Knoll Participates in the IFMA Facility Fusion Conference in Toronto

Kylie Roth, Senior Director of Workplace Research at Knoll, participated in a panel at the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Facility Fusion Conference in Toronto, held on May 18, 2017. Titled “Work, Life and Play: Building the Workplace Experience,” the panel considered the future of workplace design as organizations strive to keep pace in an increasingly complex business environment.

Echoing the themes of “Immersive Planning,” a white paper from Knoll that tackles the blurred boundaries of the modern workplace, speakers discussed the imperatives of flexibility, technological integration, and hospitality as key drivers in contemporary office planning.

Along with Kylie Roth, speakers on the panel included Melissa Beresford, Senior Manager of Workplace Strategy & Design at Deloitte, Lisa Fulford-Roy, Managing Director of Workplace Strategy at National Occupier Services Group | CBRE Limited, and Tyler Gilchrist, Vice President of Design Research & Strategy at figure3.

“Times have evolved and changed, therefore the physical environment must do so too,” Tyler Gilchrist told the audience. “Before, you came to the office to access stuff—now you come to access people.” Citing the increasing availability of technology and the consequent mobility of employees, Gilchrist suggested that the key to a successful workplace is choice: allowing employees to design their own spaces and choose where they work. Rather than being prescriptive, companies are better poised to offer their people a range of working styles, given the increasingly diverse nature of work itself.

For employers, retaining talent additionally centers on cultivating an experience-based workplace that echoes the design strategies of hospitality environments, as offices begin to revolve primarily around social interaction. “There is a work-life integration,” Lisa Fulford-Roy said. “We must have a hospitality mentality, as the customer is the employee.”

With the task of managing seamless flows of information and the need to remain “future-proof,” workplace design is currently undergoing a complete paradigm shift. Along with the other panelists, Kylie Roth offered principles and considerations for creating a positive and authentic workplace experience in an age where the only thing for certain is the prospect of imminent change.

The IFMA is the world’s largest international association for facility management professionals, with chapters and events nationwide. The 2017 IFMA Facility Fusion Conference & Expo was held on May 17 & 18 in Toronto, ON.