best practices in their presentation and virtual tour of the new HQ: 

• Be a learner, not a knower
• Workplace design should incorporate spaces for everyone 
• Workplace design amplifies culture

5. It’s no longer a workplace transformation without sustainability and workplace wellbeing embedded into the process. 

Workplace transformation is increasingly tied to sustainability and wellbeing. Sustainability and wellbeing are also becoming inseparable, as evidenced by GSK and Booking.com’s workplace transformations. 

All those bright spaces with natural lighting and lots of plants don’t just make the ideas flow better – they reduce costs and carbon emissions. 

Some standout examples from the conference included:

• Designing offices that incorporate biophilic elements, wellness floors, and IoT sensors to promote healthier behaviors and reduce environmental impact

• Encouraging active commuting (e.g., cycling) and offering sit-stand desks to support physical wellbeing

• Moving away from wasteful practices like furniture disposal—one company shared how they no longer lease furniture, opting for more sustainable solutions instead

These innovations underscore the importance of aligning workplace strategies with broader environmental and social goals.

Final Thoughts

WORKTECH London 2024 made one thing clear – a well thought-through, data driven workplace strategy will separate the workplace innovators from the laggards in 2025. Efficient, effective workplaces don’t happen by accident.

Are you working hard to get your workplace strategy up and running in time for 2025? We’ve got you.